India's television measurement ecosystem is set for a significant reset after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) directed the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) to suspend the publication of television ratings across all genres until it completes registration under the newly introduced Television Ratings Policy, 2026.
The directive extends the earlier suspension of television news ratings to include entertainment, sports, regional, and all non-news channels, temporarily pausing the country's primary audience measurement system. As India's only television ratings agency, BARC's weekly viewership data has long served as the benchmark for advertisers, broadcasters, media planners, and content creators.
According to the Ministry, Clause 14.2 of the Television Ratings Policy, 2026, prohibits any television ratings agency from generating or publishing audience data until it is formally registered and compliant with the revised regulatory framework.
The updated policy introduces several structural reforms aimed at improving transparency, competition, and measurement accuracy. One of the key changes is the exclusion of landing page viewership from official television ratings, limiting its use to promotional purposes while requiring broadcasters to disclose such placements to rating agencies.
The framework also lowers the minimum net worth requirement for television ratings agencies from ₹20 crore to ₹5 crore, potentially opening the sector to new entrants and encouraging greater competition.
Another major reform is the requirement for technology-neutral audience measurement, enabling viewership tracking across cable television, DTH, terrestrial TV, OTT platforms, and connected TVs. This reflects the rapidly evolving media consumption habits of Indian audiences.
Additionally, the policy mandates an expansion of audience measurement panels to 80,000 metered homes, eventually increasing to 120,000 homes, alongside compulsory internal and external audits, methodology disclosures, compliance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and stricter penalties for non-compliance.
The temporary suspension marks one of the most significant regulatory developments in India's television industry in recent years. While broadcasters and advertisers may experience short-term disruptions in media planning and campaign evaluation, the move is expected to strengthen the credibility, transparency, and future-readiness of India's audience measurement ecosystem.
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