India's NDTV sues Nielsen over ratings data
In a 194-page lawsuit filed in the Supreme Court of New York, New Delhi-based NDTV alleged the defendants tilted data in favour of other broadcasters who "paid" money.
"We have filed the suit," a senior NDTV executive told AFP on condition of anonymity. He declined to comment further, saying the matter was before the courts.
Ratings agencies earn billions of dollars annually by selling data on viewership sizes and patterns that are used by advertisers for marketing and advertising plans.
Highest viewed broadcasters typically get the most advertising money.
In its suit, NDTV alleged widespread data manipulation had been going on for over eight years, repeatedly under-reporting the number of people actually watching NDTV channels.
The suit demands at least $810 million in compensation for lost revenues resulting from "false, fabricated and manipulated data".
It also seeks damages totaling $580 million to compensate for TAM's alleged gross negligence and hundreds of millions of dollars more for other alleged wrongdoings including breach of duty.
NDTV accused Nielsen and Kantor of operating "worldwide through a complex web of subsidiaries and joint ventures and abusing the power of TAM's monopoly in India."
TAM is India's only TV ratings firm.
The suit alleged the defendants' acts have had a "catastrophic effects on customers, on the television industry, on customers and on viewers" around the world including the United States.
Formed in 1998, TAM is a joint venture between global ratings giant Nielsen and Kantar Media Research, another leading international player in the audience measurement industry.
The television channel said Nielsen and Kantar ignored repeated warnings of the flaws in TAM's process of collecting viewership data.
The suit singled out Nielsen, calling it a case "of a once noble company... exhibiting unabashed short-term greed".
A Nielsen spokesman said the firm "has a longstanding policy of not commenting on pending legal matters."
NDTV's stock was trading broadly flat at 52.90 rupees on Wednesday.
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NDTV lost its charm when people began to realise that its a Congress mouth piece and Nira Radia tapes clearly vindicated Burkha Dutt in the 2G scam lobbying...
Ndtv is surely the best news channel in india both english and hindi. In fact it is the only channel which nears professionality
Secret of this rating agency is finally out. Let us not give too much credence to these ratings agencies, even if they belong to ghoras. Let us not forget Enrons, Lehmen Bros etc..! Major frauds, insider trading, manipulation of markets ..have been done maximum in USA< Europe ! NDTV has been late suing such unethical rating agency, who trade off their rating results for dime! As regard NDTV playing tune of GoI is big joke.
lately this whole channel is acting as paid channel of Congress party and various mafias and they accuse a private rating agency of paid reports! i have stopped watching it.
The bone of contention is not the other channel overtaking NDTV in viewership ratings but the main rub being, Mr Roy's prodegy is giving him a tough fight.