The Indian government has rolled out a new TV ratings policy, replacing the decade-old 2014 framework and incorporating OTT platforms, connected TVs, and other digital viewing modes.
The policy aims to tackle concerns around manipulation by excluding views generated from landing pages where channels autoplay when a TV is switched on.
The government has increased the sample size used to calculate ratings from 20,000 homes to at least 80,000, with plans to scale up to 1.2 lakh homes over time.
Rating agencies will now have to publish their methodology, disclose limitations, and share anonymised data with the government.
The policy also introduces a dedicated Ministry-level Audit and Oversight Team to carry out regular and risk-based audits of rating agencies.
Financial penalties for repeated violations will still be in place, but the new policy introduces a graded framework, starting with the suspension of ratings.
