MSOs to move court over landing page ban, cite Rs 2,000 crore revenue risk

New Delhi: The cable television sector is bracing for a legal showdown with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) over proposed changes to television audience measurement guidelines that would delink landing pages from official TRP calculations.

Multiple multi-system operators (MSOs) are reportedly in consultation with legal advisors to move court against the move, citing a potential loss of nearly Rs 2,000 crore in annual revenue. The concern is widespread among cable operators, who argue that the change, if implemented, could erode up to 15% of their yearly earnings.

At the heart of the dispute is the MIB’s intent to exclude pre-assigned landing channels from influencing viewership metrics, a move that MSOs claim will disproportionately impact their non-subscription income, especially as broadcasters route nearly all their landing-page investments through cable networks, not DTH.

“Landing channels aren’t new, they’ve been part of the business since 2013,” said the promoter of a medium-sized MSO. “This is being blown out of proportion by broadcasters who feel left out. If the ministry doesn’t reverse course, we will explore legal recourse.”

Industry estimates place the cable sector’s annual topline at around Rs 11,500-Rs 12,000 crore, based on current market share. Of this, a significant chunk, close to Rs 2,000 crore, comes from broadcasters' spending on landing pages, according to internal data reviewed by BestMediaInfo.

The executive added that the current policy discourse overlooks the fact that BARC already applies algorithms to exclude early seconds of “forced” viewership on landing channels, thereby mitigating any skew in TRP data. 

“If Apple can pay for a jacket ad in a newspaper, should it be penalised because another brand cannot afford it? That’s marketing. Landing pages are no different,” he said.

Cable operators also challenged the technical assumptions behind the ministry’s decision. 

“A landing page only appears during a hard reboot, not during everyday use. If you're switching channels with a remote, the set-top box resumes the last channel watched, not the landing channel. So where’s the distortion?” the MSO quoted above argued.

Crucially, operators are questioning the need for the new guidelines when the legality of TRAI’s stance on landing pages is still being heard by the Supreme Court. 

“It’s puzzling why the government is moving on this when the case is pending in court. It undermines due process,” said another senior MSO official.

Sources suggest that the MIB is aware of potential legal hurdles and is expanding its consultations to avoid litigation. Still, officials insist that the move is aimed at ensuring a level playing field across platforms and maintaining the credibility of audience measurement.

In parallel, MSOs say they may demand a share of broadcaster advertising revenues if landing pages are removed from the equation. 

“If landing is treated purely as marketing, then broadcasters must compensate for the exposure they’re still getting,” the MSO executive said.

The cable operators are also planning to make a formal representation to the ministry in the coming days, urging it to reconsider what they call an “ill-informed and industry-disruptive” proposal.