Broadcasters and advertisers face immediate operational headwinds following the Information and Broadcasting Ministry’s latest directive to the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) to suspend TRP data releases. The freeze will remain in place until the rating agency obtains a fresh license under the government’s overhauled TRP policy framework.
The directive comes just ahead of the festival season, when brands prepare new launches and campaign strategies as they gear up for a strong consumption period, industry players pointed out. Some also fear this will only accelerate the shift in advertising spends towards digital platforms.
Broadcasters rely on weekly television ratings data to determine ad rates, formulate content strategies, and for commercial negotiations. Brands use the data to finalise media planning decisions, audience targeting and campaign optimisation.
Ministry directive
BARC recently informed its subscribers that it has been advised by the I&B Ministry not to publish weekly TV ratings until it is “permitted to by the Ministry under the new TV Ratings Policy 2026.”
“Pursuant to that, BARC India will be withholding the publishing of all TV Ratings with immediate effect, until it is given a go-ahead by the Ministry,” it said.
Sandeep Goyal, Chairman, Rediffusion, said brands will find it “challenging” to verify whether ad spends on TV channels have reached the target audience. “Without ratings data, broadcasters will struggle to justify their ad rates, and advertisers will lose leverage to negotiate with channels. “Media agencies will need to rely on historical data or third-party tools, leading to less precise targeting. This will also accelerate the move toward digital measurement, making TV less attractive for performance-driven brands,” he added.
Planning Setback
A senior executive with a leading broadcaster said: “This is a huge dampener for the industry as it’s coming just ahead of the festival season, which is a key period for planning and deploying ad spends on TV channels. It will create significant uncertainty for broadcasters, as TRP is key for the industry to get their returns on investment.”
Naresh Gupta, CSO & Managing Partner, Bang in the Middle, said this puts smaller broadcasters at more risk as they heavily rely on TRP ratings to attract advertisers. He added that brands can look at historical data only for tentpole content properties.
Ankush Vij, Co-Founder and VP-Media, Hashtag Orange, said that this development will increase marketers’ focus on cross-platform measurement and technology-led strategies.