Tag: ArnabGoswami

BARC week 38: Hindi News ratings fall as AajTak continues dominance

BENGALURU: Hindi News ratings continued their decline in week 38 of 2019 (Week 38: Saturday, 14 September 2019 to Friday, 20 September 2019, period or week under review). After the big jump in ratings in week 21 0f 2019 when the opinion polls followed by results of the national elections, Hindi News ratings had witnessed a steep decline. The abrogation of Article 370 and the formation of the new union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on 5 August 2019 during week 32 of 2019 saw ratings peak a bit once again, only to gradually climb down. Weekly data of Top 5 Hindi News channels sourced from Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) reveals that the combined total of ratings of the top 5 Hindi News channels in the combined urban (U) and rural (R) Hindi speaking market (HSM) dipped 13 percent in week 38 of 2019 as compared to the previous week. Ratings of the Top 5 Hindi News channels in the urban market – HSM (U) declined 14 percent as compared to a 11 percent fall in the case of HSM (R) during the period under review. BARC data has more weightage for the urban markets as compared to the rural markets.

AajTak from the India Today Group continued its unimpeded and uninterrupted dominance of the Hindi News genre in HSM (U+R), HSM (U) and HSM (R). Please refer to the figures below for the combined ratings of the top 5 Hindi News channels in HSM (U+R), HSM (U) and HSM (R) respectively.

Top 5 channels of the Hindi News genre in week 38 of 2019 in HSM (U+R)

The combined weekly ratings of the Top 5 Hindi News channels in HSM (U+R) declined 13 percent to 511.897 million impressions in week 38 of 2019 as compared to 587.374 million weekly impressions in week 37. While the same channels were present in BARC’s weekly list in HSM (U+R), there was some shuffling in ranks between the two weeks. All the channels witnessed decline in ratings in week 38 of 2019 as compared to week 38.

AajTak at rank one, witnessed a 16 percent decline in ratings during the period under review in HSM (U+R) to 114.016 million weekly impressions from 134.965 million weekly impressions in week 37. India TV jumped up two places to second rank in week 38 of 2019 with 101.656 million weekly impressions despite a 7 percent decline in viewership from 109.803 million weekly impressions and fourth rank in week 37.

Zee News slipped a place to third rank in week 38 of 2019 with 100.993 million weekly impressions, a drop of 17 percent as compared to 121.535 million weekly impressions and second rank in the previous week. News18 India also dropped a place to fourth rank in week 38 of 2019 with 99.771 million weekly impressions, a 10 percent decline from the 111.695 million weekly impressions and third rank in week 37. ABP News retained its rank 5 in the list in week 38 of 2019 with 95.261 million weekly impressions which was 13 percent lower than the 109.376 million weekly impressions in week 38.

Top 5 channels of the Hindi News genre in week 38 of 2019 in HSM (U)

The combined weekly impressions of the top 5 Hindi News channels in HSM (U) declined 14 percent to 294.229 million weekly impressions in week 38 of 2019 from 340.308 million weekly impressions in the previous week. The five channels in the list for both the weeks – weeks 38 and 37 of 2019 were the same, however, with a shuffling in ranks.

Continuing on at rank 1 in week 38 of 2019, AajTak witnessed a 15 percent drop in ratings in HSM (U) to 65.773 million weekly impressions as compared to 77.704 million weekly impressions in week 37. Climbing up a place to second rank, News18 India saw its ratings decline 11 percent to 61.067 million weekly impressions in week 38 of 2019 from 68.636 million weekly impressions and third rank in the previous week. Zee News dropped a place to third rank and saw its ratings decline 19 percent in week 38 of 2019 to 58.824 million weekly impressions from second rank and 72.467 million weekly impressions in week 37. India TV retained rank 4 in week 38 of 2019 with a decline of 9 percent in viewership to 58.101 million weekly impressions from 64.100 million weekly impressions in week 37. ABP News retained fifth place in week 38 of 2019 with a 12 percent decline in ratings to 50.464 million weekly impressions from 57.401 million weekly impressions in week 37.

