MIB proposal to drop landing page from TRPs puts Rs 250-crore cable revenue at risk

Landing pages have long been valuable in the television business. When a viewer switches on a set-top box, the first channel that flashes on screen is the landing page — a high-visibility slot that broadcasters pay hefty sums for to secure instant recall. Industry estimates suggest broadcasters collectively spend around Rs 250 crore annually on these slots, which typically run for 15–25 seconds. For cable operators, these pages are a vital source of income, contributing nearly 15–20% of their total revenues.

Now, that stream may be at risk. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), in its draft amendment to the existing television rating policy, has proposed that any viewership arising from landing pages should not be counted in the television rating points (TRPs). The proposal states that “Landing Page can be used only as a marketing tool,” effectively delinking it from audience measurement.

Also read: The landing page puzzle

MIB landing page proposal: New viewership metrics calculation easier said than done?

An industry expert explained that landing pages are a key source of income for cable operators contributing nearly 15–20% of their total revenues through payments made by broadcasters for visibility. “It’s unfair on cable operators,” the expert said, “because to prevent misuse by a few, a legitimate and important revenue stream for the cable industry will be curtailed.”

The expert added that the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) had already introduced a Landing Page Algorithm (LPA) in 2020 to identify and segregate landing page viewership. “BARC’s system uses seven statistical checks to distinguish genuine viewership and is completely automated with no human intervention. So why stop counting landing page impressions now?” the expert questioned.

He further pointed out that there is no fixed rate for landing pages as pricing typically varies by region, reach and operator size. “This move will significantly impact the earnings of cable operators,” the expert added.

MIB in its recent draft amendment has suggested to exclude the landing page from the procedure of TRP ratings wherein it has stated that ‘Provided that any viewership arising out of Landing Page shall not be counted in the viewership measurement. Landing Page can be used only as a marketing tool.’

Also read: MIB proposes TRP policy changes: Landing Page not to be counted in audience measurement

“The moot question that arises here is: Is landing page really impacting the TRP? The answer lies in the clarification provided by BARC on its website,” said an expert.

BARC’s Data Validation Process has four primary steps (a) Landing Page Algorithm (LPA) (b) Phase I – Data QC (c) Phase II – Respondent Level and (d) Phase III – Channel Level. At the request of the industry, BARC launched the LPA in September 2020. The LPA identifies viewing that occurs as a result of a channel being placed on a landing page. This identification is based upon seven different statistical checks comparing the viewing of a channel when it is the first viewed in a viewing session to when the viewing to the channel occurs in latter parts of the viewing session. The LPA has been tuned in order to maximize the success rate while minimizing false positives (i.e. where a channel is incorrectly identified as being on a landing page).

BARC mentions about LPA that ‘Once the viewing has been identified as being due to a landing page the LPA then removes only the portion of viewing which is deemed to be forced and where the viewer is likely not engaged. The balance of viewing is kept. This again is done by comparing viewing markers of the channel when it is served via a landing page to when it is viewed naturally. The LPA is fully automated and is system driven. There is no human intervention.’

“Since BARC has already clarified the matter in detail, what was the urgent need for the MIB to exclude it despite there being no impact? Why stop counting landing page impressions now?” asked the expert.

“Landing pages are a key source of income for us cable operators contributing nearly 15–20% of their total revenues through payments made by broadcasters for visibility. It’s majorly a medium of marketing and it’s unfair that cable operators, who are already suffering from unfair competition from Free Dish (wherein after recommendation from TRAI for making it addressable MIB has still not made it addressable) and digital OTT platforms, (where no government guideline is applicable and there are no regulatory checks on content) are again being pushed to the wall. They further pointed out that there is no fixed rate for landing pages as pricing typically varies by region, reach and operator size. This move will significantly impact the earnings of cable operators,” said some cable operators.

Broadcast experts, meanwhile, have hailed the MIB’s move to keep landing pages as only a marketing tool and not for measuring viewership.

According to them, broadcasters collectively pay around Rs 250 crore annually on landing pages to MSOs for slots ranging 15–25 seconds. According to experts, removing landing pages from the viewership measurement system is a fair and welcome step, as they are often forced. When the power goes off, set-top boxes reboot and automatically switch to the landing page—even when the TV set is off.

Sanjay Dwivedi Group CEO and CFO Balaji had earlier said “By preventing landing page manipulation and increasing panel size, the ministry is promoting improved and fairer audience metrics in increasingly a multi-platform world.”

Another senior industry expert said, “These were artificially simulated ratings by broadcasters, and the MIB’s move will ensure they are eliminated. This will lead to a fairer distribution of advertising money.”

Broadcast expert Rajiv Khattar said “The landing page not only impacts the ratings but also brings in more viewers to the channel as if the person sees that and then he tries to go to the main channel. Another point with the landing page is that platforms from the backend can make remote ineffective for a few minutes. Meaning that if I switch on TV then the box opens the landing page and I cannot change from the landing page for a few minutes. This was thus captured by rating meters and bumped up the rating.”

Another industry observer said while using landing pages is technically correct in principle “it’s like taking a steroid offering a quick forced boost rather than a smart sustainable solution.” He called it a “low IQ fix for a high IQ problem” noting that marketing should rely on creativity and strategic thinking. “Though landing pages were once used intelligently and effectively their overuse has now diminished their impact and uniqueness,” he said.