I&B Ministry proposes amendments to rules for TV rating agencies

The Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry has proposed amendments to the Policy Guidelines for Television Rating Agencies, originally issued in 2014.

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The proposed draft, released on Wednesday (July 2, 2025), removes some restrictive provisions for media houses to allow more players besides the current Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) to democratise and modernise the television audience measurement ecosystem.

Observing that the existing system for measuring viewership, Television Rating Points (TRP), did not fully capture the evolving patterns owing to content availability on various platforms including smart TVs, mobile applications, and other online streaming platforms, the Ministry said the gap could affect the accuracy of ratings, which in turn might influence revenue planning for broadcasters and advertising strategies for brands.

The Ministry has invited feedback from stakeholders and the general public within 30 days of the issuance of the draft.

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“The proposed reforms aim to enable fair competition, generate more accurate and representative data, and ensure that the TRP system reflects the diverse and evolving media consumption habits of viewers across the country. India currently has about 230 million television households. However, only about 58,000 people meters are presently used to capture viewership data, representing just 0.025% of the total TV homes. This relatively limited sample size may not adequately represent the diverse viewing preferences across regions and demographics,” it noted.

The Ministry said the cross-holding restrictions prevented broadcasters or advertisers from investing in rating agencies. In order to fix the problems, the Ministry has proposed certain modifications that are aimed at fostering healthy competition, bringing in new technologies, and providing more reliable and representative data especially for connected TV platforms.

“The amendments will also enable more investments from broadcasters, advertisers, and other stakeholders to improve rating technology and infrastructure. With these reforms, India aims to build a more transparent, inclusive, and technology-driven TV rating ecosystem,” it added.