Tag: Big Ganga

Bhojpuri channels & Covid2019 viewership challenges

NEW DELHI: With shooting and other production activities kept on hold during the three-month-long lockdown, Bhojpuri channels resorted to innovative content strategies until shootings finally resumed. Now, the sector is finally seeing a revival.

“Overall, as an industry, and specifically talking about Zee Biskope and Big Ganga, everyone in the team pulled themselves up and reacted to it and implemented new ways of coping with this situation both in terms of content and marketing strategy,” Zee Biskope and Big Ganga’s business head Amarpreet Singh Saini says. “Within the Bhojpuri cluster, we saw a huge increase in viewership, about 30-40 per cent increase during the lockdown. Zee Biskope gained leadership position and we benefited a lot during this period.”

Saini also reveals that Big Ganga viewership suffered due to repeated content. “There was a setback. However, like every other platform, we also quickly got into getting original content. We did a lot of shoot-at-home content, like the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa- 25-year celebration. The idea was to tell viewers that we are here to entertain you with original content despite the limitation. Our strategy to bounce back will be to offer a bouquet of fresh shows on topicality and innovation.”

Bhojpuri channels are pulling all the strings to keep viewers glued to their television sets. Zee Biskope is treating its viewers with a host of monsoon memories by showcasing film festivals: Sawandaar Somwar Cinema & Aaaya Sawan Choom Ke. Big Ganga, on the other hand, is entertaining viewers by presenting a bouquet of five new offerings for its viewers.

Comparing the share of GECs in H1-2019 with H1-2020, the share came down from 49 per cent to 46 per cent, according to the recently released BARC data. The comeback of fresh episodes will mean stronger growth in viewership especially during primetime and improvement in both ad volumes and revenue.

Some of the advertisers including health brands and universities started advertising heavily during this period. Saini adds, “Apart from regular sponsorships and activity-based revenue, we are also looking forward to showing integrations and getting the brand closer to the consumer through showcasing the value proposition of the brands.”

Saini also highlights that indoor shootings and lesser number people on the set were challenging. “In the initial few days, the output has been lower. But now as people are becoming accustomed to it. As you start doing it day in and day out, it becomes normal.”

B4U Bhojpuri associate vice president Sandeep Singh states that the only problem with Bhojpuri channels is that the audience that consumes Bhojpuri content also consumes Hindi content. And the recent challenge that the Bhojpuri channels are facing is the return of three big broadcasters (Sony Pal, Star Utsav and Zee Anmol) on DD Free Dish.

“One of our biggest challenges will be to keep the numbers steady even after the pandemic. To bounce back, we have to keep innovating and working on the content. Due to the three broadcasters, we have seen a sudden drop in the GRPs, because they are also somehow taking our share but the good news is that we still have scope by offering good content. In the last few years, Bhojpuri market has evolved exponentially becoming one of the biggest markets. We wish to understand our audience better,” says Singh.

The channel is currently conducting World Television Premium to keep the viewers hooked. Every week B4U Bhojpuri is offering new movies from Chotki Thakurain, Mili Ta Mili Na Ta Jai Siyaram, Raja to name a few. A genre like family comedy, emotional drama and action drama works best for Bhojpuri audiences, Singh shares.

To reach out to more people, B4U Bhojpuri is also trying to gauge the audience through WhatsApp. “We have a Bhojpuri community on Whatsapp. It’s a medium to reach out to more people and update them about what’s new on the channel. We are focusing heavily on digital,” shares B4U senior marketing executive Siddhanth Shetty.

Vizeum India senior vice president (west) Kaushik Chakraborty mentions that a significant drop in ad volumes during the initial days of lockdown was noticeable. However, in June, there has been an improvement. As per the latest estimate, overall ad volume in Bhojpuri market is still 30 per cent lower than the pre-COVID2019 level.

However, Chakraborty says that the return of Sony Pal, Star Utsav and Zee Anmol on DD Free Dish is a piece of encouraging news for this market. “These channels with differential content will attract a newer audience to this genre driving significant viewership growth. Simultaneously, this will bring in a new challenge to existing players like Dangal and Big Ganga to counter the nature of the content,” he states.

As the lockdown eases, has there been an improvement in advertiser sentiment? Chakraborty said, “We feel there is optimism. However, it all depends on how the situation emerges in the coming days. But, since this pandemic is beyond anyone’s control, there will be volatility and we need to be watchful. With the start of shoots, original content will be available to GEC players, in turn, helping increase viewership for the genre.”

