The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has once again extended its direction to the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) to withhold television rating points (TRPs) for news channels by another four weeks, an official aware of the matter said on Wednesday.
This is the third such directive. The first order was issued on March 6, 2026, when the government initially paused TRP reporting for four weeks. The ministry, in an order dated March 31, asked BARC to continue suspending the publication of TRPs “for a further period of four (4) weeks or until further directions, whichever is earlier.”
An official told HT that the ministry has now sent a fresh letter dated May 6 to BARC, extending the freeze for another four weeks. The letter does not specifically cite the ongoing West Asia conflict as the reason, as the previous letters had. However, an I&B ministry official said the extension is due to the conflict.
TRPs, a way to measure how many people are watching a TV channel or a specific show, influence advertising revenue and competition among news channels.
With the latest extension, TV news channels will continue to operate without publicly available ratings for at least another month, unless the government issues further directions earlier.
{{/usCountry}}With the latest extension, TV news channels will continue to operate without publicly available ratings for at least another month, unless the government issues further directions earlier.
{{/usCountry}}In its earlier directions, the ministry had said the move was aimed at curbing “unwarranted sensationalism and speculative content” by some TV news channels during coverage of the conflict. The government had argued that such reporting could create panic and anxiety among viewers, especially those with family or friends in affected regions.
The ongoing West Asia conflict began in late February.
In response to a Lok Sabha question on April 1 about the pause on TRPs, the ministry said that during Operation Sindoor, several TV news channels were found broadcasting “unwarranted sensational and speculative content.” It added that such trends are common during crises and can increase anxiety among the public.