TRT officials said in a written statement that the Television Audience Research Commission (TİAK), the joint industry committee responsible for awarding the contract for managing Turkey’s TV audience measurement system, has violated competition regulations.In a written statement released by the institution, it was noted that while ratings for TRT 1, the corporation’s most-watched channel, rose from the beginning of 2008 through March 2009, they began to fall systematically in April 2009 for no apparent reason. TRT continued to criticize the audience measurement system managed by AGB Nielsen and the TİAK. “TRT has been pointing out the deficiencies of the rating system, including the violation of competition regulations, for two years, both to TİAK and to the public, warning of the deficiencies and asking for the necessary precautions to be taken. While they accept the criticisms concerning the theoretical basis of the system, TİAK members and AGB Nielsen have not yet taken a solid step toward a solution,” the statement read.
It was also noted in the statement that the TNS Media Group is slated take over the measurement of television viewership starting from January 2011, after AGB Nielsen lost the tender to maintain the management of the rating system. “Although TRT’s criticisms were partially taken into consideration, the new tender is still fundamentally flawed. TRT will reconsider its participation in the industry-wide ratings mechanism when the new contract begins in 2011,” the statement noted.TRT will decide whether to participate in TNS audience measurements after evaluating the company’s management of the system.
