ITV

Category: TV Channels

  • Viacom18 to broadcast Olympic Games Paris 2024

    Viacom18 to broadcast Olympic Games Paris 2024

    Mumbai: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has today announced that Viacom18 has secured the exclusive media rights to broadcast the Olympic Games Paris 2024, plus non-exclusive rights to the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024, in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

    Through the agreement, Viacom18 will provide multi-platform coverage of the Games, and ensure free-to-air television coverage within the region. Last year the event was aired on Sony.

    “Fans across India and the Subcontinent will be able to witness the magic of the Olympic Games through this partnership with Viacom18. As a dynamic sports and media market, this is an important strategic region for Olympic broadcasting, and this new media rights agreement will help us inspire fans and young people across these countries to engage with Olympic sports and the Olympic values,” said IOC president Thomas Bach.

    “The Olympic Movement is getting stronger in India, buoyed by tremendous medal-winning performances by Indian athletes and their inspiring stories, a growing sporting culture and an exponentially increased access to top-level content for millions of Indian sporting fans on their devices. We are delighted that we can present live Olympics content to each and every Indian through our multiple platforms, and are proud to showcase the ultimate pursuit of sporting excellence all athletes embark upon to achieve the peak of sporting glory at Paris 2024,” said Viacom18 Sports CEO Anil Jayaraj.

    The IOC works with media companies around the world to ensure that as many people as possible are able to experience the magic of the Olympic Games. The Olympic media partnerships also contribute valuable revenue that ensures the long-term financial security of the Olympic Movement. The IOC retains just 10 per cent of these revenues, with the rest being distributed to support the staging of the Olympic Games, promote the worldwide development of sport and the Olympic Movement, and assist with the implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020 and Olympic Agenda 2020+5.

  • NxtDigital completes demerger of its digital media & communication business 

    NxtDigital completes demerger of its digital media & communication business 

    Mumbai:  NxtDigital (NDL) on Tuesday said that all steps and compliances relating to the demerger of its digital media & communications had been successfully completed, including the allotment of shares by Hinduja Global Solutions Ltd. (HGSL) to the eligible shareholders of NDL.

    An official statement released by the company stated the shares that have been allotted in accordance with the swap ratio are eligible for trading on stock exchanges.

    “With respect to the proposed merger of Hinduja Leyland Finance with the company, the board of directors of the company had approved the draft scheme of arrangement of the company with Hinduja Leyland Finance (HLF) at their meeting held on 25 November,” the statement added. “The scheme of arrangement has been filed with regulatory authorities seeking their approval, and once received, the necessary applications will be filed with the National Company Law Tribunal. This is expected sometime in January-end next year.”

    The company said its board of directors considered it expedient and necessary that, with the demerger of digital and media undertaking businesses together with the trademark “NxtDigital,” the name of the company be changed from “Nxtdigital Ltd.” to “NDL Ventures Ltd.” or such other name as approved by the registrar of companies/the ministry of corporate affairs.

    The statement further added that its board considered it appropriate to reconstitute the board of directors to give focus to the new ventures in accordance with future activities. In view of the above, the board of directors of the company has approved that Ashok P. Hinduja will relinquish his role as chairman-non-executive of the company to align his focus on the expansion of the digital and media businesses of the Hinduja Group, and director Sudhanshu Tripathi will assume the role of non-executive chairman of the company.

    The company also stated that, in line with this reorganisation, director Prashant Asher has resigned from the board of the company.

  • Amazon Music reveals its ‘Best of 2022’ playlists

    Amazon Music reveals its ‘Best of 2022’ playlists

    Mumbai: Audio Streaming Services Amazon Music on Tuesday unveiled its “2022 Best of the Year” campaign.

    ‘Best of the Year’ is an annual roundup of the top artists, songs, albums, and podcasts across languages on Amazon Music. It celebrates the most streamed artists, albums, and songs through its ‘Best of 2022 Playlists,’ which are currently available to stream in multiple languages.

    This year, Hindi, English and Tamil emerged as the most streamed languages on Amazon Music, where Hindi contributed to over 36 per cent of the overall plays on the platform. Amazon Music is also presenting a personalised playlist for each listener titled ‘My Year in Review 2022,’ featuring each listener’s personal favourites and their most streamed tracks in 2022.