Out of home (OOH) mobility has started but people are cautious, only venturing out for work-related requirements or grocery/medicine shopping. “With low clutter level, innovative OOH approach will help in enhancing brand visibility. OOH near residential clusters, grocery centres, workplaces and key arterial routes will stay relevant in the interim. Digital OOH inventory in and around these will see an uplift,” he adds.

With festivities around the corner including ‘Saavan’ and ‘Chhath’, Chakraborty feels that one can expect a revival from September onwards.

July 20, 2020
BIG Ganga launches 5 new shows

NEW DELHI: With the auspicious month of Sawaan, just around the corner, BIG Ganga, leading Bhojpuri GEC channel in the Hindi heartland, is all geared up to entertain its viewers with an engaging Shravan line-up commencing this 6 July. Conceptualised around the theme of Shiv Sawaan Aur Ganga, it will have a bouquet of content offerings that include —Mahadevi, Trikaali, Kanwar Ke Power, Jai Bholenath, Mast Malang Bhole Baba Ke Sang and Sidhe Devghar Se among others. The line-up has been curated with the intent to cater the both, entertainment and devotional quotient while entertaining the ardent Shiv devotees in the Bihar, Jharkhand and UP regions.

One of the most interesting offering of the channel, Mahadevi will be telecast from 6 July at 7 pm primetime. The social-mythological show, an enthralling tale of devotion and miracles, revolves around a girl named Sundari, who works at the temple in a tiny village that her family depends on for their livelihood. However, Sundari doesn't believe in the Goddess, much to the dismay and anger of a lot of people, including her family. Sundari's disbelief towards the Goddess goes deep into her past incarnation as Princess Rajeshwari, a great devotee of the Goddess. She will be blessed with supernatural powers that she shall use to protect the villagers from anti-social elements. Another fictional offering, Trikaali is a supernatural soap opera which showcases the journey of a girl named Trikaali, a devotee of Goddess Kali who is blessed with special powers to foresee future. The show stars Gourab Roy Chowdhury and Shruti Das. The concept of the serial is unique as the protagonist can foresee the future events. The show will be telecast in July at 10 pm slot.

The channel will also be broadcasting Kanwar Ke Power which is a song-based show comprising of Kanwar songs crooned by deep-rooted singers from the region. It will further have original entries from celebs/independent folk singers from the region who can submit their Shrawan videos songs to the channel to be played. Catering to all age groups, the one-hour after Aarti special will be broadcasted daily from 6 July onwards from Tue – Sun, 7-8 am. Another line-up Jai Bhole Nath, a devotional musical show, will also hook the viewers wherein untold stories of Shiva will be narrated by two anchors playing the role of Shiva and Parvati along with album songs of the celebrities on the show. Spanning 15 episodes, it will be broadcasted from 6 July at Mon – Sat, 4-5 pm. In addition to the above, there will be a Musical Aarti segment, ‘SIDHE DEVGHAR SE’ where viewers can catch-up on live morning Aarti and Sringar from the Devghar temple. Starting from 6 July onwards, the show catering to all age groups will engage the viewers daily for 10 mins at 7 am.

Further raising the entertainment quotient up a notch, the lineup includes a weekend musical event Mast Malang Bhole Baba Ke Sang. This time around, it will feature superstars like Manoj Tiwari, Pawan Singh, Khesari, Malini among others who will come in pairs every weekend. Broadcasted every Sunday 8-10 pm, it will be entertaining all age groups daily for 2 hours.

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) Cluster Head, East- Samrat Ghosh said, "Right from our inception, we've been a viewer-centric channel and see to it that we keep our viewers entertained and their mood elevated especially in these testing times. With a healthy population in the area engaging in a host of devotional activities, we found it best to curate such a thought-driven lineup that helps them overcome this unsettling environment and relax their mind and body. We've timed the show perfectly to their viewing preferences that shall see them start the day with devotional songs that sets the tone for them to have a cheerful day. It's all the more important for us to showcase a high sense of responsibility and display that we do care for our audiences and we're glad to have done so through this lineup."

BIG Ganga and ZEE Biskope business head- Amarpreet Singh Saini said, “As a brand that is known for its original content, we have tried our best to entertain the viewers of all age groups with the content they can relate with the most. Since Shrawan is one of the most-celebrated festivals in North India, the onus lies on us to come up with offerings that Shiv devotees can cherish with their families throughout the fasting and worshipping period. The line-up has been carefully curated for the viewers who constantly on the lookout for devotional content to relive the spiritual side while calming their mind and body. Most of these line-ups are very exciting due to its topical nature and will further offer a visual treat to the viewers. We are very positive that the line-up will be well received among our viewers as well as stakeholders alike who are looking to reach out to the audience and keep themselves indulged through such kind of content.”

