New Delhi Centre rolls out new TV ratings policy, brings OTT into measurement
The government on Friday notified the TV Ratings Policy 2026, replacing the over a decade old 2014 framework and widening the scope of ratings to cover OTT platforms, connected TVs and other digital viewing modes. Also, to tackle concerns around manipulation, the policy says that views generated from landing pages, where channels autoplay when one switches on a TV, will not be counted.
The final policy comes months after the government floated a draft in July 2025, where it had proposed loosening some rules to allow more companies to enter the TV ratings space. At the time, the ministry had flagged that the system, dominated by a single agency, Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), did not fully capture viewership on smart TVs, mobile apps and streaming platforms, and relied on a relatively small sample size.
The draft had suggested removing certain restrictions, including cross-holding rules. However, the final policy does not adopt this change. Meanwhile, some things haven’t changed. Like the 2014 policy, the government still has the power to inspect rating agencies, step in on national security grounds, and even suspend operations in certain situations like national security concerns, emergencies, or conflict.
The government has also significantly increased the sample size used to calculate ratings. Under the 2014 rules, ratings were based on 20,000 homes, expandable to 50,000. The new policy requires at least 80,000 homes, with plans to scale this up to 1.2 lakh homes over time.
“Through these measures, the Government of India reaffirms its commitment to a fair, competitive and well-governed broadcasting environment that safeguards the stakeholders and public interest,” said the government in a press release. The release also said OTT and TV distribution platforms may publish their own viewership data without requiring registration as rating agencies.
There are also changes to how rating agencies are run. At least half the board must now be independent directors, and the minimum net worth required to enter the space has been reduced from ₹20 crore to ₹5 crore, potentially making it easier for new players to come in. To ensure neutrality, the policy says that at least 50% of the Board of Directors must be Independent Directors with no ties to broadcasters /advertisers/advertising agencies. Additionally, agencies are prohibited from engaging in consultancy roles that could create conflicts of interest.
Per the new rules, rating agencies will now have to publish their methodology, disclose limitations, and share anonymised data with the government. While the 2014 policy allowed inspections and audits by the government and TRAI, the 2026 policy goes a step further by setting up a dedicated Ministry-level Audit and Oversight Team to carry out regular, as well as risk-based, audits of rating agencies, including their systems, methodologies and field operations.
The 2026 policy introduces suspension of ratings as the first step in a graded framework, unlike the 2014 guidelines, which mainly relied on financial penalties and cancellation. The new policy, however, still includes financial penalties for repeated violations.
The policy also updates privacy requirements by linking them to the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, brought into force through notified rules in February 2026. “Privacy of the metered homes must be maintained. All stakeholders must develop mechanism to comply with the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023 and Rules made thereunder,” said the policy.
On complaints, instead of mandating call centres, the new rules say complaints must be acknowledged within three days and resolved within 10 days. Agencies must appoint a nodal officer to resolve complaints and establish an Appellate Authority for escalated disputes.