    Kesariya is the most streamed song of 2022 as well as the top romantic song of the year in Hindi on Amazon Music, and Arijit Singh emerged again as the most streamed artist in Hindi. The most streamed Hindi album this year is Jugjugg Jeeyo, with music created by industry stalwarts like Tanishk Bagchi, Kavita Seth, Vishal Shekhar, and others.

    Under regional languages, the foot-tapping chartbuster, Arabic Kuthu, became the most streamed Tamil song of 2022. Anirudh Ravichander is listed as the most streamed Tamil artist, while Beast, starring Vijay, became the most streamed Tamil album this year.

    In Telugu, the upbeat viral track, Oo Antava Oo Oo Antava from the movie Pushpa, became the most streamed song. Devi Sri Prasad (DSP) was the most streamed Telugu artist this year, while Pushpa became the most streamed album of 2022. In Kannada, Ra Ra Rakkamma from Vikrant Rona is the most streamed song this year whereas celebrated Indian composer, Ravi Basrur is titled the most streamed Kannada Artist, while KGF2 featured as the most streamed album in Kannada. Listen to the Telugu and Kannada playlists.

    In Punjabi, emerging singing sensation Shubh’s No Love became the most streamed song this year. Popular Indo-Canadian artist AP Dhillon is the most streamed artist this year in Punjabi, thanks to his multiple chart-topping songs like Summer High & Excuses, and Diljit Dosanjh’s album Drive Thru has been the most streamed Punjabi album of 2022.

    International pop artist, Harry Styles’ pop track As It Was is listed as the most streamed international song this year, while the album featuring the track, Harry’s House is the most streamed album of the year. Global sensation Ed Sheeran became the most streamed international artist of 2022.

    The Stories of Mahabharata emerged as the most streamed Podcast in 2022 on Amazon Music followed by Kadhai Podcast’s Ponniyin Selvan & Sadhguru’s official podcast.

    Amazon Music India director Mamta Saraf said, “We are extremely excited about our fifth edition of the ‘Best of the Year’ campaign. Our aim is to identify and acknowledge the most streamed artists, tracks, and podcast creators across genres who have kept India entertained in 2022. We would like to thank our listeners for tuning in to Amazon Music and making music a part of their everyday lives. We are committed to bringing forth these exciting playlists and podcasts for our listeners and recognising talents across languages year after year.”

  • Leading broadcasters to raise TV channel rates in 2023

    Leading broadcasters to raise TV channel rates in 2023

    Mumbai: Leading television broadcasters have increased channel a-la-carte and bouquet rates. Leading broadcasters like Zee, Sony, and Sun TV have already revealed their increased prices as a direct result of the regulations’ amendments, and Star TV and Colors are anticipated to follow suit shortly. The unifying element among the updated tariffs, which will take effect on 1 February 2023, is an increase in the cost of channels and bouquets. Zee and Sony have previously disclosed a price hike for their most well-liked bouquets.

    According to the report, all of the above-mentioned leading broadcasters have also filed their reference interconnect offers (RIO). These RIOs, published by service providers, often specify the terms and conditions on which other service providers may seek interconnection. Accordingly, even Disney Star India and Viacom18 are expected to file their RIOs soon, as per the report.

    “The TRAI announced yet one more amendment to the tariff regulations (third in three years) on 22nd November. The regulator has been constantly flip-flopping on channel prices, and the latest Amendment is yet another attempt. What began as an effort to ensure that TV channel rates were reasonably priced for consumers and that the choice of channels or bouquets was in the hands of the consumers, has now taken a 180-degree turn, with the regulator justifying the creation of bouquets with huge discounts with utter disregard for consumer choice. Because the broadcaster has complete freedom to change prices at any time, this move will eventually assist broadcasters in pushing non-popular channels to consumers under the guise of ‘bouquets’ at higher prices,” one of the sources from a channel said.

    “There appear to be just two options left for consumers: either pay more for a-la-carte channels or pay more to subscribe to bouquets and be forced to watch both popular and less-popular channels. Customers will be required to pay a higher subscription fee even for their current channel/bouquet choices because cable TV and DTH service providers are unable to offer their customers such a discount,” he further added.

