New Delhi: The government on Friday released the TV Ratings Policy 2026, laying down comprehensive guidelines to regulate television ratings in the country with the aim of ensuring transparency, independence and accountability in audience measurement.
The policy defines clear standards for the registration, operation, audit and oversight of agencies providing TV rating services, an official statement said.
The TV Rating Policy 2026 replaces the existing guidelines for TV rating agencies issued on January 16, 2014, and is available on the website of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).
Among the key highlights, the policy eases entry norms by reducing the net worth requirement for companies seeking registration as TV rating agencies from Rs 20 crore to Rs 5 crore.
To ensure neutrality, strict anti-conflict provisions have been introduced, mandating that at least 50 per cent of the board of directors of rating agencies must be independent directors with no links to broadcasters, advertisers or advertising agencies. Agencies have also been barred from engaging in consultancy roles that could create conflicts of interest.
For improving data accuracy and representation, agencies will be required to expand their sample size to 80,000 metered homes within 18 months (six months for existing agencies), eventually scaling up to 1,20,000 homes.
The policy also mandates technology-neutral measurement, capturing viewership data across cable, DTH, OTT and connected TVs, with data collected from all viewing screens in metered homes.
To enhance transparency and protect privacy, agencies must publish their methodology and anonymised data on their websites and comply strictly with the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023.
A dual-audit system has been made mandatory to ensure accountability, with quarterly internal audits and annual independent external audits. The I&B Ministry will also set up an audit and oversight team for periodic inspections.
For grievance redressal, agencies must appoint a nodal officer to resolve complaints within 10 days and establish an appellate authority for escalated cases.
The policy also clarifies that viewership arising from landing pages will not be counted in ratings, although such pages may be used for marketing purposes. Broadcasters will be required to disclose their presence on landing pages to rating agencies.
Non-compliance will attract graded penalties, ranging from temporary suspension of ratings to cancellation of registration in cases of repeated violations.
The policy further allows TV distribution and OTT platforms to publish periodic viewership data of channels available on their platforms without requiring registration under these guidelines.
Through these measures, the government aims to create a fair, competitive and well-regulated broadcasting ecosystem that safeguards stakeholders and public interest, the statement added. (PTI)
