The government has informed the Rajya Sabha that no agency has registered under the Television Rating Policy, 2026 so far, indicating that no new player has entered the television audience measurement space under the new framework.

According to an official statement from the government on a Rajya Sabha question yesterday, the information was shared by Minister of State for Information and Broadcating Dr. L. Murugan.

Replying to the query, Murugan said that any entity engaged in the business of television ratings in India is required to register under the Television Rating Policy, 2026. However, as on date, no entity has registered under the new policy. He also clarified that the policy places no restriction on the number of agencies that may be registered to provide TV rating services.

The minister informed the House that the Television Rating Policy, 2026 has replaced the 2014 guidelines for TV rating agencies. The new framework aims to strengthen transparency, independence and accountability in India’s television audience measurement system by laying down clear norms for the registration, operation, audit and oversight of rating agencies.

Among the key reforms, the policy reduces the minimum net worth requirement for TV rating agencies from Rs.20 crore to Rs.5 crore to encourage new entrants. It also expands the panel of metered homes from 50,000 to 80,000 and introduces technology-neutral audience measurement across connected TVs and TV channels available on OTT platforms.

Murugan further said the policy mandates establishment surveys every three years, excludes landing pages from the computation of television viewership data, requires annual independent audits and introduces a graded penalty framework for non-compliance.

The policy also prescribes safeguards such as cross-holding restrictions, a requirement for at least 33 percent independent directors on the boards of rating agencies, prohibition of consultancy or advisory activities that may create conflicts of interest, security clearance requirements, and enhanced audit and transparency obligations to ensure the functional and operational independence of TV rating agencies.