The Kerala High Court’s stay on the implementation of the information and broadcasting ministry’s television rating guidelines excluding landing page viewership from final ratings data may offer temporary relief to cable and DTH operators, but a prolonged slowdown in advertising demand is limiting any meaningful revival in broadcaster spending on such placements, industry executives said.The ministry’s revised guidelines had proposed removing landing page viewership from television ratings, threatening a key promotional tool for broadcasters and an important revenue stream for distribution platform operators (DPOs).Landing pages are the default channels displayed when viewers switch on a set-top box. Cable and DTH operators monetise these placements through carriage and placement agreements with broadcasters, making them a significant source of revenue. Broadcasters, in turn, have historically used them to improve ratings and attract advertising.Also Read:India’s TV industry faces deeper pressure as viewers, advertisers move onlineBut the weakening economics of television advertising are forcing broadcasters to rethink spending.TV advertising revenue declined to Rs 26,300 crore in 2025 from Rs 29,400 crore a year earlier, as advertisers increasingly shifted budgets to digital platforms that offer sharper targeting and better measurability. Broadcasters are also grappling with macroeconomic uncertainty, including sentiment weakened by the Middle East crisis, prompting tighter cost controls.“The High Court stay may prevent an immediate disruption to landing page revenues, but broadcaster appetite to spend has already weakened because advertising demand remains soft,” said the chief executive of a leading cable TV company, requesting anonymity. “Improving profitability has become a priority after margins came under pressure post-Covid. Any reduction in landing page spends directly impacts the revenue and profitability of cable operators.”Executives said broadcasters, which once spent aggressively on landing page placements to artificially boost visibility and ratings, are now more selective because monetising higher viewership through advertising has become harder.A senior advertising sales executive at a leading television network said even when landing page placements lead to spikes in viewership, converting those gains into ad revenue is no longer guaranteed.“Advertising demand is soft. Ad rates have come under pressure, and filling inventory has become challenging across genres,” the executive said. “If higher ratings do not translate into better monetisation, broadcasters naturally become cautious about expensive placement deals.”Industry executives said landing page placements are often bundled into subscription deals signed by major pay-TV broadcasters, while free-to-air (FTA) broadcasters generally purchase them separately.FTA broadcasters have traditionally depended heavily on landing pages to improve visibility and drive sampling, particularly in competitive genres. However, the advertising slowdown is prompting many to reassess the cost-benefit equation.“Landing pages continue to be an important marketing tool for both pay and FTA broadcasters,” said a DTH executive. “But weaker advertising demand has made FTA broadcasters more cautious about placement costs because the returns are not as predictable.”The pressure is already visible in operator earnings. For the quarter ended March, placement, carriage and marketing incentive revenue at GTPL Hathway, India’s largest cable TV service provider, declined to Rs 460 crore from Rs 466 crore in the preceding quarter. Similarly, Den Networks’ placement and marketing income fell to Rs 142 crore from Rs 148 crore in the December quarter.The pay-TV industry, comprising cable TV, DTH and headend-in-the-sky (HITS) services, has also been steadily losing subscribers to digital platforms that offer greater convenience and broader content choices. Industry estimates suggest India’s pay-TV subscriber base has fallen to around 84 million from nearly 120 million a few years ago, intensifying pressure on subscription and placement revenues.To offset subscriber losses, operators are expanding into OTT aggregation, broadband and IPTV services. Yet, landing page revenue remains an important support as subscription income declines.“Some FTA broadcasters have cut back on landing page spending because costs remain high and the returns in terms of viewer engagement are no longer as attractive,” a media executive said. “The ad market weakness has made every marketing expense come under greater scrutiny.”