Other key changes include updating eligibility to companies registered under the Companies Act, 2013, and tightening conflict-of-interest rules by banning consultancy or advisory roles that could compromise a rating agency’s core function of audience measurement.
The ministry has invited feedback from the public and industry stakeholders on proposed amendments to the “Policy Guidelines for Television Rating Agencies in India,” originally issued in January 2014. Comments on the draft must be submitted within 30 days of the notice’s publication, it stated.
“As long as an entity is registered in India under the Companies Act, 2013, and refrains from any consultancy or advisory activity that conflicts with its core objective of television ratings, it is eligible to apply for registration,” said a media lawyer, requesting anonymity.
“The proposed amendments remove restrictions on shareholding, board composition, and cross-holdings, effectively eliminating eligibility barriers. The only substantive requirement that remains is operational independence and legal compliance. This significantly widens the door for new entrants into the TV ratings space,” he added.
In May, TRAI Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti advocated for the presence of multiple TV rating agencies in India during his address at WAVES 2025 in Mumbai. TRAI had also recommended that the MIB put in place a framework enabling multiple data collection and processing agencies to operate under stringent regulatory oversight.Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) is currently the sole agency providing independent TV viewership data in India. Formed based on TRAI recommendations and MIB guidelines, it is jointly promoted by broadcasters, advertisers, and media agencies with a 60:20:20 shareholding.Once finalised, the revised guidelines will take immediate effect and apply to both new applicants and currently registered entities. In a notification dated 2 July, the ministry released a draft order detailing the amendments.
Among the key changes is a revision to Clause 1.1, which now mandates that only companies registered under the Companies Act, 2013, will be eligible to apply for registration as television rating agencies. This replaces the earlier reference to the Companies Act, 1956, updating the policy in line with current corporate law.
Another notable amendment is to Clause 1.4, which now explicitly prohibits rating agencies from undertaking any consultancy or advisory role that may lead to a conflict of interest with their primary objective of audience measurement.
Previously, the guidelines merely required companies to exclude such activities from their Memorandum of Association (MoA). The new clause shifts the focus from formal documentation to actual business conduct.
Additionally, the ministry has proposed deleting Clauses 1.5 and 1.7, along with a related proviso.
Clause 1.5 currently bars any member of the board of directors of a rating agency from being involved in the business of broadcasting, advertising, or operating an advertising agency.
Clause 1.7 outlines cross-holding restrictions designed to prevent overlapping ownership between broadcasters, advertisers, and rating agencies.
The requirement barring any company or individual, directly or through associates, from holding substantial equity in both a rating agency and a broadcaster, advertiser, or advertising agency, or in multiple rating agencies operating in the same area, has also been removed.
Eligibility conditions in clauses 1.5 and 1.7 do not apply under the self-regulation model where an industry-led body like BARC provides the ratings.