    While Sony has announced the discontinuation of their most popular and least expensive bouquets, Happy India 31 (Hindi, Marathi, and Bangla), which had an MRP of Rs 30.50 + GST = Rs 35.99, they have also announced the availability of their lowest-priced bouquets, Happy India Smart (Hindi), which would have an MRP of Rs 43 + GST = Rs 50.74 and the Marathi and Bangla variants of the same bouquet, which would be available to customers This implies that with adding 2 channels, the bouquet’s rates will increase by about 51 per cent. (BBC Earth and Sony Sports Ten 3). The price of other well-known Happy India bouquets is also rising by 15 per cent to 30 per cent +, which will ultimately put pressure on the consumer’s pocketbook.

    Zee, on the other hand, has made the decision to raise bouquet charges by 10 per cent to __ per cent after eliminating all Zee News channels from its bouquets and adding a few unpopular channels. Additionally, Zee drastically raised the a-la-carte prices for certain of its channels. Zee Keralam, a Malayalam GEC channel, would increase by 9900 per cent from its current monthly price of Rs 0.10 + GST to Rs 10.00 + GST = Rs 11.80.

    Similar to this, Zee Talkies, a Marathi movie channel, will see an increase of 350 per cent from its current price of Rs 2 to Rs 9; Zee Pichhar, a newly launched channel, will see an increase of 233 per cent from Rs 3 to Rs. 10; Zee Thirai will see an increase of 100 per cent from Rs 5 to Rs 10; Hindi movie channels, & Pictures and Zee Cinema, will see an increase of 67 per cent from Rs 6 to Rs 10, and 27 per cent from Rs 15 to Rs 19, respectively.

    Zee has set different pricing for the abovementioned News channels and will now distribute them through Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL). The fact that some of these channels, including Movies and News, given by Zee in GEC are accessible for free on DD FreeDish is particularly significant, as opposed to the already burdened cable TV and DTH users, who must pay for the same channels.

    CCI has given Zee and Sony conditional clearance for their proposed merger. The CCI has expressed worries about the combined entity’s potential for market dominance. By promising the watchdog that they would not misuse their dominating position, both businesses allayed the CCI’s concerns. But now that CCI has given its blessing, it is very evident what the true image of dominance looks like.

    The updated pricing from other well-known broadcasters like Disney/Star and Viacom18 is currently on hold. Sources in the industry have indicated that they would also be introducing channel and bouquet pricing that are more expensive than the prevailing rates. Since the cable TV and DTH service providers are required by law to give the declared rates to consumers, the consumer will bear the brunt of all these pricing increases.

  • JioCinema records 32mn viewers on final day of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

    JioCinema records 32mn viewers on final day of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

    Mumbai: Even as the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 draws to a close, JioCinema heralds a new era, with digital viewership surpassing TV in India for the first time for a global marquee sports event. A record 32 million viewers tuned in to JioCinema on the final day of what was arguably the most extraordinary FIFA World Cup Final, as Argentina won the trophy for the first time since 1986.

    Over 110 million people watched the content on digital, making India one of the top digital viewing markets for the FIFA World Cup. The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 held India’s attention with a massive 40 billion minutes of watch time being clocked across Sports18 and JioCinema, which remained the No. 1 downloaded free app on iOS and Android throughout the tournament.

    The app’s rapid rise can be attributed to consumers’ growing preference in India for watching sports on smartphones and connected TVs. JioCinema enhanced viewers’ live experience with a never-before-seen Hype Mode, providing fans with exclusive offers at their fingertips during a live match. It featured a multi-camera view of the game, real-time trivia and stats, and a Time Wheel that allows viewers to relive an unforgettable moment.

    The event’s strong digital viewership was aided by its widespread availability on multiple OEM and CTV platforms, including Jio STB, Apple TV, Amazon Firestick, Sony, Samsung, LG, and Xiaomi, among others. For the first time, CTV viewers were able to watch the world’s most prestigious football tournament in UHD 4K via JioCinema.

    Viacom18 Sports CEO Anil Jayaraj said, “We promised to give consumers easy access to the world-class presentation of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and on the back of that, the tournament became the most-watched global sports event on digital where India has not participated,”

    He added, “This demonstrates the power of digital and the preference viewers and fans have shown to consume their favourite events, which will now see Paris Saint-Germain teammates and FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappe and FIFA World Cup and Golden Ball winner Lionel Messi join forces in the Ligue1.”

