Mumbai: As the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) moves forward with its proposed amendments to India’s TV rating framework, cable operators and smaller broadcasters have mounted strong opposition to key provisions—particularly the plan to exclude landing-page viewership from official TRP measurement and the move to recognise Connected TV within the ratings ecosystem.
In formal submissions to the ministry, including a detailed response from the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF), industry stakeholders warned that the new rules could distort audience measurement, undermine smaller networks, and trigger significant revenue losses across the cable distribution sector.
Landing-Page Ban Sparks Industry-Wide Pushback
The most contentious clause in the draft proposes the exclusion of landing-page impressions from TRP data. Smaller broadcasters argue the measure would strike at one of the few remaining marketing avenues that allow niche, regional and language channels to secure visibility in a highly competitive broadcast landscape.
“Landing pages are a standard marketing avenue similar to front-page advertisements in print or shelf placement in retail. Viewers retain full control and can switch channels instantly,” one broadcaster noted, adding that removing such impressions “would distort actual ratings and cause significant revenue loss to the cable industry.”
MSOs echoed the sentiment, cautioning the government that removing these impressions would “badly impact our business,” as landing-page sampling boosts discovery, ratings and lawful revenue streams that help subsidise subscriber costs such as NCF and connection charges.
Another MSO said eliminating landing-page income would “kill our inventory and important source of income for the cable industry,” questioning why the practice is being singled out when paid visibility is standard in newspapers, retail and digital platforms.
AIDCF: Landing-Page Viewing Is Real, Measurable, and Globally Accepted
In its submission, AIDCF strongly opposed the exclusion, calling landing-page impressions legitimate, unavoidable and integral to the viewer journey.
The federation argued that:
- Landing exposures are already recorded and filtered within BARC’s existing methodology.
- Excluding them would artificially deflate viewership for certain genres, especially news and regional channels that benefit from casual discovery.
- No major global market—from the UK (BARB) to the US (Nielsen) to Singapore and Brazil—excludes default or landing exposures from audience measurement.
AIDCF warned that India would become an outlier globally if it removed landing-page viewing from TRP systems.
Concerns Over Recognising Connected TV in Ratings
AIDCF also objected to the ministry’s proposal to include Connected TV (CTV) within the TRP framework, stating that many CTV/FAST services allegedly operate outside existing downlinking and tariff guidelines.
The federation said recognising CTV in policy could implicitly legitimise unlicensed or non-compliant players, some of whom distribute pay-TV channels as free-to-air content. It suggested that the ministry instead introduce a unified licensing framework for all digital broadcasting platforms before expanding TRP measurement to CTV.
Call for a 5-Lakh TRP Panel to Improve Data Credibility
AIDCF argued that the proposed rating panel size of 1.2 lakh households is inadequate for India’s 210 million TV homes. The federation recommended increasing the panel to 5 lakh households, claiming a larger sample is essential to strengthen data reliability and reduce the risk of manipulation.
Broadcasters Warn of Financial Stress
Small broadcasters argue that restricting landing-page impressions at a time when advertising revenues are softening could push niche networks into financial vulnerability. Some described landing pages as the “only level playing field” for smaller channels seeking first-time sampling against larger rivals.
Industry experts also flagged concerns about the ministry’s parallel push for unified cross-platform measurement across linear TV, mobile and connected TV, warning that combining fundamentally different viewing behaviours without adequate technical study risks generating “inaccurate and misleading data.”
Industry Urges Phased, Consultative Rollout
While acknowledging the ministry’s intent to modernise India’s rating ecosystem, both broadcasters and MSOs have urged the government to avoid hurried structural shifts that may destabilise the market.
AIDCF reiterated its request for the inclusion of platform services and ground-based channels in the TRP framework, arguing that these channels serve large rural and semi-urban audiences and remain invisible in current ratings despite wide reach.
With the rise of CTV penetration and pressure on ad revenues, stakeholders say any abrupt overhaul of the TRP system could reshape competitive dynamics in favour of dominant networks at the cost of smaller broadcasters and cable operators.
The ministry’s proposal is part of a broader effort to modernise Indian broadcast measurement for a multi-screen world. However, the strong resistance from cable operators and small broadcasters signals a contentious road ahead. As MIB reviews submissions before finalising the new TRP framework, the debate is set to intensify over what constitutes fair, transparent and representative audience measurement in India’s rapidly evolving media landscape.
