How do you calculate GRP?

Multiply reach by frequency. If an ad reaches 30 per cent of the audience 4 times on average, GRP is 120. Another plan that reaches 60 per cent with a frequency of 2 also scores 120. One plan is deep, the other is wide, so always ask for reach and frequency as well as GRP.

Is GRP the number of people who saw my ad?

No. GRP counts repeat views too, so it is a score for the plan, not a count of people. It does not remove double counting, which reach does. So 120 GRPs does not mean 120 people, or even 120 per cent of your audience seen once.

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GRPmeaning and examples

Gross rating point: a score for how big an ad plan is.

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Updated 9 Oct 2026

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Definition

GRP stands for gross rating point. It is a score for the size of an ad plan, worked out as reach multiplied by frequency, so GRP = Reach × Frequency. Reach is the share of your audience who see the ad at least once. Frequency is how many times, on average, they see it.

Planners use GRP to compare plans on one scale, for example a television plan against another. It is a plan score, not a count of people.

Reach, frequency and GRP

Reach: the percentage of your target audience who see the ad at least once.
Frequency: the average number of times each reached person sees it.
GRP: reach × frequency. It is also the sum of the ratings of all the ad spots in a plan.

Rearranged, Reach = GRP ÷ Frequency, and Frequency = GRP ÷ Reach. The formula is from a media data company's guide, which we read on 9 October 2026.

A made-up example in rupees

Say a television plan reaches 30 per cent of its target audience, and they see the ad 4 times on average. This is a made-up example.

GRP = 30 × 4 = 120.
Another plan reaches 60 per cent with a frequency of 2. It also scores 120. One plan is deep, the other is wide.
If the first plan costs ₹6,00,000, the cost per GRP is ₹6,00,000 ÷ 120 = ₹5,000.

So the same score can hide two very different plans. Always ask for reach and frequency as well as GRP.

Why it is called gross

GRP counts every view, including repeat views by the same person. It does not remove double counting. Reach does. So 120 GRPs does not mean 120 people, or even 120 per cent of your audience seen once.

How GRP is used in India

In India, BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council) measures what people watch on television. Its homepage calls it a television audience measurement organisation. Television plans are often sized with ratings from this kind of data.

Ask your agency which audience the rating is for. It may be all viewers, women aged 25 and above, or viewers in one city. When the ratings are for a chosen audience, the total is often called TRP (target rating point).

Common mistakes

Reading GRP as the number of people reached.
Comparing GRPs that were counted for different audiences.
Ignoring frequency, so the same few people see the ad many times.
Buying a score without checking channel, time of day and language.
Not asking how the rating was counted.

Related terms

TRP: GRP counted for a chosen audience.
Reach and frequency: how many people see the ad, and how often.
BARC: the body that measures television viewing in India.
Media planning: deciding where, when and how often an ad should appear.
Media buying: buying the ad space or time that the plan calls for.

To size a plan for your budget, see our communication and media planning work.

Sources

SRDS, "Gross Rating Points (GRP) Calculator" (srds.com/calculator/grps-trps/): GRPs = Reach × Frequency, and the sum of ratings for a target group as TRPs. Read 9 October 2026.
BARC India homepage (barcindia.co.in): describes BARC as a TV audience measurement organisation. Read 9 October 2026.

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Straight answers.

Gross rating point.
Multiply reach by frequency. If an ad reaches 30 per cent of the audience 4 times on average, GRP is 120. Another plan that reaches 60 per cent with a frequency of 2 also scores 120. One plan is deep, the other is wide, so always ask for reach and frequency as well as GRP.
No. GRP counts repeat views too, so it is a score for the plan, not a count of people. It does not remove double counting, which reach does. So 120 GRPs does not mean 120 people, or even 120 per cent of your audience seen once.
GRP can be counted for any audience. TRP is GRP counted for a chosen target audience. Ask your agency which audience the rating is for. It may be all viewers, women aged 25 and above, or viewers in one city. Do not compare GRPs counted for different audiences.