New Delhi, April 2 -- The government has stripped India's telecom regulator of oversight over television ratings, taking full control of the system that influences billions of dollars in advertising spending.

The 2026 policy released last week hands complete oversight to the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB), showed the document reviewed by Mint. Until now, both the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) and the ministry shared oversight, creating a dual system.

Trai, however, continues to regulate other key aspects of the broadcasting and cable TV sector, including channel pricing, advertising limits, interconnection and distribution rules, service quality, and compliance standards.

The policy has also issued guidel...