BIG Ganga has been enhancing and enriching regional pride through its new offerings. These new and original Bhojpuri shows are sure to entertain audiences with its unique content and placement, thereby making the channel an apt prime time viewing choice for the entire family. With more shows in the pipeline, the channel is all set to redefine entertainment and original content for its regional audience.

July 8, 2020
BIG Ganga brings ‘YOGA FUTUREFIT’, a two-hour yoga show on International Yoga Day

MUMBAI: BIG Ganga, ZEE Entertainment Enterprise Ltd's Bhojpuri general entertainment channel in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Purvanchal, brings to its viewers a morning of fitness to promote healthy living. Celebrating the occasion of International Yoga Day, the channel brings a fitness show ‘YOGA FUTUREFIT’ to motivate viewers to take up the habit of Yoga to reduce their anxiety and keep their mental health at check. The two-hour show will be telecast on 21 June between 7 am to 9 am on BIG Ganga and 6 am to 8 am on Facebook.

Advocating the benefits of the practice, YOGA FUTUREFIT will be a two-hour yoga special initiative on International Yoga Day, that will feature Yoga Guru Suneel Singh. The renowned expert teaches and practices Yogasana, Pranayama, Bandha, Mantra, Mudra, meditation, cleansing Kriyas and Japanese Tao Yoga all across the globe. Joining him on the show will be Yoga enthusiast Nidhi Jha. The duo will come together to speak about the benefits of Yoga and give viewers tips to make their future fit and healthy. Helping the audience make the smart and healthy lifestyle choice, these two experts will also be seen teaching them a host of Yoga postures that they can practice at home.

ZEEL Cluster Head Samrat Ghosh said, “We have always kept our audience at the very core of what we stand for and elevated their mood during festivities, celebrations, or such testing times. In our endeavour to eliminate the current anxiety and negativity that we see, we curated this initiative to help our viewers maintain calm and a healthy lifestyle. Yoga has always been a relaxing exercise that has many benefits and through this activity, we would want to urge our audience to incorporate it as part of their daily routine and move towards a healthier future. We would also like to thank Suneel Singh and Nidhi Jha for taking time out and helping our viewers.”

BIG Ganga and ZEE Biskope business head Amarpreet Singh Saini said, “We always give importance to the wellbeing of society and reiterate the same through each of our shows and offerings. YOGA FUTUREFIT is yet another initiative by us to instil a sense of how important it is to lead a healthy and happy life. As people cannot go to gyms or go out for their regular walks, Yoga is a perfect workout which we all can follow at home at present and long after the lockdown ends.”

The property will be supported through a 360-degree marketing campaign where TV channels BIG Ganga and ZEE Biskope will run the promo and will further be amplified through graphical support. In addition to the above, a one-week pre-promotion across all the digital platforms through cover, GIF, static and micro content shall further amplify the reach of the property.

BIG Ganga has been enhancing and enriching regional pride through its new offerings. Adding to the excitement and keeping its audiences entertained, the channel will also be coming up with its Sawaan line-ups. These new and original Bhojpuri shows are sure to entertain audiences with its unique content and placement, thereby making the channel an apt prime time viewing choice for the entire family. With more shows in the pipeline, the channel is all set to redefine entertainment and original content for its regional audience.

June 17, 2020
ZEE Biskope celebrates Vat savitri with blockbuster movie line-up

Mumbai: ZEE Biskope is set to bring festive cheer of Vat Savitrito to every household with “Saajan Ke Pyaar…Senurwa Ke Tyohaar”, a handpicked blockbuster movie line-up from 18 – 22 May at 9:30 am to celebrate the magic of love.

Having its roots in the folklore of Savitri and Satyavaan, the festival of Vat Savitri is celebrated with much fervour in the Bhojpuri region. Women observe fast and tie a thread around the banyan tree praying for the wellbeing of their husbands. The festival reflects the love and bond shared between a husband and his wife that’s powerful enough to defy death like Savitri did for her husband Satyavaan. The custom is so predominant that it has been adopted in a host of Bhojpuri movies, too. This year when people are confined to their homes, entertainment will play a pivotal role in keeping the festive spirits high.

