Kerala TRP scam: Rs 100-cr fraud accelerates industry demands for faster ratings overhaul

For years the television sector has lived with suspicions and periodic allegations around the integrity of audience measurement. Most of these complaints rarely moved beyond murmurs within the industry. But the alleged Rs 100-crore Kerala TRP manipulation case has changed the tone of the conversation. 

The unfolding investigation comes at a moment when the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is already in the middle of reviewing India’s entire ratings framework. With questions swirling around how ratings were influenced, how sensitive data was accessed and how money trails were used to distort audience metrics, the case has reignited a larger debate. Is the system too easy to exploit? Are blind spots already known but ignored. And does this moment strengthen the need for a complete structural overhaul.

Also read: Rs 100-cr TV ratings scam emerges as MIB plans major reset of India’s audience measurement

Govt vs Broadcasters: Clash over TV ratings system pits competition against credibility

TV ratings agency: Broadcasters oppose MIB’s proposal to scrap cross-holding restrictions

The larger push for TRP reforms

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has already proposed a sweeping overhaul of the existing TRP ecosystem in its latest draft policy.

The proposed framework includes expanding the national ratings panel to nearly 1,20,000, ending BARC’s monopoly by accrediting multiple measurement agencies, enforcing stricter conflict-of-interest rules, and introducing far stronger data security protocols to prevent any leakage of meter locations or viewership information.

Another significant recommendation is the removal of landing page impressions from official ratings, a move meant to eliminate a long-criticised loophole that allows channels to inflate reach through default placement rather than genuine viewer choice. These proposals are currently open for public and industry feedback and are expected to shape the final version of the revamped ratings architecture.

The Kerala developments have now prompted louder calls from experts for stronger, faster reforms.

Kailash Adhikari, Business Head at Shri Adhikari Brothers (SAB) Network said, "Landing pages can be a marketing tool but cannot be used for ratings.”

Landing page viewership has been one of the most contentious points in the ongoing policy discussion. Critics say it allows channels to gain instant and inflated reach without genuine audience choice.

Anil Malhotra, Head Public and Regulatory and Chief Revenue Officer, affiliate sales, ZEEL, said, “Landing page viewership cannot be treated as a holistic indicator of TV audience measurement. The viewership garnered through landing pages is not uniform in nature and inflates the ratings in a way that distorts the overall ratings methodology in an unfair manner. It is also challenging because all DPOs do not have the technical capability to offer landing page placement, which further leads to an imbalance in the overall measurement system. 

"As there is no mechanism to distinguish the natural viewership of a channel from the ratings garnered through the landing page, it should be excluded from the overall measurement framework in order to ensure a level playing field for all players,” he said.

Rajiv Khattar, broadcast expert, said, “The cases like in Kerala, vindicates the MIB stance to revamp rating process, it is important that stricter norms are brought in. The placement of meters and their address data need to be highly confidential. The management should own responsibility for such a lapse. How could this happen? Landing page rating should be stopped immediately.”

Another broadcast expert said, “There might be deeper weaknesses and certain blind spots and loopholes in the system, which not only the BARC, but also the ministry needs to look at, because ultimately, it's influencing the $3 billion, $4 billion market. This is the only currency and if it is so easy to fudge numbers, then we are operating in a very difficult world where we do not know if hard work or creativity have any meaning.”

The Kerala case and its wider implications

The alleged fraud involves a Kerala channel owner and a Mumbai-based BARC employee and is currently being treated as a very serious matter by the state police. Investigators are probing claims that large payments, allegedly routed through crypto wallets, were made to artificially elevate the channel’s ratings and thus its advertising revenue. WhatsApp chats and call records point to advanced sharing of weekly viewership data, acknowledgements of payments and even emojis that appear to confirm transactions.

This alleged racket has emerged at a sensitive time. The ministry has been working on significant reforms to India’s audience measurement architecture. The draft policy proposes expanding the national sample to as many as 1,20,000 panel homes, ending BARC’s exclusive role by accrediting multiple measurement agencies, and tightening conflict of interest rules so broadcasters do not influence the ratings ecosystem behind the scenes. One of the most debated elements in the draft is the recommendation to exclude landing page viewership from official ratings. This is a long-standing loophole that has been criticised for giving channels an easy route to inflate reach without corresponding organic viewing.

Stakeholders including broadcasters, advertisers and distribution platforms are currently sending their feedback. The emergence of a large manipulation scheme at the same time has amplified pressure for faster implementation.

According to reports, the Kerala channel linked to the case had attributed a sudden spike in ratings to a landing page placement on a small cable network in North Kerala that had only about 20,000 subscribers. Given that the state has more than 80 lakh cable homes, the explanation raised immediate questions. Investigators are also examining evidence suggesting that the BARC employee, Premnath, had allegedly provided the channel with PIN codes of areas where ratings meters were installed, enabling highly targeted manipulation in those specific neighbourhoods.

Reports also say that in one instance, the numbers privately sent by Premnath matched the official weekly ratings exactly. Such precision is now being examined as possible evidence of data tampering designed to boost one channel while suppressing rivals. The probe was initiated after a complaint from the Kerala Television Federation to the chief minister and the BARC chief executive officer. The chief minister directed the police to begin a detailed investigation and a team led by the DGP is now collecting financial and digital evidence. Authorities say nearly Rs 100 crore entered Premnath’s Trust Wallet before being distributed to various entities, pointing to the possibility of operations that may extend beyond Kerala.

An urgent test for the industry

What the Kerala case has done is remove any illusions about vulnerabilities in the measurement system. It has made the conversation sharper and more urgent. Industry leaders who earlier debated issues such as panel size or landing page influence as technical concerns are now framing them as risks to business credibility.

For advertisers, ratings are the only currency to plan billions worth of media spending. For broadcasters, they are the basis for selling inventory and proving content performance. For the government, they are the foundation of policy oversight. Any weakness in the system affects every stakeholder.

The Kerala case has also underlined a worrying new layer: the role of digital tools. Crypto payments, WhatsApp based manipulation, and potential use of location data show a level of sophistication not often associated with traditional TV rating distortions. This is no longer about simply persuading panel homes. It is about weaponizing technology to engineer outcomes.

For many industry observers, this moment resembles the period after the 2020 ratings controversy when news channels were accused of influencing panel homes. The difference today is that the ministry is already working on reforms and the new case adds real world urgency.

As the investigation deepens, the question remains whether this episode will finally accelerate long pending structural changes. The ministry’s draft signals intent. Stakeholders are debating specifics. But the Kerala case may be the final proof that the system needs redesigning not over years but now.