MIB halts all TV ratings as BARC awaits licence renewal

MUMBAI: India’s television scorecard has gone blank, leaving the industry to navigate without its weekly report card. In the biggest shake-up to the country’s audience measurement system since its inception, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has reportedly directed the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) to suspend the publication of television ratings across all genres until its licence is renewed under the new Television Ratings Policy, 2026.

If implemented as reported, the directive expands the existing suspension on news channel ratings to include general entertainment, movies, sports, kids, infotainment and every other television category, effectively putting India’s weekly TRP ecosystem on hold.

The move follows the introduction of the Television Ratings Policy, 2026, which replaces the Television Rating Agencies Guidelines, 2014, and requires all television ratings agencies to obtain fresh registration before publishing audience data. The new framework also mandates stricter governance, transparency, auditing, data security and compliance standards while requiring a gradual expansion of audience measurement infrastructure.

BARC, currently India’s only television ratings agency, has reportedly applied for licence renewal after its earlier registration expired. However, approval is yet to be granted, meaning no official weekly television ratings can be published until the renewal process is completed.

The latest development marks the culmination of a regulatory overhaul that began in March 2026, when the ministry first suspended the publication of news channel TRPs. In June 2026, BARC reportedly released ratings for a news channel despite the embargo, triggering complaints. By July 2026, the suspension had reportedly been widened to cover every television genre until the organisation receives a fresh licence.

The revised policy introduces several structural reforms, including a requirement that at least 33 per cent of a ratings agency’s board comprise independent directors, down from the initially proposed 50 per cent. It also requires television audience measurement to expand to 80,000 metered households, mandates establishment surveys every three years instead of annually, and strengthens governance, auditing and transparency requirements.

The ministry had earlier extended the compliance window from 30 days to 60 days following industry feedback. It had also reportedly instructed BARC not to charge subscription fees to news broadcasters during the suspension of news ratings, reducing one of the organisation’s revenue streams before the broader freeze took effect.

The absence of official TRPs leaves broadcasters without the industry’s primary performance benchmark, complicates advertising negotiations and media planning, and removes the standard metric used by production houses to assess programme success. Since television ratings remain the currency of India’s TV advertising market, an extended blackout could influence ad pricing, channel rankings, programming decisions and investment strategies across the ecosystem.

The revised Television Ratings Policy is also facing legal scrutiny, adding another layer of uncertainty over when audience measurement will resume.

For now, there is no official timeline for the return of television ratings. Weekly TRPs are expected to resume only after BARC secures its fresh licence, satisfies all compliance requirements under the Television Ratings Policy, 2026, and receives formal approval from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to restart publication. Until then, India’s television industry will be left reading the room without reading the ratings.