The great digital disconnect

• INDIA'S DIGITAL AD GROWTH OUTPACES ITS ABILITY TO MEASURE IT

- GEETIKA SRIVASTAVA

AT AN EVENT last week, AK Lahoti, former chairman of TRAI, advocated a measurement system comprising multiple rating agencies, which he said, would enhance transparency and the overall reliability of audience data. He was speaking in the context of TV ratings but it opened up a can of worms.

In 2024, digital advertising saw an impressive 17% growth and hit ₹70,000 crore, overtaking television to become the largest contributor to India's ₹2.5-trillion media and entertainment sector, as per the FICCI-EY 2025 report. But while digital dominates revenue charts, its measurement and real impact remains a matter of scrutiny. "We're using legacy yardsticks to measure a moving target, and that creates a massive trust gap," says Ambika Sharma, founder and chief strategist at Pulp Strategy. "Our infrastructure is still calibrated to a TV-first world, where media was centrally bought and measured. Digital doesn't fit those old pipes."