New Delhi: Television news broadcasters will continue to operate without audience ratings data for at least another month after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) ordered a further extension of the suspension on TV news channel ratings.
The latest directive, communicated to subscribers by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India, postpones the publication of weekly ratings for news channels by an additional four weeks, or until further instructions are issued by the ministry.
The extension comes shortly after an earlier suspension announced in May and pushes back any immediate prospects of ratings reporting resuming for the television news industry.
BARC informed subscribers that the withholding of ratings will begin with the data release that was scheduled for June 4, 2026, covering Week 21 of the television audience measurement calendar. The move means that viewership figures for Hindi news, English news, regional news and business news channels will remain unavailable during the suspension period.
The audience measurement body said the directive applies to all channels classified under its policy framework for television news genres. Subscribers have been advised that ratings publication will remain on hold for the specified period or until the ministry issues fresh directions.
The continued absence of audience data is expected to have implications across the broadcast advertising ecosystem. Television ratings serve as a key benchmark for advertisers, agencies and broadcasters when assessing channel performance, planning media investments, negotiating sponsorship deals and evaluating campaign effectiveness.
For news broadcasters, the suspension removes an important performance metric used to demonstrate audience reach and competitive positioning. Advertisers and media planners, meanwhile, lose access to a widely used industry currency that informs television buying decisions.
While BARC has not disclosed the reasons behind the ministry’s latest instruction, the extension signals that restrictions on the publication of television news audience data are set to remain in place for the foreseeable future.
The measurement body has not indicated when normal reporting may resume beyond the current four-week period, leaving the possibility open for either an earlier reinstatement or a further extension depending on future directions from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Industry stakeholders are now awaiting greater clarity on the timeline and conditions under which ratings reporting for television news channels will be restored
