Doordarshan is the most watched channel in the country, CM Jatua, minister of state, information and broadcasting ministry told the Lok Sabha in reply to a question.

This was found during the Doordarshan Audience Research Television Ratings' (DART) weeklong survey from 22 May to 28 May 2011, where the comparative TRPs of Doordarshan and private TV channels were collected, the minister said in his reply.

Private TV channels are not considered competitors to Doordarshan as the primary mandate of Prasar Bharati, the body under the information and broadcasting ministry that controls DD and All India Radio, is public service broadcasting, the minister said in his reply.

The government doesn't review the content, quality and popularity of programmes as selection of content to be carried on private channels is left to the discretion of the management of private channels. However all private TV channels are required to adhere to the Programme and Advertising Codes prescribed under the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act.

Doordarshan slightly lags behind in terms of TRP as per data collected by Television Audience Measurement (TAM). However measurement of viewership conducted by TAM doesn't account for viewership in rural India.

The Amit Mitra committee constituted by the I&B ministry to recommend new ways for accurate calculation of TRP and TV rating has recommended an increase in sample size from 8,000 meter homes to 30,000.

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