iWorld
Broadcasters exploiting NTO 2.0 provisions for a-la-carte pricing: Trai
Mumbai: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on Friday said that some broadcasters are exploiting the freedom given for al-a-carte pricing of TV channels and warned that it will keep a strict watch on the industry and not shy away from acting in the larger interest of consumers and the industry.
With an increase in TV channel subscription rates impending, the Trai said in a statement that the new tariffs announced by leading broadcasters reflects their intention to raise the prices of driver and popular channels, according to a report by PTI.
These driver channels include general entertainment channels (GECs) and sports channels. The regulator refrained from naming any broadcaster but alluded that some leading broadcasters had hiked channel tariffs arbitrarily.
The regulator claimed that the prices that some of the broadcasters have announced for their channels are unsustainable, are not demand driven or market driven prices and are against the interest of the consumer.
This price hike has been announced in the garb of complying with the NTO 2.0, which is not true and rather an attempt to defeat the purpose of NTO that has already benefited the consumer to a large extent, stated Trai.
Trai further said, “A sustained and misleading campaign is being run to create an impression that the impending price increase is due to the new tariff regime (NTO) 2.0. It is being publicised that any/every consumer who opts for top GECs or sports channels will end up paying an extra amount of Rs 100,” according to the PTI report.
The purpose of the amendments to regulations for broadcasting and cable services sector was to ensure that no service provider corners undue gains and profiteers at the expense of consumers, as per Trai. It pointed out, “the channel pricing has remained under the prescribed ceiling for 15 years since 2004.”
Under the provisions of the new framework, broadcasters may freely fix the price of their television channels with certain conditions applicable for inclusion into a bouquet. The regulations state that a channel MRP greater than Rs 12 cannot be included into a bouquet. The framework should result in reduced bills for the consumers, said the regulator.
The implementation of NTO 2.0 will lead to an era of transparent tariffs and usher in better channel content at the most competitive prices, stated Trai. The regulator said that it is conscious of the time required to implement necessary changes to be carried out to incorporate the considered choices of 150-160 million pay TV households.
eNews
Barc India, Nielsen launch Barc | Nielsen One Ads, a unified cross-media ad measurement tool
JioHotstar to deploy cross-screen measurement during T20 World Cup 2026
MUMBAI: Broadcast Audience Research Council India and Nielsen have joined forces to launch Barc | Nielsen One Ads, a cross-media measurement system designed to give advertisers a unified view of advertising performance across television and digital platforms.
The new framework combines Barc India’s linear television viewership data with digital audience measurement from Nielsen One Ads. The result is a single dataset that measures advertising reach and frequency across four screens: linear tv, connected tv, mobile and computer, while removing duplicated audiences across devices.
The move comes as India’s media landscape grows increasingly fragmented, with advertisers struggling to reconcile data from multiple platforms. The joint system aims to provide a single, deduplicated picture of campaign performance and audience reach.
“This marks a defining moment for cross-media ad measurement in India,” said Barc India chief executive Nakul Chopra. “Barc | Nielsen One Ads brings together television and digital screens in a unified system, enabling advertisers to understand their true reach and incremental impact across the entire media ecosystem.”
Nielsen chief product officer Akhil Parekh, said the collaboration addresses a long-standing challenge for advertisers. “Brands have had to stitch together fragmented data to understand how campaigns perform. A single, deduplicated view across screens is something the industry has needed for years.”
The first deployment will take place on JioHotstar, which will use the system to measure advertising during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Barc India said the framework could expand to include more broadcasters and platforms if industry demand grows.
Among the system’s key features are unified four-screen reporting, advanced reach deduplication to eliminate duplicate viewers across devices, and detailed metrics including average frequency, gross rating points and demographic performance.
