The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has issued a new draft amendment that requires TV rating agencies to measure viewership on connected TV ( CTV) platforms and proposes excluding viewership that comes from landing pages. Landing pages refer to the Logical Channel Number (LCN) that appears automatically when a set top box (STB) is switched on.
Once implemented, the amendment will also apply to the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), the only registered audience measurement body in India. The guidelines could significantly impact the broadcasting industry because BARC currently measures only linear television.
Advertisers have long pushed for cross media measurement. However, according to industry executives, global platforms such as YouTube, Netflix and Prime Video have not shown interest in joining a unified measurement panel.
Industry executives also said that removing landing page viewership is a positive move because it will create a level playing field. At present, some cable operators use up to three landing pages, and TV channels compete to buy these slots to increase their ratings.
A senior media executive noted that cable operators may lose revenue if landing page viewership is excluded from rating calculations. Market estimates suggest that TV channels, especially news channels, have spent more than Rs 100 crore annually to secure better visibility through landing pages.
Landing pages inflate viewership because some set top boxes are programmed to prevent users from switching channels. If a viewer stays on a channel for at least 30 seconds within a clock minute, that entire minute is counted as viewership for that channel.
The MIB has sought industry feedback within 30 days. Audience measurement data plays an important role in determining TV advertising spends of over Rs 30,000 crore every year.
The draft also proposes strict cross ownership rules between rating agencies and broadcasters. BARC is exempt because it is owned by the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF), the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) and the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI).
Under the proposal, no company or individual may hold 20 percent or more equity in both a broadcaster and a rating agency. No company may hold 20 percent or more equity in more than one rating agency. Board members of a rating agency cannot be associated with broadcasting, and employees of broadcasters cannot sit on audience measurement panels.
A senior government official said the cross holding restriction applies only to broadcasters because they stand to benefit more from owning a rating agency compared to advertisers or agencies. The official added that the ministry is open to additional changes based on stakeholder feedback.
The draft also requires that measurement be technology neutral and include data from all platforms, including connected TVs. Ratings cannot include viewership from landing pages, which may be used only as a marketing tool.
The proposal further mandates panel expansion. A rating agency must measure a minimum of 80,000 households within 18 months of registration and increase the sample size by 10,000 households every year until it reaches 1,20,000 households.
This draft marks a shift from the ministry’s earlier position in July, when it proposed removing several restrictions, including cross holdings between broadcasters, advertisers, media agencies and rating agencies. That proposal was opposed by stakeholders who argued that allowing these entities to own or control measurement agencies could create conflicts of interest and lead to competing rating systems.
The ministry had also proposed amending Clause 1.4 to prohibit rating agencies from offering consultancy or advisory services that could create conflicts of interest with their core function of audience measurement. That restriction has now been removed.
Once implemented, the amendment will also apply to the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), the only registered audience measurement body in India. The guidelines could significantly impact the broadcasting industry because BARC currently measures only linear television.
Advertisers have long pushed for cross media measurement. However, according to industry executives, global platforms such as YouTube, Netflix and Prime Video have not shown interest in joining a unified measurement panel.
Industry executives also said that removing landing page viewership is a positive move because it will create a level playing field. At present, some cable operators use up to three landing pages, and TV channels compete to buy these slots to increase their ratings.
A senior media executive noted that cable operators may lose revenue if landing page viewership is excluded from rating calculations. Market estimates suggest that TV channels, especially news channels, have spent more than Rs 100 crore annually to secure better visibility through landing pages.
Landing pages inflate viewership because some set top boxes are programmed to prevent users from switching channels. If a viewer stays on a channel for at least 30 seconds within a clock minute, that entire minute is counted as viewership for that channel.
The MIB has sought industry feedback within 30 days. Audience measurement data plays an important role in determining TV advertising spends of over Rs 30,000 crore every year.
The draft also proposes strict cross ownership rules between rating agencies and broadcasters. BARC is exempt because it is owned by the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF), the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) and the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI).
Under the proposal, no company or individual may hold 20 percent or more equity in both a broadcaster and a rating agency. No company may hold 20 percent or more equity in more than one rating agency. Board members of a rating agency cannot be associated with broadcasting, and employees of broadcasters cannot sit on audience measurement panels.
A senior government official said the cross holding restriction applies only to broadcasters because they stand to benefit more from owning a rating agency compared to advertisers or agencies. The official added that the ministry is open to additional changes based on stakeholder feedback.
The draft also requires that measurement be technology neutral and include data from all platforms, including connected TVs. Ratings cannot include viewership from landing pages, which may be used only as a marketing tool.
The proposal further mandates panel expansion. A rating agency must measure a minimum of 80,000 households within 18 months of registration and increase the sample size by 10,000 households every year until it reaches 1,20,000 households.
This draft marks a shift from the ministry’s earlier position in July, when it proposed removing several restrictions, including cross holdings between broadcasters, advertisers, media agencies and rating agencies. That proposal was opposed by stakeholders who argued that allowing these entities to own or control measurement agencies could create conflicts of interest and lead to competing rating systems.
The ministry had also proposed amending Clause 1.4 to prohibit rating agencies from offering consultancy or advisory services that could create conflicts of interest with their core function of audience measurement. That restriction has now been removed.
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