Selling TV without ratings: BARC blackout puts ad sales under pressure ahead of festivals

India’s television industry is entering the crucial festive advertising season with its primary audience currency still unavailable, leaving ad sales teams across news, general entertainment, films, sports, kids and regional television struggling to convince advertisers to commit budgets.

The problem is no longer restricted to news broadcasters. Since the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting suspended the publication of television ratings from July 1, the entire television ecosystem has been operating without fresh BARC data. The suspension covers both news and non-news genres and has disrupted media planning and advertising negotiations across the industry. 

For television ad sales executives, the immediate challenge is straightforward: they are being asked to sell audience without being able to show the latest audience numbers.

“Every sales pitch eventually comes down to the same question from the client—what is the current reach and what is the current rating? Historical numbers can only take the conversation so far. Without weekly BARC data, the client is reluctant to take a call, particularly on incremental spends,” said a senior television network executive.

The impact is beginning to show in advertising volumes.

According to TAM AdEx data, News TV recorded its lowest advertising volumes for July in four years. Taking July 2023 as the base at 100, ad volumes fell to an indexed 86 in July 2024 and 84 in July 2025, before plunging to 62 in July 2026 — a 38% decline over the period.

News TV's share of monthly television ad volumes, which had stayed between 15% and 17% from January to May this year, slipped to 13% in June and fell further to 9% in July.

While the data is genre-specific, industry executives say the underlying problem is now being felt across television. Broadcasters in GEC, regional entertainment, movie, music and other genres are also having to negotiate advertising deals without the latest independent viewership benchmarks.

“News is showing the impact earlier because it is a more fragmented market, but the issue is not a news issue anymore. Every television sales team is facing the same problem. You can tell an advertiser that a show has historically delivered a certain rating, but you cannot demonstrate what it is delivering today,” said another senior broadcaster.

Also read: BARC blackout leaves TV programming heads flying blind as festive launch season nears

No ratings, no benchmark: TV industry braces for fallout of BARC TRP blackout

BARC extends TV news TRP blackout as MIB directive stays in force

The missing number in every sales pitch

BARC ratings traditionally serve as the common currency between broadcasters, agencies and advertisers. They allow media buyers to compare channels and programmes, evaluate audience delivery and negotiate inventory.

With that currency unavailable, sales teams are increasingly using historical BARC performance, internal channel data, consumer research, digital consumption figures and other third-party indicators to build their pitches.

But these measures do not carry the same weight.

“Advertisers are not saying television does not work. They are saying they don't have enough visibility to price the risk. If I have to choose between putting money into a medium where I have current performance data and one where the latest independent numbers are unavailable, the decision becomes much harder,” said a senior media agency executive.

The uncertainty is particularly difficult for channels that have recently gained audiences or launched new properties. Historical ratings may not capture a channel's current position, while new shows have no BARC track record at all.

This could also favour established television properties over newer ones. Programming executives have said the blackout is already forcing broadcasters to rely more heavily on historical performance and brand strength when making content decisions, with some high-risk launches potentially being deferred. 

Advertisers are asking for more proof — and more discounts

The absence of ratings is also changing the nature of negotiations.

Broadcasters are increasingly finding advertisers asking for additional proof of audience delivery, customised integrations and performance-linked arrangements rather than simply buying spot inventory.

“Earlier, the conversation was about rating points and cost per rating point. Now it is much more about what else the broadcaster can give us — integrations, sponsorships, digital extensions or guarantees. The absence of a common currency is shifting the conversation from audience delivery to risk management,” said a senior agency executive.

Some broadcasters are also facing pressure on pricing as advertisers seek greater value for the uncertainty they are taking on. Industry executives suggest that the lack of objective ratings data is already affecting negotiations around premium television inventory during the festive season. 

The pressure comes at an especially difficult time. Television advertising is already dealing with softer FMCG spending, macroeconomic uncertainty and the migration of incremental video budgets towards digital video and connected TV. The ratings blackout is therefore adding another layer of friction to a market that was already under pressure.

July weakness: blackout or seasonal lull?

The industry is divided on how much of the July decline can be directly attributed to the ratings blackout.

Media agencies point out that July is traditionally a relatively soft advertising month and that delayed monsoon activity can affect categories such as FMCG, retail and consumer durables. Advertisers are also increasingly allocating video budgets across television, YouTube, connected TV and OTT platforms.

“July has its own seasonality, so it would be wrong to attribute the entire decline to BARC. But the blackout makes an already weak market more difficult. When budgets are under pressure, advertisers need stronger evidence before committing to television,” said a senior media planner.

Broadcasters, however, argue that the absence of measurement is creating a structural disadvantage for television at precisely the point when advertisers are beginning to plan their biggest campaigns.

“Seasonality explains some of the softness. It does not explain why every sales conversation has become longer and more complicated. The biggest problem is that there is no common number that everyone can agree on,” said a television network sales head.

Festive season becomes the real test

The bigger concern for broadcasters is not July but the months ahead.

August to December is traditionally one of television's most important advertising periods, driven by festive consumption, new programming, major reality shows and premium sponsorship opportunities. 

This year, however, broadcasters are approaching that period without the weekly ratings that typically underpin pricing and programming decisions.

The blackout is also encouraging advertisers to consider platforms where campaign performance can be measured more frequently and granularly. Industry observers have warned that digital platforms could benefit if television remains without a recognised measurement currency during the festive planning cycle.

For GEC broadcasters, the problem is particularly acute as new fiction, reality and non-fiction properties are prepared for launch. For sports networks, the challenge is different: rights costs and premium inventory need to be justified without a fresh industry-wide viewership benchmark. 

Regional broadcasters face an additional hurdle because historical ratings may not adequately demonstrate current market-level audience shifts.

And for news broadcasters, the July data offers an early indication of what the uncertainty could mean for advertising.

The industry is therefore watching August closely. If television ad volumes recover as festive campaigns begin, broadcasters may be able to argue that July was largely a seasonal aberration. 

If the weakness persists across genres, the ratings blackout could increasingly be seen not merely as a measurement disruption, but as a factor accelerating the shift of advertising money away from linear television.

For now, the television industry continues to operate — but its sales teams are effectively selling airtime without the scoreboard that has traditionally determined its value.