    Fans were treated to a world-class studio on Sports18, as well as JioCinema, which featured an All-Star lineup of World Cup heroes, including Wayne Rooney, Luis Figo, Robert Pires, Gilberto Silva, and Sol Campbell.

    Brands that partnered with the world’s most prestigious football tournament on JioCinema and Sports18 received unprecedented recall. Over 50 brands from e-commerce, banking, financial services, auto, fashion, hospitality, and fintech took advantage of the quadrennial showpiece’s reach.

  • Sony BBC Earth announces ‘Young Earth Champions’ winner 

    Sony BBC Earth announces ‘Young Earth Champions’ winner 

    Mumbai: Sony BBC Earth has announced Rishit Mathur as a winner for its show Young Earth Champions. Young Earth Champions, which was announced in May this year, was created to engage with young minds and encourage them to work towards a better future. It received several creative submissions on how to preserve the planet’s resources, including water, land, wildlife, forests, and energy. Mathur of Delhi is the proud winner among hundreds of competitors.

    Students in grades six and nine competed in this nationwide competition, displaying their spirit and determination through thought-provoking submissions. To ensure that each submission is given due consideration, an expert team from IIT Bombay’s Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, led by professor Amritanshu Shriwastav, and actor and environmentalist Jim Sarbh carefully evaluated the ideas.

    The top ten shortlisted entries were given the opportunity to engage in an engaging conversation with Sarbh and the professor about sustainability. Mathur, the contest’s winner, received the grand prize of an iPad, as well as the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be featured on the Sony BBC Earth channel. Mathur began his path to becoming an environmental activist at a young age, in response to major issues affecting the planet. His desire to change the world inspired him to enter the competition.

    Mathur’s concept revolved around effectively managing crop residue rather than burning it and creating an environmental hazard. He proposed that crop residues be used to make eco-friendly furniture. Farmers can use this furniture for personal use or sell it in open markets to supplement their income. He also proposed that crop residue be converted into organic manure via a chemical reaction and used to grow new crops.

    There were ten finalists, and their ideas ranged from resource repurposing to using technology to track poaching, reusing glass to make bricks to ensuring germ-free water, and so on.

    Sony BBC Earth’s Young Earth Champions contest, in collaboration with its knowledge partner Nehru Science Centre, received over 1000 registrations from across the country, with 2, 08, 387 visits to the contest page.

    Sony Pictures Networks Sony AATH business operations head and marketing & insights, English cluster head Rohan Jain said, “At Sony BBC Earth we have always aimed at creating meaningful engagements through all our initiatives. As we conclude the second edition of ‘Young Earth Champions’ we are pleased to share that the spirit and determination of the younger generation have been quite commendable. We are extremely thankful to Sarbh, professor Shriwastav, and the IIT Bombay team for joining us in the cause and sharing their expertise. We further aim to introduce more such properties in the future and encourage green practices across the nation.”

    Shriwastav said, “The younger generation is more conscious and aware of the current environment scenario, and it was very well reflected through their thought-through submissions. Choosing the winning entries from amongst the talent lot was not an easy task and our team got to learn so much from these young kids. It was quite an enriching experience even for us as professionals.”

  • GUEST ARTICLE: CTV: The future is here!

    GUEST ARTICLE: CTV: The future is here!

    Mumbai: Consider this: a 42-inch 4K ultra HD smart LED TV controlled by a dedicated app on a smart phone. The app facilitates and enhances viewers’ experiences while watching TV: finding a particular TV series, a news bulletin, or a movie to watch; seeing what his or her friends are watching; or browsing through his list of favourite channels’ EPG. It also offers the option of ‘content throwing’ allowing shows and programmes to be transferred from a smart phone or tablet to the big TV screen. Apps are customised for each of us based on our content consumption behaviour. Such apps with the additional ability to support voice commands and hand gestures will make us wonder how we ever lived without them. This is the future now!

    Just for clarity, a CTV is a television set that gets its content from the internet as compared to the traditional route of either through cable or DTH operators. This content is usually consumed through apps embedded on smart TV sets or through dongles like the Amazon Fire TV Stick, Roku Streaming Stick, and gaming consoles (xbox, playStation, etc.) connected to regular TV sets, thus enabling them to access internet content. Over-the-top (OTT) video streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Sony LIV, ZEE5, Disney Hotstar, the omnipresent YouTube, and multiple apps that are compatible with CTVs are providing content to viewers on such TV screens. For the record, even news channels watched through the YouTube app installed on a smart TV set are within the purview of CTV.

