GTPL Hathway launches TV audience measurement framework covering nearly 1,000 channels

MUMBAI: With India’s television ratings still in a freeze-frame, cable and broadband provider GTPL Hathway has rolled out a return path data (RPD) framework to publish audience viewership information for TV channels and digital advertising properties on its set-top boxes.

The company said the initiative aligns with the guidelines under the Television Rating Policy 2026, notified by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. GTPL has described it as an industry first, coming at a time when ratings published by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) remain frozen.

The data is available on the company’s website, gtpl.net/viewership, which displays a broad summary of the most-viewed channels and properties.

The framework currently covers more than 10,000 RPD-enabled set-top boxes across roughly 3,000 PIN codes and more than 200 towns. Its reach spans metropolitan, urban, semi-urban and rural markets.

GTPL plans to expand the coverage to about 50,000 households over the next few months. The company has more than 11 million active digital TV homes and an estimated viewer base of 50 million.

Unlike conventional audience measurement based on surveys, RPD captures viewing activity directly from set-top boxes. GTPL said this allows continuous monitoring at scale and provides faster access to audience insights.

The company said the framework is based on a baseline study conducted and managed by an independent third-party research agency, which it did not identify. According to GTPL, the study followed statistical and scientific principles to ensure representative coverage.

The system measures viewing across nearly 1,000 channels available on GTPL’s platform. These include pay and free-to-air channels, national and regional broadcasters, and satellite-delivered and platform-distributed services.

The company said the data would help broadcasters understand viewing patterns and give new and niche channels greater visibility into audience demand.

The underlying dataset covers viewing hours, audience reach and impressions, engagement, channel affinity, regional and market-wise trends, genre consumption, time-band analysis and advertising efficiency. The public website, however, will display only a broad summary.

Initial findings indicate that the average household watches linear television for more than 7.5 hours a day, GTPL said.

On privacy, the company said it does not collect personally identifiable subscriber information. Data is anonymised before processing, with information aggregated at household level.

GTPL has also developed a measurement framework for digital advertising properties accessed through its set-top boxes. The figures are derived from sample households and extrapolated across the wider subscriber base.

The data is expressed in impressions, alongside average viewing time. GTPL said advertisers would be able to buy advertising on a cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) basis, similar to models used by digital platforms such as Google and Meta.

The move could offer advertisers another source of audience information across connected viewing environments, while giving broadcasters and marketers additional insight into how households consume television and digital properties.

The framework’s eventual reach and the adoption of its data by advertisers and broadcasters will determine how significantly it influences audience measurement and media planning in a market awaiting the resumption of BARC ratings.