Today (December 19th) was to be the D-day when the TAM sheets were supposed to boomerang back. However at the request of I&B Ministry, the Government of India, and in concurrence with IBF, AAAI & ISA, TAM will delay the data release. The reason for doing so is that the Government of India has requested TAM to withhold the release of data by two or three days.  The industry is meeting with the ministry to take a decision on Thursday or Friday. So till then, the wait will continue. 

Actress Nia Sharma is upset with this delay. She explains, "Not getting TAM sheets is like giving an exam without getting marks. In a situation like this the students wouldn't have bothered to study. It's like they can write anything they wish to on their answer paper. If this continues maybe the cast and crew of shows will be taking their work less seriously and won't be concerned about working hard on the tracks."

TV show writer Shobhit Jaiswal, (who is currently writing Punar Vivah and Rab Se Sohna Isshq (both on Zee TV) says, "No TAM sheets means that there is less burden on writers. Nonetheless TAM ratings are crucial as on the basis of this advertisers of the show can judge whether it's worth it to put their money in the show."

Producer Yash Patnaik of Beyond Dreams whose current shows are Junoon - Aisi Nafrat, toh Kaisa Ishq on Life OK and Veera on Star Plus says, "We are in a numb position. We have already waited for the TAM sheets for two to three months. Now the two to three days delay seems to be like the wait of a few weeks or a month. I feel we should get TAM sheets as that is the barometer we use to judge the audiences' reactions to our show."

Reporter and Author: Pallavi Bhattacharya