Top 5 channels of the Hindi News genre in week 38 of 2019 in HSM (R)

The combined weekly impressions of the Top 5 Hindi News channels in HSM (R) declined 11 percent to 219.734 million weekly impressions in week 38 of 2019 from 247.066 million weekly impressions in week 37. The first four channels in the week under review were the same as in the previous week, while the ArnabGoswami-associated Republic Bharat re-entered BARC’s weekly list of Top 5 Hindi News channels in HSM (R) as News18 India exited it. There was a shuffling of places between ranks three and four in week 38 of 2019.

AajTak, at rank one, saw its viewership decline by 16 percent to 48.244 million weekly impressions in week 38 of 2019 from 57.261 million weekly impressions in week 37. ABP News at second rank saw its ratings drop 15 percent to 44.797 million weekly impressions from 51.975 million weekly impressions and second rank in week 37. India TV climbed a place to third rank in week 38 of 2019 despite a decline of 5 percent to 43.554 million weekly impressions as compared to fourth rank and 45.703 million weekly impressions in the previous week. Zee News dropped a place to fourth rank in week 38 of 2019 with a 14 percent reduction in viewership to 42.169 million weekly impressions from third rank and 49.068 million weekly impressions in week 37. Republic Bharat re-entered BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Hindi News channels in HSM (R) with 40.970 million weekly impressions.

September 27, 2019
Assembly elections catapult English news genre viewership

BENGALURU: The recent elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh have given a fillip to the sagging viewership of the Indian English news genre.It clocked the third-highest combined viewership for the top-five channels (All India (U+R): NCCS AB: Males 22+ Individuals) in 2017 during the week election results were declared. According to Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) data, the combined ratings of the top-five English news channels were 3.808 million weekly impressions in the penultimateweek of 2017 (Saturday,17 December 2016 to Friday, 23 December 2016).

The top-five channels of the genre had earlier recorded higher combined ratings of 4.897 million weekly impressions and 4.282 million weekly impressions in weeks 11 and 19 of 2017,respectively.During week 11, assembly election results of five Indian states were announced and week 19 was the week in which the current genre leader–the ArnabGoswami-led Republic TV was launched. The fourth highest combined ratings of the top-five channels of the genre (3.781 million weekly impressions) in the year was in week 29 of 2017 when the Supreme Court gave its verdict for Indian godman Ram Rahim case.

It may be noted that the ratings of week 21 of 2017 have not been considered in this report because in that week all the major English news channels, excluding Republic TV and a few others, had withdrawn from the BARC ratings system. Hence,BARC viewership data for week 21 of 2017 has not been considered in this paper.

Please refer to the figure below:

Another yardstick that many in the industry consider more reliable are the four-week average ratings. Since data for week 52 of 2017 has still to be released, a three-week average has been calculated for weeks 49 to 51 in the figure below. Also, since data for week 21 of 2017 has not been considered in this paper, data for weeks 22 to 24 is also a three-week average.

In case the viewership ratings of the genre fall in the last week of 2017, the four-week average ratings for the last four weeks will be lower than the three-week average viewership figure of 3.0220 million weekly impressions (the likelihood of which is quite high). The highest four-week average recorded by the genre in 2017 was in weeks 29 to 32 at 3.2695 million weekly impressions. As is obvious, the genre’s ratings were in freefall after that until the weeks leading up to and after the assembly elections in the two states.

The number in maroon text in the figure above for weeks 49-51 is the average of 3 weeks.

Top-fiveEnglish news genre channels ratings in week 51 of 2017

The combined ratings of the top-five channels of the English news genre grew by 31.81 percent in week 51 as compared with week 50. The same channels that featured in the list of week 50 remained in week 51 with a slight shuffle in the ranks.

