Exclusive: MIB weighs watermark fix to end landing page influence on TRP ratings

New Delhi: For years, India’s television industry has wrestled with a quiet distortion. Those few seconds of automatic exposure every time a set-top box powers on were being counted as genuine viewership.

Now, in what insiders describe as a potential turning point, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) is believed to be exploring a watermark-based mechanism to finally separate this “default visibility” from true audience intent.

Also read: Who killed landing pages?

BestMediaInfo.com has learnt that before releasing the draft amendments, the Ministry reached out to several advertisers to discuss both the landing page directive and cross-holding regulations.

This outreach, sources said, was instrumental in shaping consensus among stakeholders and convincing advertisers of the intent behind the government’s proposed clean-up.

Also read: Landing pages curb: Advertisers see cleaner planning, stronger ad-rate leverage

It is understood that through these interactions, the Ministry and advertisers explored potential implementation routes, with watermark-based identification of landing pages emerging as a serious technical consideration.

The discussions are said to have focused on how such a solution could strengthen the credibility of television viewership data without disrupting the existing BARC measurement architecture.

The measurement challenge

Landing pages have long been at the centre of the ratings debate. Their placement varies across multiple distribution networks, often depending on who pays, and the automatic exposure inflates viewership figures without reflecting genuine audience interest.

While the practice has been criticised for years, filtering out landing page impressions has always faced challenges because BARC’s measurement system is based on audio watermarking rather than channel positions.

Also read: MIB strips landing pages from TRP: Industry debates feasibility and warns of pitfalls

The system captures content identifiers embedded in a broadcaster’s feed but does not detect whether that feed is appearing as a landing page or as part of normal channel surfing.

This means that short bursts of exposure through landing pages are often captured as valid viewership data, creating distortions in TRP reporting despite efforts to weed out outliers.

The MIB’s proposed directive to delink landing page impressions from TRP ratings is therefore aimed at closing this technical loophole.

A watermark solution under consideration

According to information reviewed by BestMediaInfo.com, one of the proposals being evaluated involves assigning a distinct watermark to the landing feed of each broadcaster.

This would allow BARC’s meters to recognise and segregate data originating from landing pages, preventing such signals from being counted in official viewership numbers.

“BARC India measures by frequency and knows exactly what frequency the landing page is playing at. The watermark used on the landing page can be different, making it easier to track and eliminate from the data,” said government sources privy to the matter.

The approach builds on the existing frequency-based watermarking system and would make it possible to differentiate between genuine viewership and default exposure at the signal level. The idea is that the watermark embedded in a landing page feed would function as a unique identifier, enabling the system to detect and exclude it during data processing.

If implemented, the method would introduce a technical safeguard within the existing measurement framework—one that directly addresses advertisers’ concerns over inflated or misrepresented viewership data.

Addressing the risk of manipulation

While the proposed framework appears robust, questions around potential manipulation are inevitable.

The top concern is: what if a broadcaster colludes with a multi-system operator to broadcast the landing page feed under a regular watermark, effectively bypassing detection?

According to top government sources who were briefed about the function, this loophole is unlikely to pose a significant risk in the current ecosystem.

With television distribution now dominated by large multi-system operators rather than small local cable players, control over landing page frequencies has become far more centralised and traceable.

Additionally, sources confirmed that the watermarking process itself would be auditable at BARC’s data centre, allowing manual verification if irregularities are detected.

“The system does not require additional infrastructure, making implementation easier and oversight stronger,” sources added.

The maker-checker process—with MSOs, BARC, and the MIB all able to cross-verify watermark data—ensures that even hypothetical collusion could be detected through frequency logs and watermark mismatches.

Moreover, once the government formally delinks landing pages from viewership measurement, the practice itself will come under clearer regulatory and legal scrutiny. This shift effectively removes landing pages from the existing grey zone by way of law.

As a result, multi-system operators would have little incentive to engage in collusive arrangements with broadcasters, given the heightened risk of regulatory action and potential loss of licence.

In essence, the watermark-based mechanism is seen as a technically credible and auditable solution that balances innovation with regulatory enforcement.

Early consensus building

BestMediaInfo.com has learnt from sources that the government’s decision to reach out to advertisers before finalising the draft amendment was deliberate.

Advertisers, who rely on television ratings to guide large-scale media investments, have consistently raised questions about the reliability of data influenced by landing pages. By aligning with this group early in the process, the Ministry appears to have ensured smoother industry buy-in for the proposed reform.

The discussions reportedly also touched upon practical aspects of the watermarking solution, including verification, implementation timelines, and compatibility with BARC’s existing systems.

While still under consideration, the idea is said to have received a favourable response from those consulted, as it provides a technically feasible way to ensure ratings integrity without significantly disrupting operations.

What this could mean for the industry

If the watermark-based exclusion system is adopted, it could be one of the most significant upgrades in BARC’s measurement mechanism since its inception.

It would effectively neutralise the influence of paid distribution arrangements on television ratings, ensuring that TRPs reflect only active and voluntary viewership.

While the final decision rests on further technical evaluation and industry feedback, the Ministry’s current line of thought indicates a more data-led, precision-driven regulatory approach.