JioStar urges immediate restoration of BARC ratings and a roadmap for linear TV
JioStar CEO Kevin Vaz said the ratings gap is creating uncertainty for advertisers ahead of the festive season. He called for BARC ratings to be restored and for lower regulatory costs for linear TV.
The development
JioStar CEO Kevin Vaz said India's media and entertainment industry grew 9% in 2025 to ₹2.78 lakh crore and urged immediate restoration of BARC ratings. He said the ratings gap creates uncertainty for advertisers ahead of the festive season and sought lower linear-TV regulatory costs.
The numbers
- 2026
- 10+2
- 9% in 2025
- ₹2.78 lakh crore
- ₹1.1 lakh crore
- 47%
- more than 200 million viewers
- more than 80%
- ₹650 crore in 2025
- more than 50% annually by 2028
- more than 50 production houses
- TATA IPL 2026
Why it matters to operators and investors
Track potential changes to audience measurement and linear-TV regulation for their implications on media partnerships and deal assumptions.
What to watch next
- BARC's timing and scope for restoring ratings, including whether historical data is revised or comparable.
- Advertiser and agency guidance on TV bookings ahead of the festive season.
- Changes in TV ad rates, inventory discounting, or make-good terms.
- Government or regulator responses to broadcasters' requests for lower linear-TV compliance costs.
- Evidence of shifts in retail-sector ad spend between television, digital video, and other media.
- Advertisers are likely to seek audience guarantees, make-goods, or flexible cancellation terms on linear TV commitments until ratings reliability is established.
- Broadcasters may use interim reach data and first-party audience evidence to defend festive inventory pricing.
- Retail brands could split incremental festive budgets across TV and digital, then shift allocation as comparable performance data emerges.
- Smaller channels may face greater pricing pressure if buyers concentrate spend on platforms with stronger measurement or scale.
The counter-case
This is an interested broadcaster's policy advocacy, not evidence that the ratings gap is materially shifting ad spend or that lower regulatory costs would benefit viewers. The festive-season timing may amplify urgency, while restoring ratings alone may not resolve advertisers' concerns about measurement quality.