Enthralling its audience with a special movie line-up, the channel will commence the festival with ‘Ghulami’ starring superstar Nirahua with gorgeous actress Madhu Sharma, who despite having lost everything in life does not lose the hope of bringing her husband back.

The audience will soak in the fathoms of love on Tuesday as Zee Biskope will treat its viewers with a movie that’s true to its title, ‘Mohabbat’. The romantic blockbuster features Chintu Pandey and Kajal Yadav who profess their never-ending faith on each other. Namit Tiwari, Rani Chatterjee and Monalisa will make for a wonderful Wednesday in ‘GharwaliBaharwali’ which beautifully portrays the love a wife has for her husband that remains strong under all circumstances. Delighting viewers to their heart’s content, the superhit movie LekeAaja Band Baaja Aye Pawan Raja starring Pawan Singh perfectly showcases how the lead couple stands by each other’s side knitted together by the spirit of love & affection. Wrapping up the festivity with a power-packed performance by Nirahua and Anjana Singh in pivotal roles, ZEE Biskope will bring the mass entertainer ‘Jigar’.

Zee Biskope and BIG Ganga business head Amarpreet Singh Saini said: “Given the unprecedented time we are going through, our role as content providers will be deeper and influencing. Thus, we have prepared our content strategy with the core intention of uplifting spirits along with regular dose of entertainment for our viewers. While people celebrate festivals in the region within the boundaries of their houses, ZEE Biskope will continue to keep the sense of celebration alive through its superlative collection of festive offerings. It is our constant endeavour to curate such exciting festive line-ups like Mother’s Day, Family Chokha Film Festival and now Vat Savitri special that can be enjoyed with your loved ones. We plan to present more such content blocks in future to keep our audiences entertained.”

Regaling audiences to their heart’s content, the channel stays true to its core proposition "AathonPahariyaLootaLahariya" (enjoy Bhojpuri entertainment throughout the day).

The channel is available on Airtel (channel no 663), Tata Sky (channel no 1120), DEN Bihar(channel no 840), DEN Jharkhand (channel no 839), DD Free Dish (channel no 31), d2h (channel no 859), Dish TV (channel no 1555), Siti Cable (channel no 214) and Darsh Digital (channel no 189). It’ll soon be available on all other major cable platforms.

May 17, 2020
Big Ganga creates history – IBFA 2019 highest ever rated programme in the category

MUMBAI: It was another feather in BIG Ganga’s cap, as the no.1 Bhojpuri GEC channel broke all viewership records in the category till date. The very prestigious and glamorous International Bhojpuri Film Awards, hosted in Singapore by Big Ganga, which was telecast on 31st Dec 2019, witnessed 3X viewership in week 53 alone as compared to an average of previous 4 weeks, which is also the highest-ever recorded mark in the Bhojpuri category till date. With such resounding numbers, BIG Ganga IBFA 2019 emerged as a clear winner with the highest viewership of 1,254 (000), leaving its counterpart who also telecast their own set of awards on 31st Dec, far behind by garnering almost double the viewership in the same slots. The current feat also is higher compared to the previous edition of the IBFA awards ever hosted in the category by any channel. The event garnered a staggering reach of 4962 and remarkable TSV of 43.39 mins, which once again is stand out in the category for events hosted till date.

Bringing the year to the perfect end in a gala celebration of the Bhojpuri industry, IBFA 2019 turned out to be the biggest hit of the season which was loved by audiences aplenty in the region. This awards ceremony rendered a perfect mixture of festivity and felicitation with celebrities from Bhojiwood and Bollywood coming together and mesmerizing viewers with their astonishing performances. The extravaganza was hosted by eminent personalities such as Ravi Kishan, Manoj Tiwari, Dinesh Lal Yadav, Aamrapali Dubey and Madhu Sharma whereas was attended by actors like Pawan Singh, Chintu Pandey, Kajal Raghwani, Sapna Gill, Krushna Abhishek, Kiku Sharda along with Bollywood Stars like Sunny Deol, Sunny Leone, Zarine Khan among others. The audience, present in thousands comprised of Bhojpuris and natives of Singapore, President of Bhojpuri Association in Singapore and special guest – Mr. Jawed Ashraf, High Commissioner of India in Singapore who hails from Ara, Bihar and has a strong Bhojpuri connect. The enthralling spirit of the evening witnessed the High Commissioner breaking into an extempore speaking about the glory and rising power of Bhojpuri culture across the globe – evoking pride and thunderous claps from the audience across aisles.

