Nielsen calls for dismissal of NDTV ratings lawsuit

US — Nielsen has filed to dismiss a lawsuit brought against it in the New York State Supreme Court by Indian TV news network NDTV over allegations of TV ratings tampering in India.

The claims are primarily aimed at TAM Media Research but NDTV alleges that Nielsen and WPP – as joint venture partners in TAM – are also “liable for indulging in corrupt practices by manipulating viewership data in favour of channels that are willing to covertly provide monetary inducements/payments/bribes to TAM officials”.

WPP has already sought a dismissal, describing the case as “a desperate attempt… to drum up media coverage”.

Meanwhile Nielsen, in support of its dismissal motion, says “this case belongs, if it belongs anywhere, in India”.

“Although NDTV claims that it began to question the accuracy of TAM’s TV ratings data as early as 2001 and had actual notice that TAM’s TV ratings data were flawed by 2004 at the latest, NDTV has never pursued any action against TAM to remedy its complaints,” say Nielsen’s lawyers.

“Now, at least eight year after NDTV determined that TAM’s TV ratings data are ‘not reliable’, it sues four separate Nielsen entities – none of which is a joint venturer in TAM – asserting a grab bag of irrational and defective claims… NDTV’s claims against Nielsen have no merit and have no place in this court.”

We hope you enjoyed this article.
Research Live is published by MRS.

The Market Research Society (MRS) exists to promote and protect the research sector, showcasing how research delivers impact for businesses and government.

Members of MRS enjoy many benefits including tailoured policy guidance, discounts on training and conferences, and access to member-only content.

For example, there's an archive of winning case studies from over a decade of MRS Awards.

Find out more about the benefits of joining MRS here.

0 Comments

Display name

Email

Join the discussion

Newsletter
Stay connected with the latest insights and trends...
Sign Up
Latest From MRS

Our latest training courses

Our new 2025 training programme is now launched as part of the development offered within the MRS Global Insight Academy

See all training

Specialist conferences

Our one-day conferences cover topics including CX and UX, Semiotics, B2B, Finance, AI and Leaders' Forums.

See all conferences

MRS reports on AI

MRS has published a three-part series on how generative AI is impacting the research sector, including synthetic respondents and challenges to adoption.

See the reports

Progress faster...
with MRS 
membership

Mentoring

CPD/recognition

Webinars

Codeline

Discounts