Chinese Media

Cheating in ratings found in local TV stations

By Zhang Jiawei (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-07-01 18:02

Some local TV stations were found to have manipulated their audience ratings by bribing some of their audiences into hooking up to their programs for a long time, the People's Daily reported Thursday.

The malpractice was carried out by giving select viewers who participated in TV surveys a small amount of money and some gifts to ask them to receive programs of a certain TV channel, according to the newspaper.

The newspaper said that when Chinese premier Wen Jiabao met with reporters in March, some TV stations had ratings double that of others even though all the stations were broadcasting the same event.

In 2009, six survey takers in a city were found to have hooked their TV up to a certain channel's programs for a long time. After they were removed as survey takers, the channel's ratings dropped sharply, the newspaper said.