I&B Ministry proposes overhaul of TRP guidelines to reflect modern viewing habits
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting on Wednesday unveiled a draft policy aimed at reforming how television viewership is measured in India. Acknowledging that audiences now consume content across cable, DTH, smart TVs, mobile apps, and streaming platforms, the proposed guidelines seek to modernize the outdated Television Rating Points (TRP) system by allowing multiple agencies to operate alongside BARC.
Drafted amendments to the 2014 policy were released on July 2 and will undergo a 30-day public consultation. These changes are designed to remove restrictive provisions that have hindered competition, opening the field to new players and technologies. Notably, the Ministry plans to ease conflict-of-interest restrictions while strengthening the governance framework for rating organisations.
Currently, India’s television audience is measured through approximately 58,000 people-meters—just 0.025% of the estimated 230 million TV households—limiting the system’s ability to capture diverse viewing patterns. Additionally, the existing setup fails to track viewership across connected devices, a challenge in an era where mobile and smart TV consumption is rising rapidly.
To address these deficiencies, the draft amendments propose replacing stringent clauses that restrict advisory roles and confine broadcasters or advertisers from investing in rating agencies. By fostering a more competitive environment, the government hopes to facilitate technology upgrades, enhance data accuracy, and ensure TRP outcomes better reflect evolving audience preferences.
Stakeholders including viewers, broadcasters, and advertisers have been invited to submit feedback by the end of the consultation window via sobpl-moib@nic.in. The draft amendments and existing policy guidelines are accessible on the Ministry’s official website.
