TV Ad Activity Fell 8.6% During the BARC Ratings Blackout as Digital Grew 24.5%

Advertising on Indian television fell 8.6% between 1 July and 28 September 2026 compared with a year earlier, while digital advertising grew 24.5%, according to TAM AdEx data reported by Exchange4media. The period almost exactly matches the time weekly TV ratings have been suspended.

Measured as an index against a year-earlier base of 100, television fell to 91.4 and digital rose to 124.5. Print slipped to 94.7 and radio held at 101.1. Food and beverages remained the largest advertiser category on TV, with a 22.7% share of ad activity.

Why there are no ratings

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's new Television Ratings Policy, 2026 requires every ratings agency to obtain fresh registration before publishing audience data. BARC India's application had not been approved when the directive reached it in early July, so the agency stopped publishing weekly ratings, first for news channels and then for all genres, Business Standard reported.

What the blackout costs

Without current ratings, broadcasters struggle to justify their ad rates, while digital platforms can show advertisers measurable results, which helps explain the shift in spending. Broadcasters' body IBDF called for ratings to be restored in late September, arguing the suspension was hurting revenue visibility in the festive season, and BestMediaInfo reported on 16 October that the delay is also hurting large consumer brands that rely on TV to reach new households.

Television was already under pressure before the blackout: TV ad volumes fell 7% per channel in January to July 2026, TAM AdEx data showed, after a 9% fall the year before. Distributors are feeling it too: Tata Play lost an estimated 27.8 lakh DTH subscribers in the year to June 2026.