The Information and Broadcasting Ministry yesterday further amended key provisions of the recently notified Television Ratings Policy 2026, tightening governance standards for rating agencies, expanding audience measurement requirements and setting fresh timelines for compliance by existing players.

The changes are aimed at making television audience measurement more transparent, representative and accountable amid the rapid shift in viewing habits across platforms and allegations of data manipulations by TV channels.

In an order issued on May 8, the ministry said at least 33 per cent of the board of directors of a television rating agency must comprise independent directors with no direct or indirect association with broadcasters, advertisers or advertising agencies. The revised provision replaces an earlier clause in the policy notified on March 27.

The ministry has also revised norms relating to establishment surveys conducted by rating agencies to estimate the ‘TV universe’, including television-owning households, socio-economic profiles and viewing infrastructure. Under the amendment, such surveys will now have to be conducted once every three years and cover a sample size at least ten times the number of metered homes.

Another major amendment relates to audience measurement panels. The order mandates television rating agencies to deploy at least 80,000 metered homes within 18 months of registration. Existing agencies have been directed to scale up to 80,000 metered homes within nine months from the notification of the guidelines, while also allowing agencies to expand beyond that threshold depending on business requirements.

The ministry further clarified that the guidelines would apply to all existing television rating agencies as well, and such entities would be required to register under the new framework within 60 days of notification. The amendments came into force with immediate effect.

The Television Ratings Policy 2026, notified in March, had replaced the decade-old 2014 guidelines governing TV audience measurement in India. The new framework sought to modernise the ratings ecosystem by making it technology-neutral, incorporating cross-platform viewing data and reducing entry barriers for new agencies. It also proposed stronger audit, disclosure and compliance mechanisms.

Under the earlier 2014 guidelines, the television ratings ecosystem largely revolved around conventional TV measurement systems and had relatively limited provisions on digital convergence, governance structures and panel expansion. Industry experts had argued that the framework had become outdated as audience consumption increasingly shifted towards connected TVs, streaming services and mobile devices.

The latest amendments are being seen as part of the government’s broader push to improve credibility and transparency in television audience measurement after years of debate over manipulation of ratings and inadequate sample representation.

At present, the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India remains the only registered television audience measurement body in the country. However, agencies like Neilsen do give their individual clients data on audience consumption across TV, digital and other medium — all customised as per a client’s needs. (This old image is for representational purpose only; MIB has moved to new office location)