Amarpreet Singh Saini, Business Head, BIG Ganga said, “BIG Ganga has always been at the forefront when it comes to understanding the requirements of its viewers. With IBFA 2019 breaking all records and creating history, is a testament to the fact that we have once again successfully brought content for the audience which they actually want to consume. We have always believed in experimenting with content and moving ahead in the game with a different strategy each time. The ratings proves that while our competitors in the market also telecast Bhojpuri awards, BIG Ganga brought newness to the awards show by taking a GLOCAL (Global yet local) approach.”

Speaking about the achievement, Samrat Ghosh, Cluster Business Head said, “This has been a tremendous achievement where BIG Ganga has not only set a benchmark again in the Bhojpuri industry but also left all its counterparts far behind. Bhojpuri is a rapidly-growing language and the entertainment industry has grown many folds in recent times. The humungous viewership numbers not only depicts the success story of IBFA, but brings forward the fact that Bhojpuri content is going beyond boundaries with there being a huge market for it. We aim to create more original content and cater to the audience with our unmatched offerings.”

The channel took a 360-degree approach to market the awards property and reached out to its audience via various mediums mention mediums. BIG Ganga’s shows enthrall and entertain audiences with its unique content, thereby making this platform apt for the whole family. Going forward with Q4 new offerings, the channel is already lining up exciting topical properties to further deepen its bond with its audience. Enhancing and enriching regional pride through upcoming new offerings of the biggest event of Holi – Faguaa, unique cookery show – Roj Hoyi Bhoj #SwadKeSaath, MemSaab, the brand is all geared to catering to the deep pockets of the region with multiple genres of content.

January 14, 2020
ZEEL unveils marketing, promotion and distribution strategies for Zee Biskope

MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd has a new ambitious member joining it's cluster – the upcoming 24-hour dedicated Bhojpuri movie channel Zee Biskope. The channel will be rolled out on the auspicious day of Sankranti, 14 January 2020.

ZEEL aims to brand the channel on the popularity of three Bhojpuri stars — Nirahua, Pawan Singh and Khesari Lal Yadav. “These three stars are the glue between the audience and the Bhojpuri film industry and there’s crazy love for a hero in the region,” ZEEL’s business head of Zee Biskope and Ganga Amarpreet Saini said while speaking to Indiantelevision.com.

He added, “As the face of the brand these three stars are definitely going to generate a lot of connection. We will also be broadcasting movies wherein these heroes are more associated with people, which is the bigger phase of the marketing campaign.”

Expanding its regional footprint, Zee Biskope is an additional channel in the movie segment, along with the existing general entertainment channel (GEC) — Big Ganga in Bhojpuri market.

As a part of marketing strategy, the broadcaster will have movie screening of 2019 blockbusters in the largest hall in Patna on 18 January 2020. The event will witness the attendance of these three Khans of Bhojpuri, along with media, distributors and of course audience.

Meanwhile, the business head of Zee Biskope and Ganga laying out the further marketing plan stated: “The brand will also have two animated mascots called Bhaiyaji and Gamchaji, discussing the new releases, television premieres, and interactions with the audience and stars of the Bhojpuri industry.”

ZEEL being the largest entertainment network, Saini said, “We will leverage the strength of our network as a primary source of driving awareness about the channel. We also have our established brands in Uttar Pradesh (UP), Bihar and Jharkhand. We will also leverage their strengths to create awareness.”

He went on to explain that if need be for incremental and additional reach beyond our network, they would consider some non-network channels to promote the movie channel. This option will only be attempted post exhausting our network’s strength.

The Bhojpuri movie channel will also be promoted on all possible platforms, including digital, television along with on-ground initiatives and activities to create a tangible relationship with viewers.

Zee Biskope would be a paid channel available on all cable and DTH services at Rs 0.10 per month, Saini said.

Meanwhile, ZEEL’s cluster business – east Samrat Ghosh said, “Unlike regional markets, Bhojpuri television market is apparently very new and the majority of advertisers would be national players. Local advertisers couldn’t afford national channel because of price sensitivity.”

Ghosh said that with an increase in viewers’ traction, the eyeballs are gradually shifting to Bhojpuri market wherein local advertisers also see a lot of mileage in advertising their products. He further added that local advertisers are at a negligible level compared to national advertisers.

Ghosh also said that the channel is on the verge of signing new national advertisers, along with existing associations with different brands.

