Television Rating Points (TRPs) have long been the holy grail for determining whether a show is a hit or a miss. But in 2025, the question is louder than ever, “Should TRP still be the only metric we use to measure a show’s success?” With the OTT boom and the binge-watching generation changing the rules of the game, relying solely on TRP is like judging a movie’s success based on ticket sales alone, while ignoring its streaming dominance, online buzz, or cultural impact.
How TRP Works—and Where It Misses the Mark
For the uninitiated, TRP is calculated using a device which is installed in select households across the country. These meters track what shows are being watched, at what time, and for how long. The data is then extrapolated to estimate national viewership patterns. Sounds scientific, right? Well, yes and no.
The problem? These meters are installed in only a few thousand households in a country of 1.4 billion people. That’s like asking 10 people what they think of a movie and declaring it a nationwide verdict. The sample size may be statistically controlled, but it often fails to reflect the diversity of actual viewership, especially among digital audiences, metro youth, and niche fandoms. So if a show is huge on social media or OTT but doesn’t perform well in that limited sample, it ends up with a “low TRP.” And that low number can be misleading, even damaging, when advertisers or producers make big decisions based on it.
The Rise of On-Demand Culture
Gone are the days when viewers planned their evenings around a TV show’s time slot. Today’s young and working generation would rather watch what they want, when they want. They’re not skipping the content, they’re just skipping the constraints. That’s where OTT platforms like Disney+ Hotstar, JioCinema, and SonyLIV step in, offering TV shows mostly before even their television telecast.
This means a large chunk of viewers—especially urban, mobile-first audiences—are watching their favourite shows digitally, hours before or days later. But here’s the kicker: these OTT views don’t count toward traditional TRP numbers. So a show may be trending online, breaking viewership records digitally, and even going viral on reels and memes, but if its TV-time viewership dips? The TRP will still paint it as “struggling.” That’s like calling a rock star washed up because fewer people are buying CDs.
Why We Need a New Measurement Mix
TRP still matters—no doubt about that. Advertisers, networks, and creatives all rely on those numbers to gauge live audience engagement. But in 2025, we need to broaden the lens. OTT viewership, streaming hours, social media engagement, YouTube clips, and even meme culture are now legitimate indicators of a show’s relevance and popularity.
Take any recent hit—some shows may not be topping the TRP charts, yet their characters are trending on Twitter, their scenes are viral on Instagram, and their episodes are racking up millions of views on OTT. That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because people are watching—just not always at 9 PM with their remote in hand.
What’s the Way Forward?
It’s not about scrapping TRPs altogether—it’s about evolving how we define success. We need a hybrid metric system that combines traditional viewership ratings with OTT analytics, and real-time digital data. Netflix does it. YouTube does it. Even news outlets track digital impressions and not just TV ratings anymore.
TV is no longer just about TV. It’s a multiplatform, multidevice ecosystem, and the measurement system needs to catch up. Whether it’s an 80-year-old watching live or a 20-year-old watching on the go, every viewer should count. Because, at the end of the day, eyeballs are eyeballs—no matter where they come from.
In a world where a scene from a “low TRP” show can spark a trend, where fan edits rack up millions of views, and where character hashtags stay on X trends for days—it’s clear that viewership is no longer confined to a box in your living room. The industry, creatives, and audience all deserve a broader, smarter, more inclusive way to understand what’s working.
