GTPL ratings row: MIB action puts DPOs’ RPD-based TV ratings plans under the lens

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s (MIB) direction to GTPL Hathway to stop publishing television viewership ratings has put the spotlight on a wider industry initiative involving distribution platform operators (DPOs), which are exploring alternative audience measurement systems amid the continued suspension of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) ratings.

The development could have implications for cable operators such as Fastway, UCN and DEN, which are exploring Return Path Data (RPD)-based measurement frameworks with TAM Media Research. 

While the ministry's action is currently directed at GTPL, the regulatory interpretation underlying it could influence how other DPOs collect, process, aggregate and publish television viewership information.

Read more: GTPL’s response to MIB

GTPL has withdrawn its RPD-based television viewership data following the ministry's communication. The company, however, has maintained that it has not violated the Television Rating Policy, 2026, and has sought a meeting with the Ministry to understand the specific provisions under which it has been found non-compliant.

Cable operators, meanwhile, believe that the Ministry's objection is primarily to the publication of channel rankings and not to the sharing of viewership data itself. 

According to industry executives, there is a distinction between making platform-level audience information available and ranking channels based on their viewership performance. They believe the issue surrounding the presentation of rankings could be resolved soon through discussions with the ministry.

Read: MIB asks GTPL to stop publishing ratings

Other DPOs are now understood to be adopting a wait-and-watch approach before launching their own RPD-based viewership data initiatives. Industry executives indicate that the operators are keenly watching the outcome of GTPL Hathway's discussions with the MIB and are likely to proceed with their respective launches only after the company receives a clean chit from the Ministry.

 A favourable outcome could provide greater regulatory confidence to other operators and help establish a common understanding of how viewership data can be published under the Television Rating Policy, 2026.

When GTPL launched TV viewership measurement framework

A senior cable industry leader said, "We are currently adopting a wait-and-watch approach. GTPL has already taken the first step, and we would like to see how its discussions with the Ministry conclude. If GTPL gets a clean chit, it will give the rest of the DPOs greater confidence to roll out their own viewership data initiatives. Nobody wants to launch a similar initiative only to face regulatory uncertainty later. We would rather have clarity on the policy before taking the next step."

However, DPOs also contend that the larger ambiguity stems from what they describe as a U-turn by the ministry on the permissibility of publishing ratings under the Television Rating Policy, 2026. According to industry executives, a lasting resolution to the issue would require an amendment to the policy itself, rather than an isolated clarification or communication to individual operators.

The current dispute is around Clause 14.3 of the Television Rating Policy, notified on March 27, 2026. DPOs point to the provision as permitting television distribution platforms and OTT platforms to publish periodic viewership data relating to broadcasters and channels carried on their respective platforms without obtaining registration or permission under the guidelines.

The operators argue that the provision gives them the regulatory basis to publish audience information from their own networks. The Ministry's intervention, however, has raised questions about whether such information can be presented in the form of channel ratings and rankings.

Implications for other DPOs

Fastway, UCN and DEN are among the operators exploring RPD-based measurement, with TAM managing the backend infrastructure for collecting and processing viewing information. The broader plan is to bring multiple DPOs onto a common framework and aggregate their datasets to provide a wider picture of television consumption.

The GTPL episode could prompt these operators to review their measurement methodologies and the manner in which their findings are presented publicly or offered to broadcasters and advertisers. In particular, the distinction between publishing raw or aggregated viewership data and assigning channels rankings based on their performance could become a key consideration.

If the ministry's concern is limited to the publication of rankings, DPOs may be able to continue sharing viewership information while modifying the way the data is presented. However, if the regulatory interpretation extends to the publication of ratings themselves, operators could face uncertainty over the scope of their activities under the existing policy.

Advertising ambitions could also be affected

The regulatory uncertainty extends beyond television ratings to the commercial opportunities that DPOs are seeking to unlock through audience data.

MSOs have been exploring a unified advertising network for Platform Services (PS) channels, which carry local and region-specific programming such as community news, cultural events and local updates. The proposed model could allow advertisers to purchase hyperlocal television inventory across multiple cable networks through a single platform.

RPD-based measurement is expected to play an important role in this proposition by providing advertisers with information on audience reach and viewing behaviour. A common measurement framework could help operators package inventory across markets and offer more structured campaign reporting to brands.

The absence of a widely accepted measurement framework, however, could make it harder for MSOs to establish a common advertising currency and persuade larger advertisers and media agencies to commit budgets to such inventory.

For operators, it offers a potential revenue stream beyond subscription income at a time when cable businesses face growing competition from streaming platforms and Digital platforms.

The GTPL episode could therefore have a bearing on two interconnected industry ambitions: building an alternative source of television audience insights and creating a scalable advertising marketplace around local television inventory.

For an industry attempting to build an alternative audience measurement ecosystem in the absence of BARC ratings, the distinction could determine how much of the proposed RPD opportunity can be commercially realised.