Information and Broadcasting Ministry has proposed amendments to the policy guidelines for Television Rating Agencies, originally issued in 2014. The proposed draft has removed some restrictive provisions for media houses to allow more players to democratise and modernise the television audience measurement ecosystem in the country. Currently, Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) is the only agency providing TV ratings. The proposed amendments aim to allow multiple agencies to foster healthy competition, bring in new technologies, and provide more reliable and representative data, especially for connected TV platforms. The proposed reforms also aim to ensure that the TRP system reflects the diverse and evolving media consumption habits of viewers across the country. The Ministry has invited feedback from stakeholders and the general public within 30 days of the issuance of the draft.
Currently, India has approximately 230 million television households. However, only about 58 thousand people meters are presently used to capture viewership data, representing just 0.025 per cent of the total TV homes. The existing audience measurement technology does not sufficiently capture viewership on emerging platforms such as smart TVs, streaming devices, and mobile applications, which are witnessing growing adoption among audiences. The Ministry mentioned that this limited sample size may not adequately represent the diverse viewing preferences across regions and demographics. Recognising these developments, there is a need to strengthen the television rating system to better reflect contemporary content consumption habits in a dynamic media environment.
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