Jul 24, 2026 2:48pm IST
Kerala High Court Clears Way for Weekly TRPs to Resume
Months of uncertainty regarding Television Rating Points (TRPs) ends, as the Kerala High Court has shared a major development. Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas lifted the interim stay that had temporarily suspended a key provision of the Centre's 2026 Television Rating Policy, clearing the way for the weekly publication of television ratings to resume.
The interim stay, which had been in place since May 22, had stalled the rollout of the revised ratings methodology. The updated framework removes "landing page" viewership from the calculation of official Television Rating Points (TRPs). A landing page is the default television channel that appears automatically when a viewer turns on their TV or set-top box. Since the viewer has not consciously selected the channel, broadcasters and industry stakeholders have argued that including such passive viewership in Television Rating Point (TRP) calculations can artificially inflate a channel's ratings.
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The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) has also stated that the landing page exposure has resulted in forced viewing. It does not give accurate calculations or audience measurement. Under the new policy, the automatic viewing seconds will no longer help in the channel’s correct ratings.
According to the latest developments, BARC had already completed the necessary backend changes to implement the revised methodology even before the Kerala High Court vacated the interim stay. With the legal hurdle now removed, the agency is expected to resume the weekly publication of television ratings under the new framework.
While the primary legal challenge to the Television Rating Policy 2026 is still awaiting a final decision, the latest court order permits the revised ratings framework to be implemented until the matter is adjudicated. The television industry is now expected to function under a revamped TRP system.
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