    Consuming OTT content on larger, connected screens is a trend that will only continue to grow across the country. As per an EY study, the number of connected television sets is expected to grow to 40 million by 2024, led by the increase in wireless and wired broadband connections alongside the proliferation of low-cost smart television sets.

    Once again, for clarity, we need to be clear that OTT and CTV advertising are different; CTV advertising goes beyond OTTs and explores genres of news and music as well. The CTV audience is affluent, discerning, and HNI. They can be reached through platforms such as YouTube and other ad-supported OTT platforms.

    CTV combines the power of TV’s format with the addressability and attribution capabilities of digital. The discerning English content consumer has been an early adopter of the connected TV phenomenon, and this audience base is exponentially growing. From an advertiser’s standpoint, connected TV will give them a tremendous opportunity to engage with consumers. They will be able to collect a lot more data about consumer behaviour based on what they watch, when they watch it, and how they react.

    The future is indeed fascinating. As the Internet of Things with its machine-to-machine communication capability picks up, the smart TV could end up becoming the central hub of the smart (connected) home. We will pick up this subject some other day. For the time being, get, set, ready for CTV!

    The author of this article is TV9 Network chief growth officer (broadcast & digital) Raktim Das.

  • News18 India stays ahead of competition during election week

    News18 India stays ahead of competition during election week

    Mumbai: In terms of market share during election week, News18 India outperformed its rivals and once again dominated the Hindi news category in the country.

    With a market share of 15.2 per cent (Barc; market share percentage 24 hours, TG: 15+, HSM, Wk 49’22 all days), News18 India has surpassed other leading news channels, including TV9 Bharatvarsh, India TV, Aaj Tak, and Republic Bharat.

    During the week of the election results for Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, the channel maintained a 12 per cent lead over Aaj Tak.

    The market share of TV9 Bharatvarsh was 13.0 per cent, according to the most recent Barc data, while that of India TV was 13.7 per cent, Aaj Tak was 13.6 per cent, and Republic Bharat was 11.5 per cent.

    In prime time, News18 continued to outperform the opposition.

    According to the latest Barc ratings, News18 has a market share of 15.4 per cent, which puts it 13 per cent ahead of Aaj Tak. India TV and Aaj Tak followed with 13.8 per cent and 13.7 per cent market shares, respectively.

    To ensure that the content and presentation of News18 remain unique and far ahead of its competition, the network has invested heavily in both technology and editorial resources.

    News18 brands have enjoyed strong traction across YouTube and social media platforms as well, as their views have grown steadily.

  • Warner Bros. Discovery launches its global centennial campaign ‘Celebrating Every Story’

    Warner Bros. Discovery launches its global centennial campaign ‘Celebrating Every Story’

    Mumbai: Warner Bros. Discovery has officially launched its global centennial campaign, “Celebrating Every Story,” in preparation for the studio’s 100th anniversary on 4 April  2023. This landmark birthday will be celebrated across consumer touchpoints over the next 12 months with special programming and content, exclusive products and home entertainment releases, a dedicated programming page on HBO Max, omni-channel social media campaigns, live events and screenings, and fan-focused activations around the world. The official centennial logo and commemorative reel will also be unveiled.

    Speaking on the launch, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav commented, “The name Warner Bros. is synonymous with entertainment, and we are honoured to be celebrating this iconic studio’s centennial and the rich heritage that stretches back to the four brothers who founded it in 1923. Over the past 100 years, Warner Bros. has created some of the most recognisable and beloved films, TV shows and characters ever made and has been the place for impactful storytelling that both defines and reflects our culture. We are excited about our company’s bright and dynamic future and, as we embark on its second century, to continue to tell the kind of great stories that entertain, inform, and inspire audiences around the world.”

    Highlights of the centennial programming include a three-part documentary on the history of Warner Bros. from WB Unscripted Television, which will premiere on HBO Max (and select partners in regions where HBO Max isn’t available); programming marathons and special episodes across Warner Bros. Discovery’s 40+ domestic networks and international channels; and archival interviews airing on Extra from the series’ 29 seasons of studio set visits, red carpet premieres, and other events.

    Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will release a series of commemorative film and television bundles on digital, Blu-ray, and DVD, including four 25-film volumes and a 100-film collection (both with souvenir collectibles), complete TV series collections for the first time, and “Best of” TV compilations from the most beloved WBTV franchises. Throughout the year, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will release a dozen remastered titles in 4K ultra-high definition for the first time, including the Superman 5-film collection and special 50th anniversary editions of Enter the Dragon and The Exorcist.

    HBO Max will launch a dedicated programming page with thematic and seasonal programming in late January. HBO Max will mine Warner Bros.’ unparalleled film and television libraries to present curated collections commemorating holidays and cultural events such as Black History Month, Women’s History Month, AAPI Month, and Pride/LGBTQ.

    From apparel and housewares to toys and collectibles, publishing, retailers, and food and beverage companies, Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products is celebrating this milestone in collaboration with some of the world’s most popular and powerful brands.

    Throughout 2023, the consumer products division will present a number of exclusive centennial activations in collaboration with key partners such as Amazon, Saks Fifth Avenue, Funko, Mattel, New Era, Running Press, and others. In addition, a new line of products featuring the Looney Tunes, a cornerstone of Warner Bros.’ history, will be unveiled, with the ultimate superfans dressed up as other legendary WB characters from fan favourite franchises such as DC and Wizarding World taking centre stage.

    Throughout the year, the company will present a number of live events and experiences to fans around the world, including: Candlelight Concerts in 100 cities, taking fans on a musical journey through 100 years of Warner Bros. in cities such as Los Angeles, New York, London, Toronto, Melbourne, Paris, Singapore, Milan, So Paulo, and Mexico City.

    In April, the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood will honour key films and major talent from Warner Bros. Pictures’ history, including Casablanca, the 50th anniversaries of The Exorcist and Enter the Dragon, as well as world premiere restorations of East of Eden and Rio Bravo.

    Limited theatrical engagements of some of Warner Bros.’ most popular film titles throughout its history; exhibits and screenings commemorating the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ centennial in Los Angeles; and commemorative screenings at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History’s Warner Bros. Theater will be included.

    The centennial will be celebrated with exclusive merchandise, photo ops, special engagements and activations, and more at Warner Bros.’ hotels and theme parks around the world, including The WB Abu Dhabi, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, Parque Warner Madrid, and Warner Bros. Movie World in Australia.

    Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood, the world’s premier attraction for bringing fans closer to the entertainment they love, will play a significant role in commemorating the centennial. A special 100th anniversary exhibit will debut as part of the tour in February, and more centennial-themed surprises will be revealed later in the year.

    Warner Bros. has been active internationally for virtually its entire history. Teams from across the world will host centenary activations across all of the studio’s businesses to acknowledge the brand’s popularity worldwide as well as its content, characters, and consumer products. The Warner Bros. centennial celebration will truly be a global event, with centennial celebrations in China and a themed exhibition during the Beijing International Film Festival, pop-up channels in Germany, film exhibitions throughout Europe, consumer products and fashion lines across all regions, and more.

    This Day in History, Backlot Journeys, 100 Iconic WB Moments, mashups with top-tier IP, activations at live events, user-generated content, photo ops and filters, and other specially designed themed campaigns will launch across social media to let fans of all things Warner Bros. join in the celebration.

  • India TV retains top slot during counting hours

    India TV retains top slot during counting hours

    Mumbai: Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) India has released the much-anticipated news channel viewership data for the election day in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.

    On 8 December, India TV retained the top slot during counting hours: 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. The channel led the pack with a 17.1 per cent market share among ten channels (source Barc Wk 49, rolled data, HSM, TG: 15+, weekday: Thursday, time band: 6 a.m. – 12 p.m.).

    India TV was followed by Aaj Tak in second place with a 14.8 per cent market share and News18 India, which had a 13.5 per cent market share.

    TV9 Bharatvarsh ranked fourth with an 11.3 per cent market share. With a 9.4 per cent market share, the Republic of Bengal was ranked fifth.

    ABP ranked sixth with a 9.3 per cent market share. Navbharat was ranked seventh with a 7.4 per cent market share, followed by Good News Today with a 6.7 per cent market share.

    News 24 ranked ninth, with a 6.7 per cent market share. News Nation ranked tenth, with a 3.9 per cent market share.