TV Ratings Policy 2026: Lower Entry Barriers, Stricter Rules for Transparency

The move is aimed at making the system more transparent, accurate, and accountable, while also opening the door for more players to enter the ratings business.

One of the biggest changes in the new policy is the reduction in entry barriers. Earlier, companies needed a net worth of Rs 20 crore to operate as a TV rating agency.

This has now been cut down to Rs 5 crore, making it easier for new firms to enter the market and increase competition.

However, the government has also tightened rules to prevent conflicts of interest. At least half of the board members in rating agencies must now be independent directors who have no connection with broadcasters or advertisers.

The policy also focuses heavily on improving the accuracy of TV ratings. Agencies will have to expand their measurement systems to cover 80,000 households within 18 months, and eventually scale up to 1.2 lakh homes.

In addition, the system will no longer be limited to traditional TV. It will adopt a technology-neutral approach, meaning data will be collected across cable, DTH, OTT platforms, and connected TVs, capturing viewing habits across all screens in a household.

Transparency and data privacy are another key focus area. Rating agencies will now be required to clearly disclose their methodologies and publish anonymised data.

At the same time, they must comply with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, to ensure users' personal information remains protected.

To strengthen accountability, the policy introduces a dual-audit system. Agencies will have to conduct internal audits every quarter and undergo an external audit once a year.

Apart from this, there will also be government-led inspections from time to time to ensure compliance.

The policy has also laid down a clear system for handling complaints. Any grievance related to ratings must be resolved within 10 days, and an appellate authority will be set up to deal with unresolved issues.

In a significant shift, the government has clarified that viewership generated through landing pages will not be counted in ratings anymore.

Such placements will be treated purely as marketing tools, and broadcasters will have to disclose them to rating agencies.

Strict penalties have also been introduced for violations. Agencies that fail to follow the rules could face suspension of their ratings, and repeated non-compliance could even lead to cancellation of their registration.

Interestingly, the new rules also allow distribution platforms and OTT players to publish their own viewership data on their websites without needing prior registration under these guidelines.

- IANS