With the tag line ‘AathonPahariya Luta Lahariya’ (enjoy Bhojpuri entertainment throughout the day), the channel’s philosophy is to allow viewers to rejoice Bhojpuriyat 24*7 and efforts have been made to enhance and celebrate this Bhojpuriyat in the best possible ways.

With over 300 plus library strength, the channel will broadcast exclusive world television premiere movies every weekend, however, a week before television there would be a digital premiere of exclusive movies on ZEE5.

As the broadcaster’s primary focus is to show authentic Bhojpuri movies on the new channel, Zee Biskope and Ganga’s business head said, “Going forward, we would also broadcast larger-than-life south dubbed movies in Bhojpuri language seeing dubbed movies traction in this market.”

Meanwhile, Saini also said, “The idea to offer a movie channel along with the existing GEC channel in the market is to achieve leadership in the Bhojpuri segment.” ZEEL so far is the only broadcaster to provide both GEC and movie channel in this market.

The last couple of years’ maximum contribution to the rise of the broadcasting industry has come from regional markets. In this regard, ZEEL’s cluster business head said, “We are keen to explore other markets, but to launch a new regional channel or not that depends on a business opportunity.”

January 10, 2020

BARC week 44: ZEEL’s Bhojpuri GEC Big Ganga grabs 2nd position

MUMBAI: In week 44 of BARC India ratings, ZEEL's Bhojpuri general entertainment channel Big Ganga has grabbed second position in the Bhojpuri space. The channel has garnered 57515 weekly impressions (000s). B4U Bhojpuri which was at second position in week 43 has slipped down to third position this week. B4U Bhojpuri Cinema continues to lead the space. In Bangla, Sony Aath has replaced Zee Bangla Cinema and VTV News has replaced Sandesh News in Gujarati space.

Bhojpuri Cinema, Big Ganga, B4U Bhojpuri, Dabangg and Bhojpuri Dhamaka DISHUM were the top five Bhojpuri channels.

Bhojpuri

Rank	Channel Name	Weekly Impressions (000s) sum
		Week 44
1	Bhojpuri Cinema	60109
2	Big Ganga	57515
3	B4U Bhojpuri	57185
4	Dabangg	15126
5	Bhojpuri Dhamaka DISHUM	13878
Bihar/Jharkhand (U+R) : NCCS All : 2+ Individuals,

Zee Bangla, Star Jalsha, Jalsha Movies, Colors Bangla and Sony Aath were the top five Bangla channels in week 44 of BARC India ratings.

Bangla

Rank	Channel Name	Weekly Impressions (000s) sum
		Week 44
1	Zee Bangla	285365
2	STAR Jalsha	260315
3	Jalsha Movies	72726
4	Colors Bangla	60334
5	Sony Aath	59738
WB (U+R): NCCS All : 2+ Individuals,

In Gujarati space, VTV News has replaced Sandesh News at fifth position. Rest of the channels continued to hold their respective positions.

Gujarati

Rank	Channel Name	Weekly Impressions (000s) sum
		Week 44
1	Colors Gujarati Cinema	25209
2	Colors Gujarati	19039
3	ABP Asmita	16260
4	TV9 Gujarati	15505
5	VTV News	9945
Guj / D&D / DNH (U+R): NCCS All: 2+ Individuals,

Zee Kannada, Colors Kannada, Udaya TV, Star Suvarna and Udaya Movies were the top five Kannada channels.

Kannada

Rank	Channel Name	Weekly Impressions (000s) sum
		Week 44
1	Zee Kannada	498327
2	Colors Kannada	330530
3	Udaya TV	223386
4	Star Suvarna	184013
5	Udaya Movies	143160
Karnataka (U+R) : NCCS All : 2+ Individuals,

No changes were observed in the pecking order of the top five Malayalam channel in week 44 of BARC India ratings.

Malayalam

Rank	Channel Name	Weekly Impressions (000s) sum
		Week 44
1	Asianet	295864
2	Mazhavil Manorama	89087
3	Flowers TV	76488
4	Surya TV	55845
5	Zee Keralam	49080
Kerala (U+R) : NCCS All : 2+ Individuals,

Zee Talkies, Star Pravah exchanged their places at fourth and fifth position. Zee Marathi, Colors Marathi and Fakt Marathi continued to hold their respective positions in week 44 of BARC India ratings.

