More audience rating agencies, the merrier, says TV industry

Draft guidelines find support

- Alokanda Chakraborty

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has long held that India needs more than one television audience measurement system. The sheer size of the category—television remains the highest-reach medium with TV-viewing households estimated at 217 million in FY24—renders the current unified rating mechanism under Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India redundant.

Experts say the draft amendment to the policy guidelines governing television rating agencies released by the ministry of information and broadcasting on Wednesday aims to address this anomaly and a range of other issues that were being raised by advertisers and potential candidates waiting to throw their hats into the ring.

In a bid to strengthen credibility and governance in the television viewership measurement system, the ministry has proposed key amendments to its 2014 guidelines for the agencies. The changes—now open to public consultation for 30 days—aim to streamline regulatory oversight, eliminate potential conflicts of interest, and enhance transparency in the television ratings ecosystem.