#e4mBreaking:  Kerala HC defers landing page ratings case; Govt says news TV ratings can't proceed yet

The legal battle over the treatment of landing pages in television audience measurement intensified on Friday after the Kerala High Court deferred further hearing in the matter to July 13, even as the Centre argued that television ratings linked to the revised framework cannot be implemented until the court adjudicates on the dispute.

Hearing the case, Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas considered submissions from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) and the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF), which is challenging a key provision of the government's Television Rating Policy, 2026 that excludes landing page-generated viewership from audience measurement calculations.

During the proceedings, the Additional Solicitor General of India, appearing for the Centre, submitted that ratings under the revised framework cannot commence until the matter is heard and decided by the court. The court subsequently listed the matter for further arguments on July 13.

The latest hearing comes amid an escalating legal and regulatory confrontation over landing pages — channels that automatically appear on television screens when viewers switch on their sets. The issue has become one of the most contentious subjects in India's broadcasting ecosystem because of its direct impact on television ratings, advertising revenues and channel rankings.

AIDCF has already filed its counter submissions opposing the Centre's plea seeking vacation of the interim order granted by the court. The federation has challenged Clause 5.4.1 of the revised audience measurement framework, which excludes viewership generated through landing pages from television ratings calculations.

The Kerala High Court had earlier granted an interim stay on the operation of the disputed provision. While the court has not stayed the implementation of the Television Rating Policy, 2026 in its entirety, it has effectively prevented the release of ratings based on the new methodology that excludes landing page data.

The dispute has assumed greater significance following the Broadcast Audience Research Council's (BARC) decision to resume publishing weekly news television ratings from June 11 after a prolonged suspension. However, BARC had announced that landing page impressions would remain outside the audience measurement framework in the current phase.

The Centre has strongly defended the exclusion of landing page viewership, arguing that the reform is critical to restoring credibility and transparency to India's television ratings system.

In a detailed affidavit filed before the Kerala High Court, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting contended that the interim stay was granted at the admission stage without full consideration of the extensive policy consultations and regulatory background that led to the formulation of the Television Rating Policy, 2026.

According to the ministry, the revised policy emerged after consultations involving broadcasters, distribution platform operators (DPOs), audience measurement agencies and regulators, with the objective of strengthening transparency, independence and accountability in television audience measurement.

The government argued that landing pages and boot-up screens have historically distorted ratings by artificially boosting viewership figures for channels that secure prominent placement on television platforms.

The ministry maintained that impressions generated through landing pages often represent passive exposure rather than active viewer choice and therefore fail to accurately reflect genuine consumer viewing preferences. It further argued that audience measurement should be based on deliberate viewing behaviour rather than automatic visibility created through platform design.

The affidavit also noted that concerns regarding landing page influence are not new and have been examined over several years through studies and consultations conducted by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). According to the Centre, regulators have repeatedly flagged the potential of landing pages to skew ratings and create competitive distortions within the broadcasting market.

At the same time, the ministry clarified that the Television Rating Policy, 2026 does not prohibit or regulate the use of landing pages themselves. Broadcasters and DPOs remain free to continue using them as promotional tools. The policy merely excludes viewership arising from such placements from audience measurement calculations.

The government has also sought to distinguish the current proceedings from separate litigation pending before the Supreme Court concerning TRAI's regulations governing landing page placements. According to the Centre, the Supreme Court matter deals with channel placement rules, whereas the present dispute concerns audience measurement methodology and therefore operates in a different regulatory domain.

Industry stakeholders remain sharply divided on the issue.

News broadcasters have long argued that mandatory or commercially incentivised landing pages distort audience behaviour and provide an unfair ratings advantage to channels that secure preferential placement. Distribution platform operators, however, contend that landing pages are legitimate promotional tools that help channel discovery and viewer engagement.

The outcome of the case is being closely monitored by broadcasters, cable operators, advertisers and media buyers, given the central role television ratings play in advertising allocations, channel valuations and carriage negotiations.

With the festive advertising season approaching and news ratings having recently resumed after years of suspension, the Kerala High Court's eventual ruling is expected to have far-reaching implications for India's television measurement ecosystem and could shape the future regulatory framework governing audience measurement standards in the country.