Marathi

Rank	Channel Name	Weekly Impressions (000s) sum
		Week 44
1	Zee Marathi	349806
2	Colors Marathi	184211
3	Fakt Marathi	144921
4	Zee Talkies	113629
5	STAR Pravah	112878
Mah/ Goa (U+R) : NCCS All : 2+ Individuals,

No changes were observed in the pecking order of top five Tamil channels. Sun TV, Star Vijay, Zee Tamil, KTV and Star Vijay Super were the top five Tamil channels.

Tamil

Rank	Channel Name	Weekly Impressions (000s) sum
		Week 44
1	Sun TV	908593
2	STAR Vijay	425306
3	Zee Tamil	390461
4	KTV	273166
5	STAR Vijay Super	127539
Tamil Nadu/ Puducherry (U+R) : NCCS All : 2+ Individuals,

The pecking order of top five telugu channels in week 44 of BARC India ratings were Star Maa, ETV Telugu, Zee Telugu, Gemini TV and Star Maa Movies.

Telugu

Rank	Channel Name	Weekly Impressions (000s) sum
		Week 44
1	STAR Maa	748153
2	ETV Telugu	504559
3	Zee Telugu	431554
4	Gemini TV	397250
5	Star Maa Movies	190214
AP/ Telangana (U+R) : NCCS All : 2+ Individuals,

November 8, 2019

BARC week 30: Movie channels dominate free channels lists across genres

BENGALURU: TRAI’s new tariff order (NTO) seems to have changed viewership patterns if one were to go as per Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) data. Of course, BARC has started slicing and dicing the data more and more specifically and hence enabling an improved scenario of viewership patterns in the country. But, NTO resulted in the major networks converting some of their free to air (FTA) channels to pay TV, hence enabling channels that remained FTA viewership to leapfrog. One of the biggest beneficiaries of the change in its competitions’ platforms to pay TV is Enterr 10 TV’s Hindi GEC Dangal. Dangal has often been the leader in BARC’s weekly list of top 10 channels across genres on all platforms as also in BARC’s weekly lists of top 10 Hindi GEC channels in the combined rural and urban Hindi speaking markets or HSM (U+R) as also in the rural Hindi speaking market or HSM (R). At the same time, Dangal has also been amongst BARC’s weekly list of top 10 Hindi GECs in the urban Hindi speaking market or HSM (U). Another channel that has reaped viewership benefits has been Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) FTA Hindi GEC Big Magic.

Since week 27 of 2019, BARC has started reporting breakup of free and pay channels in the case of some markets, including the top 10 or 11 channels across genres. BARC’s weekly list of top 11 free channels across genres contains channels only from the region above the five South Indian states and the union territory of Puducherry – the Hindi speaking markets. BARC defines HSM as all India without the states in which the four South Indian languages – Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu are spoken. Ten of 11 channels in BARC’s weekly list of top 11 free channels across channels are mostly either Hindi or Bhojpuri, the one exception being Marathi. Six of the 11 channels among the top 11 FTA channels across genres are movies channels – equally divided between Hindi movies and Bhojpuri movies. Often the number of Bhojpuri channels equals Hindi channels.

Let us look at BARC’s weekly list of top 11 free channels across genres for week 30 of 2019

BARC’s weekly list of top 11 free channels across genres for week 30 of 2019 (Saturday, 20 July 2019 to Friday, 26 July 2019) had two Hindi GECs, three Hindi movies channels, four Bhojpuri channels including three Bhojpuri movie channels, and one channel each from the Marathi and music genres. From the networks’ perspective, there were four channels from Enterr 10 TV, three channels each from B4U Media and Zeel, and one channel from Skystar Entertainment Private Ltd (Skystar).

All the 11 channels in BARC’s weekly list of top 11 free channels across genres were same as in week 29, but with a small tweak in ranks. As a matter of fact, the names and ranks of the first four channels in BARC’s weekly list of top 11 free channels across genres in week 30 of 2019 were the same as in week 29.

As mentioned above, Dangal headed BARC’s weekly list of top 10 channels on all platforms across genres in week 30 of 2019. The channel climbed up one place to first rank with 866.547 million weekly impressions in week 30 of 2019 from second rank and 781.501 million weekly impressions in week 29. Dangal retained first rank in BARC’s weekly list of top 11 free channels across genres in week 30 of 2019 with 665.082 million weekly impressions as compared to 589.591 million weekly impressions in week 29. Dangal was ranked first in BARC’s weekly list of top 10 Hindi GECs in the combined urban and rural Hindi speaking market HSM (U+R) as well as in HSM (R) and was ranked sixth in HSM (U). Dangal also headed BARC’s weekly list of top 8 free Hindi GECs during the week under review.

