MIB to fast-track landing page free TV ratings; BARC licence renewal to take time

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) is soon expected to direct the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India to operationalise the Television Ratings Policy 2026 by releasing television ratings that exclude landing page-generated viewership, following the Kerala High Court's decision to vacate the interim stay on the policy, according to multiple industry sources.

However, industry executives said BARC's pending licence renewal is likely to take considerably longer, as it includes governance reforms, board restructuring and a roadmap for Connected TV (CTV) measurement. The industry expects BARC to release the ratings next week. 

The move to operationalise the revised ratings framework would mark the first major recalibration of India's television audience measurement system since the policy was notified earlier this year and is expected to significantly alter channel rankings, advertising negotiations and distribution strategies across the broadcast industry.

Industry executives said the ministry is likely to issue formal communication to BARC in the coming days, directing the ratings body to implement Clause 5.4.1 of the Television Ratings Policy 2026, which mandates that any viewership generated through landing pages be excluded from official television ratings.

"The legal hurdle has now been removed. The ministry is expected to ask BARC to operationalise the revised ratings methodology at the earliest," a senior broadcasting executive familiar with the matter said.

The Kerala High Court on Friday vacated its interim order staying implementation of the landing page provision after accepting the Centre's contention that the policy regulates only audience measurement and does not prohibit cable operators or broadcasters from using landing pages as promotional tools.

Licence renewal may take longer

While implementation of the revised ratings methodology is now expected to move ahead, multiple industry executives said it should not be linked with BARC's pending licence renewal.

According to people familiar with the matter, the ministry's discussions on licence renewal have expanded beyond regulatory compliance and now include the future governance architecture of BARC, the composition of its board and a long-term roadmap for television audience measurement, particularly as Connected TV viewership continues to grow.

"The licence renewal and implementation of the Television Ratings Policy are separate processes. The ministry can direct BARC to release ratings excluding landing page data even before the licence renewal is finalised," a senior industry executive said.

Another executive said the government is looking at the next phase of television measurement rather than merely extending BARC's existing mandate.

"The discussions around licence renewal are much broader. The ministry wants to ensure BARC has the right governance structure, a refreshed board and a clear roadmap for future measurement, including CTV. Those discussions are naturally expected to take more time," the executive said.

Industry executives said the ministry is keen that implementation of the revised ratings policy should not be delayed while the larger structural reforms continue.

MIB's long-pending reform moves towards implementation

The development comes months after the ministry unveiled the revised television ratings policy and BARC circulated a detailed implementation framework to broadcasters.

Under the revised methodology, any channel automatically displayed when a television set-top box is switched on will no longer receive television ratings for that initial exposure. If viewers subsequently choose to continue watching the same channel during the same viewing session, that viewership will be counted.

BARC had also created a compliance framework requiring broadcasters to disclose all landing page and barker page arrangements through weekly declarations submitted via a dedicated reporting portal.

Implementation, however, remained on hold after the Kerala High Court granted interim relief to the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF), which challenged the provision on the ground that it adversely affected the cable distribution ecosystem.

With the stay now vacated, industry stakeholders expect the ministry to revive the implementation roadmap almost immediately.

BARC backed the Centre in court

The anticipated direction follows BARC's strong defence of the government's policy before the Kerala High Court.

In its counter-affidavit, the audience measurement body argued that it has no commercial interest in channel placement and that its sole institutional objective is to ensure television ratings accurately reflect genuine viewer choice.

BARC contended that landing pages create "forced viewing" because viewers are automatically exposed to a channel before making any conscious viewing decision. It submitted that studies conducted under its Data Validation Quality Initiative found landing pages artificially inflated ratings, particularly benefiting smaller and niche channels.

The ratings body further argued that excluding passive exposure is an internationally accepted audience measurement principle and that the Television Ratings Policy merely formalises what its Landing Page Algorithm had already attempted to achieve.

According to BARC, the policy regulates only audience measurement methodology and does not interfere with broadcasters or distribution platform operators continuing to use landing pages as a promotional tool.

Industry divided over execution

While broadcasters broadly welcomed the High Court's order, several industry executives questioned whether BARC has the technical capability to eliminate landing page-generated viewership completely.

"There is no dispute over the policy intent. The challenge lies in execution. Whether BARC can completely isolate every instance of landing page-generated viewership without affecting legitimate viewing remains the bigger question," a senior broadcaster said.

Another media executive said the transition may not be as seamless as envisaged.

"BARC's existing algorithm was designed to mitigate distortions rather than eliminate them entirely. A full exclusion requires robust identification of every landing page event across multiple distribution platforms. The industry will closely watch how accurately this is implemented."

Some executives also raised concerns over the reliability of broadcaster disclosures, which form a key part of the compliance framework.

"The methodology depends on accurate reporting of landing page arrangements by broadcasters. If disclosures are incomplete or delayed, implementation could become complicated," another senior industry executive said.

Advertisers welcome cleaner measurement

Advertising executives said the revised methodology could restore greater confidence in television ratings.

For years, advertisers and media agencies have argued that landing page-generated impressions artificially boosted reach metrics without reflecting genuine viewer engagement, resulting in inflated ratings for certain channels.

"Advertisers have always sought audience measurement based on actual viewer choice. Excluding passive exposure should improve confidence in television ratings as the industry's trading currency," a senior media agency executive said.

The revised framework is expected to particularly affect channels that have historically relied on promotional placements with cable and DTH operators to improve visibility and ratings performance.

Industry estimates suggest the new methodology could reshape genre rankings, weekly leadership positions and advertising rate negotiations once ratings begin reflecting organic audience behaviour.

Questions remain over BARC's preparedness

Despite expectations of an early rollout, several industry participants remain sceptical about BARC's operational readiness.

"The policy is ready. Whether the measurement system is equally ready is something only the first few weeks of data will reveal," a broadcaster said.

Another executive noted that Connected TV growth, fragmented distribution platforms and evolving viewing habits have made television audience measurement significantly more complex.

"Removing landing page influence is relatively straightforward in policy language. Implementing it consistently across millions of television homes is a far more challenging exercise."

For the ministry, the immediate priority appears to be operationalising the Television Ratings Policy by excluding landing page-generated viewership. The broader overhaul of BARC—including licence renewal, governance reforms, board restructuring and a future-ready audience measurement roadmap—is expected to unfold over a longer timeline, making it the next phase of India's television ratings reforms.