More players, modernising system: I&B ministry seeks to amend policy guidelines for TV rating agencies

The ministry has now invited feedback from stakeholders and the general public within 30 days.

“The proposed reforms aim to enable fair competition, generate more accurate and representative data, and ensure that the Television Rating Points (TRP) system reflects the diverse and evolving media consumption habits of viewers across the country,” it said.

At present, only the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) provides television ratings.

The new draft seeks to end BARC monopoly, refresh the outdated ratings system and bridge gaps in measuring streaming and mobile viewership, which are among the newer patterns of content consumption among the audience.

Once more players enter the business, newer mechanisms to measure viewership ratings from connected TV device viewership such as smart TV platforms or external streaming devices are likely to be devised, it is learnt.

According to the government, India has approximately 230 million television households, but only about 58,000 people meters are presently used to capture viewership data, representing 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 said.

It said the existing audience measurement technology through TRPs does not sufficiently capture viewership on emerging platforms such as smart TVs, streaming devices, and mobile applications, which are witnessing growing adoption among audiences.

It said this gap between evolving viewing patterns and the current measurement framework can affect the accuracy of ratings, which in turn may influence revenue planning for broadcasters and advertising strategies for brands,” it said.

“Recognising these developments, there is a need to strengthen the television rating system to better reflect contemporary content consumption habits in a dynamic media environment,” it said.

According to the ministry, existing policies had barriers that discouraged new players from entering the TV ratings sector and cross-holding restrictions prevented broadcasters or advertisers from investing in rating agencies.

The proposed draft suggests amendments replacing the earlier requirement that a company’s Memorandum of Association (MoA) shall not include any activity like consultancy or advisory services, with a provision which states: “The company shall not undertake any activity like consultancy or any such advisory role, which would lead to a potential conflict of interest with its main objective of rating.”

The draft also proposes to remove restrictive clauses (1.5 and 1.7) which were acting as barriers to entry.

“The proposed amendments aim to allow multiple agencies to foster healthy competition, bring in new technologies, and provide more reliable and representative data especially for connected TV platforms,” the ministry statement noted.

It added: “As viewing habits evolve, so must the way we measure them. The amendments will also enable more investments from broadcasters, advertisers, and other stakeholders to improve rating technology and infrastructure.”