Republic TV has been leading the genre in terms of viewership right from the week it was launched. As the leader for week 51,it garnered 1.480 million weekly impressions, followed by Times Now with 1.203 million weekly impressions. The former’s viewership expanded by 50.71 percent in week 51 as against week 50, while Times Now’s ratings grew by 39.24 percent during the week under review. Both channels retained their previous week’s first and second ranks respectively.

Climbing up a place to third rank in week 51 was CNN News 18–the channel had viewership of 0.443 million weekly impressions in week 51 compared with 0.329 million weekly impressions of week 50, indicating growth of 34.65 percent. At fourth place in week 51 and down a rank from week 50 was India Today Television (ITTV). ITTV recorded 0.424 million weekly impressions for week 51 of 2017, which was 8.23 percent lower than the 0.462 million weekly impressions in week 50. At fifth place was NDTV 24×7 with 0.258 million weekly impressions in week 51 of 2017 which was 2.38 percent more than the 0.252 million weekly impressions in week 50.

Republic TV bandied some numbers on its screen just after BARC data was released claiming to have had 50 percent of the viewership of the English news channels on the day the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly election results were announced.

Also read:

Four Star India channels among top 10 channels across genres

Hindi News genre versus Indian English News during festival week

Indian English News genre facing festival blues?

December 30, 2017
Times Now – Republic TV slugfest continues as ratings gap narrows

BENGALURU: The on-air spat about numerouno status continued between the two biggest players in the English News genre. The slugfest commenced with the launch of Republic TV in week 19 of 2017 on Saturday May 6 2017 with the new channel breaking Times Now’s firm hold on the pole position in the genre and how! Republic TV opened at the top of the English News genre with a stupendous 2.117 million weekly impressions, followed far behind with the usurped leader Times Now with 1.148 million weekly impressions in week 19 of 2017.

Twelve weeks later, in week 30 (Saturday 22 July 2017 to Friday 28 July 2017), Republic TV still continues to rule the genre. Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) data for week 30 must of the top 5 English News must be a jolt for the newcomer with Times Now two narrowing the margin to just 2,000 weekly impressions. Republic TV scored 1.074 million weekly impressions and Times Now 1.072 million impressions! Earlier, the closest the two channels ratings had come was in week 24 of 2017 when Republic TV garnered 0.963 million weekly impressions to Times Now’s 0.935million weekly impressions.

Trailing far behind at third place in week 30 was India Today Television with 0.375 million weekly impressions as per BARC data for the top 5 English News channels – All India (U+R): NCCS AB: Males 22+ Individuals. NDTV 24×7 was fourth with 0.360 million weekly impressions followed close behindby CNN News 18 with 0.354 million weekly impresssions.

As reported earlier post week 19, theArnabGoswami led new entrant raised the hackles of the existing players- accusations of theft, of rigging the ratings, running a ratings battle on Republic TV and its competition. It was suddenly an all-out war – multiple Goliaths had got together to demolish the fledgling David. The older channels ganged up together to stifle the new channel that the industry says followed practises that were of a doubtful nature. Ultimatums were given to the official ratings agency – BARC, it either stopped publishing Republic TV viewership data or the other Indian English News channels represented by the News Broadcasting Association (NBA) would withdraw their watermarks and hence disable BARC from publishing a fair picture of ratings lists. The NBA backed channels returned to the BARC fold in week 22.

However, just post 1100 hours on Thursday 3 August 2017, both the channels claimed leadership in the genre by slicing and dicing BARC data to the component that was most favourable to each. Times Now quoted relative share numbers and claimed first place, while Republic TV harped on its leadership position during the primetime debate hours of 900 pm to 1100 pm. Republic TV now turned around and without naming the channel, accused it of using money muscle and unfair trade practises.

Over the past twelve weeks- eleven weeks actually if one were to eliminate the neglect the ratings for week 21 of 2017, Republic TV’s overall combined ratings are about a third more at 13.368 million impressions than Times Now’s 10.068 million impressions. Please refer to the figure below for weekly impressions by the two channels between weeks 19 and 30 of 2017 excluding week 21.

August 4, 2017