TRAI okays bringing ALTD viewership into TV ratings, allows apps to publish audience data

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended integrating viewership of application-based linear television distribution (ALTD) platforms into the television audience measurement framework, seeking to capture audiences watching television channels over the internet alongside those accessing them through conventional distribution platforms.

The regulator has proposed that registered television rating agencies develop a standardised methodology to capture and report viewership on ALTD applications after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) finalises the authorisation framework for these services. 

The methodology would have to account for the technological characteristics of internet-based television distribution while ensuring consistency and comparability with measurements across other platforms.

TRAI’s recommendations also propose allowing authorised ALTD application providers to publish periodic viewership data for television channels carried on their applications and websites without obtaining separate registration or permission. Such self-reported data could be subject to independent audit or verification by registered agencies or auditors empanelled by TRAI.

Bridging the television measurement gap

The regulator has said that television viewing is no longer confined to conventional distribution platforms such as cable television, direct-to-home (DTH), headend-in-the-sky (HITS) and internet protocol television (IPTV). Viewers increasingly access linear television channels through internet-based applications and connected devices, fragmenting audiences across multiple delivery platforms.

Under the existing system, a registered television rating agency measures linear television viewership through regulated distribution platforms. The measurement is conducted on a sample basis to generate ratings, including channel-wise viewership, reach and time spent, which are extrapolated to represent the country's television viewing universe.

However, the growing availability of the same channels across conventional distribution networks and internet-based applications has created gaps in the measurement of overall television consumption.

TRAI noted that service providers already undertake application analytics, including session-duration analysis, and collect anonymous data. However, viewership estimates produced by market research and analytics companies for online platforms are not standardised or integrated into the existing television ratings system.

Excluding ALTD viewership, particularly as connected television adoption increases, would result in an incomplete assessment of channel consumption and fail to reflect the actual reach and viewership of television channels, the regulator said.

Accordingly, TRAI has recommended that viewership of channels distributed through ALTD applications be included in television audience measurement and appropriately accounted for when determining channel ratings across authorised distribution platforms.

Rating agencies to develop methodology

Rather than prescribing a detailed measurement mechanism at this stage, TRAI has proposed that registered television rating agencies develop the methodology in accordance with the rules, guidelines and regulations issued by MIB and TRAI once the ALTD authorisation framework is finalised.

The methodology would need to be standardised and transparent, produce reliable measurement outcomes and provide clear disclosures on measurement parameters, methodology, data accuracy and verifiability. It would also have to ensure that internet-based viewership can be compared meaningfully with audiences measured through other television distribution platforms.

Stakeholders had offered differing views on how such integration should be implemented. Those supporting integration called for a phased approach and a converged, platform-agnostic methodology covering cable, DTH, IPTV and ALTD services. Some suggested using actual consumption data, platform analytics and anonymised return-path data, alongside common measurement standards and industry participation in developing the methodology.

Suggestions on implementation timelines ranged from 90 days to 24 months, depending on the degree of standardisation, pilot testing and system readiness required.

Other stakeholders opposed immediate integration, arguing that internet-based services have different content formats, consumption patterns and measurement requirements. Some also questioned whether audience measurement fell within TRAI's jurisdiction, contending that it should be left to independent, industry-led rating agencies and market-based mechanisms.

TRAI's recommendations favour integration, while leaving the detailed technical methodology to registered rating agencies once the authorisation framework is in place.

Periodic data disclosure without separate registration

The regulator has also proposed extending to authorised ALTD application providers the ability to publish periodic viewership data for television channels carried on their platforms, in line with the TV Ratings Policy 2026.

The policy, introduced by MIB on March 27, 2026, enables television distribution platforms and OTT platforms to publish periodic viewership data for channels they carry without separate registration. TRAI has recommended similar treatment for authorised ALTD services to promote transparency and provide market information to broadcasters, advertisers and other stakeholders.

However, the recommendations distinguish platform-level analytics from formal television audience measurement. Metrics such as user numbers, watch time and sessions may provide insights into how audiences use individual applications, but their treatment within a wider ratings framework would depend on the applicable methodology and disclosure standards.

TRAI has also acknowledged concerns that detailed audience information may be commercially sensitive or proprietary. It has recommended that measurement rely on anonymised and aggregated viewership data, with collection and processing carried out in accordance with applicable data-protection laws.

For self-reported figures, the regulator has proposed clear disclosure norms and the possibility of independent audit or verification by registered agencies or auditors empanelled by TRAI. Stakeholders had also called for disclosures to specify the measurement methodology, parameters, period covered and platform coverage, with accuracy and consistency safeguards.

The recommendations therefore envisage two related but distinct developments: integrating ALTD audiences into television ratings and permitting authorised application providers to publish their own periodic channel-viewership data.

The proposed changes form part of TRAI's wider recommendations on regulating application-based linear television distribution. The measurement framework, including the detailed methodology and implementation arrangements, remains to be developed after the government finalises the authorisation framework.