What is the Meaning of TRP? (Television)

TRP = Target Rating Point (Note: It is also sometimes referred to as Television Rating Point).

TRP is a tool or metric that measures exactly how many people are watching a specific TV channel or program at a specific time.

• If a show (like Bigg Boss or Anupamaa) has a High TRP, it means millions of people are watching it.
• If a show has a Low TRP, it means viewers are bored and changing the channel.

TV channels do not make money from you watching the show; they make money from the Advertisements (Ads) shown during the commercial breaks.

Companies (like Surf Excel or Maruti) will only pay high prices to show their ads if they know millions of people are watching. Therefore: Higher TRP = More expensive Ad slots = Huge Profit for the Channel. If a show's TRP falls too low, the channel will immediately cancel and stop airing the show because advertisers will refuse to pay.

You might wonder, 'How does the TV channel know what I am watching in my bedroom?' They don't track every single TV. Instead, an agency called BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council) installs a special secret device called a 'Bar-O-Meter' in thousands of selected sample households across India. These meters record what those specific families watch every minute, and statistical math is used to estimate the TRP for the entire country.