TAM India Pitches RPD-Based Model for Cross-Screen TV and CTV Measurement

RPD at the Core of TAM’s Proposed Model

TAM India has applied for a licence to conduct television audience measurement under the new framework introduced by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB), according to media reports citing government officials. The application marks an initial formal step towards TAM’s potential return to the television ratings market, with the company understood to be developing a measurement framework built around return-path data (RPD) from cable and DTH set-top boxes.

Unlike the conventional panel-based approach, TAM’s proposed system is expected to use viewing signals generated directly from connected set-top boxes across participating cable and DTH networks.

According to a media report quoting an MIB official, TAM’s application covers audience measurement using RPD and is structured to scale through partnerships with distribution platforms. The official also indicated that TAM had demonstrated its preparedness to commence ratings within a quarter of receiving the licence.

The proposed approach would represent a significant change from the existing television measurement system operated by BARC India, which relies on a panel of homes equipped with audience measurement technology, including people meters.

Set-Top Box Data to Drive Measurement

At the centre of TAM India’s proposition is a shift in the underlying source of television viewing information.

An RPD-led framework can capture viewing signals from set-top boxes operated by participating cable and DTH providers. This could enable measurement across a substantially broader base of television households than a conventional panel.

Industry sources indicate that TAM has been engaging with major multiple system operators (MSOs), cable television operators and DTH platforms to build the distribution ecosystem required for its RPD-based approach.

The company is also understood to have signed MoUs with leading cable TV MSOs and DTH operators, while discussions with other major distribution platforms are reportedly continuing.

TAM is currently believed to be working with three players during the beta phase of the proposed RPD system. The eventual size and composition of the measurement universe would still need to be determined and independently validated before the service could potentially become an industry ratings currency.

Scale Could Be a Key Advantage

The potential scale of RPD data is central to TAM’s proposition. By collecting viewing signals from participating distribution networks, the system could access information from a much larger household base across different markets than a traditional people-meter panel.

A broader data pool could potentially address some limitations associated with panel-based measurement, where a representative sample of households must be recruited and maintained before viewing behaviour is extrapolated to the wider population.

However, RPD-based measurement would also depend on factors such as platform participation, data quality, geographic coverage, privacy protections, validation and the methodology used to convert raw viewing information into audience metrics.

Proposed Framework Extends to TV and CTV

TAM India’s proposed architecture is also understood to incorporate cross-screen measurement, rather than treating it as a later addition.

The proposition is expected to cover both television and connected television while providing de-duplicated cross-screen measurement. This would allow audiences reached through linear TV and CTV to be assessed without simply adding the two audience figures together.

The development comes as viewing increasingly spans traditional television and connected devices. Advertisers and agencies are seeking measurement systems capable of showing individual-screen reach as well as incremental reach, frequency and audience overlap when campaigns run across TV and CTV.

TAM’s CTV Partnership with VTION

TAM’s RPD infrastructure could provide the television-side data for such a proposition, while its existing CTV partnerships could support measurement on connected screens.

In June, TAM Media Research partnered with VTION to introduce CTV Ad Pulse, combining TAM’s advertising monitoring capabilities with VTION’s connected-TV audience measurement. The offering is designed to connect advertising exposure with CTV viewing behaviour while assessing audience profiles, reach, frequency and campaign delivery across markets.

VTION uses passive, consent-based measurement through an opted-in panel of more than 100,000 smartphones and has extended the methodology to connected television.

The partnership provides TAM with an established framework for connecting television and digital-screen behaviour, potentially complementing its wider RPD-based measurement plans.

As a result, TAM’s proposed architecture could develop into a data-driven, de-duplicated cross-screen measurement framework spanning TV and CTV.

Building a Distribution Data Ecosystem

TAM’s proposed RPD approach also draws on its engagement with television distribution platforms.

Following the government’s first consultation paper on the revised ratings framework in July 2025, TAM was reportedly exploring opportunities to use data from distribution platform operators for audience measurement.

Distribution platforms have access to substantial volumes of viewing information generated through connected set-top boxes and return-path systems. Rather than rebuilding television measurement around a new network of people meters, TAM’s approach is understood to involve leveraging this existing infrastructure alongside its measurement, processing and analytics capabilities.

Industry sources have also noted that TAM has been providing GTM services to media owners. However, these services and the related data should not be treated as the formal television ratings currency for which the company is now seeking regulatory approval.

The company’s agreements with MSOs and DTH operators, including the reported MoUs and ongoing beta activity, are understood to form part of its preparations for the RPD-based framework.

Regulatory Approval Remains Key

Despite the groundwork undertaken by TAM, the company remains at an early stage of the formal regulatory process.

TAM India has submitted its application, and the proposed measurement system will still require regulatory approval before moving towards wider implementation and commercial deployment.

Several elements, including the final household universe, platform coverage, market representation, measurement methodology and independent validation, will need to be established before the system could potentially operate as an industry ratings currency.

Media reports citing an MIB official indicate that TAM expects to be ready to begin ratings within a quarter of receiving the licence.

If that timeline materialises, India could see a new approach to television audience measurement built around the scale of set-top-box data and connected-TV measurement, with cross-screen audiences assessed on a de-duplicated basis.

For broadcasters, advertisers and agencies, TAM’s proposed model could represent more than the return of another ratings provider. It could also signal a broader shift towards using data generated within the television distribution ecosystem to measure reach, frequency, audience composition and cross-screen viewing, potentially influencing how TV and CTV audiences are measured and traded in India.