#e4mExclusive:  Broadcasters huddle over BARC ratings suspension; IBDF to meet Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday

The Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF) board will meet today afternoon to discuss the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's (MIB) decision to suspend publication of all Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) television ratings until the audience measurement body secures a fresh licence under the Television Ratings Policy, 2026.

According to people aware of the development, the IBDF board meeting is scheduled for 12.30 pm, where broadcasters are expected to assess the commercial and operational fallout of the ratings blackout and finalise the industry's representation to the government.

The broadcasters' body is also scheduled to meet Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday at 5 pm to seek clarity on the government's decision, the status of BARC's licence renewal application and the timeline for restoration of television ratings, sources said.

The meetings come at a time when India's television industry is grappling with an unprecedented disruption in its audience measurement system after the ministry directed BARC to halt publication of ratings across all television genres, including general entertainment, sports, movies and regional channels. Until now, only news ratings had remained suspended.

The latest directive effectively extends the ratings blackout to the entire television ecosystem, leaving broadcasters, advertisers and media buying agencies without the industry's common audience measurement currency that is used for advertising negotiations, media planning and programme performance evaluation.

Industry executives said Monday's IBDF meeting is expected to focus on preparing a common industry position before engaging with the ministry. Broadcasters are likely to seek an expedited licence renewal process for BARC and explore whether interim arrangements can be put in place to minimise disruption to advertising transactions during the blackout.

Background

The suspension follows the implementation of the Television Ratings Policy, 2026, which replaced the 2014 framework with a stricter regulatory regime for television audience measurement.
Under Clause 14.2 of the new policy, no ratings agency can generate or publish television ratings until it complies with the revised framework and receives registration under the new regime.

As BARC's earlier registration has expired and its renewal application is under examination, the ministry has directed the ratings body to suspend publication of ratings until the process is completed.

The new policy introduces sweeping governance and operational changes aimed at improving transparency and accountability in audience measurement. These include enhanced board governance norms, stricter audit requirements, compliance with data protection provisions, expanded sample sizes, greater disclosure of methodologies and periodic inspections by the ministry.

It also excludes landing-page viewership from ratings calculations and reduces the minimum net worth requirement for ratings agencies from ₹20 crore to ₹5 crore to encourage competition in the audience measurement market.

Following industry consultations involving IBDF, BARC and the ministry, the government had already relaxed several provisions in the policy, including extending the compliance window from 30 days to 60 days, reducing the mandatory proportion of independent directors on the ratings agency's board from 50% to 33%, extending timelines for deployment of 80,000 people meters and modifying the establishment survey cycle from annual to once every three years.

Despite these relaxations, the ministry has maintained that ratings cannot resume until BARC's licence renewal is approved.

Industry concerns

The ratings freeze comes at a critical time for broadcasters as television networks begin planning programming and advertising sales for the festive season. BARC's weekly audience data serves as the benchmark for determining advertising rates, allocating media spends, evaluating programme performance and measuring return on investment.

With no common ratings currency available, broadcasters fear prolonged uncertainty in advertising negotiations and competitive benchmarking.

Advertisers and media agencies, meanwhile, are expected to rely on proprietary analytics, digital metrics and internal estimates until BARC resumes publication of ratings, although these lack industry-wide standardisation. Several industry executives have warned that the absence of independent measurement could delay media buying decisions and complicate campaign planning during one of the year's busiest advertising periods.

The outcome of the IBDF board meeting on Monday and the subsequent discussions with the minister are expected to determine the industry's next course of action and provide greater clarity on when India's television ratings system can return to normal.