At second rank in week 30 was Big Magic with 405.141 million weekly impressions as compared to 358.730 million weekly impressions in BARC’s weekly list of top 11 free channels across genres. Big Magic was ranked seventh in BARC’s weekly list of top 10 Hindi GECs in HSM (U+R) on all platforms. Big Magic was ranked second in BARC’s weekly list of top 10 Hindi GECs in HSM (R) and was ranked eighth in HSM (U). It was ranked second in BARC’s weekly list of top 8 free Hindi GECs during the week under review.

At third rank in week 30 of 2019 was B4U Media’s Hindi movies channel B4U Kadak with 325.020 million weekly impressions as compared to 347.028 million weekly impressions in the previous week. B4U Kadak was ranked second in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Hindi movies channels on all platforms in HSM (U+R) and was ranked first in HSM (R). B4U Kadak was ranked first in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 free Hindi movies channels.

At fourth rank was Enterr 10 TV’s Marathi channel Fakt Marathi with 162.021 million weekly impressions as compared to 184.384 million weekly impressions in week 29. Fakt Marathi was ranked second in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Marathi channels in the Maharashtra and Goa market.

B4U Media’s Bhojpuri channel B4U Bhojpuri climbed up a place to fifth rank in week 30 of 2019 with 157.775 million weekly impressions as compared to sixth rank and 154.732 million weekly impressions in the previous week. B4U Bhojpuri was ranked first in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Bhojpuri channels in the Bihar and Jharkhand market. This indicates that the channel has viewers outside the Bihar and Jharkhand markets also.

Enterr 10 TV’s Bhojpuri channel Bhojpuri Cinema dropped a place to sixth rank in week 30 of 2019 with 157.352 million weekly impressions as compared to fifth rank and 160.117 million weekly impressions in the previous week. Bhojpuri Cinema topped BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Bhojpuri channels in the Bihar and Jharkhand market.

Another B4U Media Hindi movies channel, B4U Movies also climbed up a place to rank seven in week 30 of 2019 with 150.461 million weekly impressions as compared to eighth rank and 130.537 million weekly impressions in week 29. B4U Movies was ranked fifth in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Hindi movies channels in HSM (U+R) and was ranked second in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 free Hindi movies channels.

Zeel’s Bhojpuri channel Big Ganga dropped a place to eighth rank in week 30 of 2019 with 138.778 million weekly impressions as compared to seventh rank and 151.977 million weekly impressions in week 29. Big Ganga was ranked third in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Bhojpuri channels in the Bihar and Jharkhand market.

Skystar’s Hindi movies channel Skystar Movies retained its previous week’s ninth rank in week 30 of 2019 with 120.616 million weekly impressions as compared to 124.183 million weekly impressions in week 29. Skystar Movies was ranked third in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 free Hindi movies channels.

Zeel’s Music channel Zing climbed a rank to tenth place in week 30 of 2019 with 102.370 million weekly impressions as compared to eleventh rank and 100.580 million weekly impressions in week 29.

Dropping a place to eleventh rank in week 30 of 2019 was Enterr 10 TV’s Hindi movies channel Enterr 10 with 102.280 million weekly impressions as compared to tenth rank and 102.757 million weekly impressions in week 29.

Enterr 10 was ranked fourth in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 free Hindi movies channels.

August 7, 2019
BARC week 29: Sun TV back on top as ICC Cricket World Cup tourney ends

BENGALURU: The Sun TV Network’s flagship Tamil GEC Sun TV was back on top as the most watched channel across genres on all platforms in Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) weekly lists of top channels in week 29 of 2019. (Saturday 13 July 2019 to Friday 19 July 2019, week under review). With India out of the premier cricket tourney after the surprise loss to New Zealand, interest in the final match between England and New Zealand seemed to have waned in India, despite the nail-biting photo-finish. Star Sports 1 Hindi, the occupant of numero uno rank in the previous weeks’ lists failed to find a place in BARC’s weekly list of top 10 channels across genres, or the top 11 Pay channels across genres – Sun TV headed both the lists. Further, DD Sports which also aired the tournament exited BARC’s weekly list of top 10 Free channels across genres during the week under review.

For week 29 of 2019, BARC has posted the following across genres lists: Top 10 channels across genres across platforms; Top 11 Pay channels across genres; and Top 11 Free channels across genres. For week 28, the ratings agency had posted only the top 10 channels list for across platforms, pay channels and Free channels across genres.

BARC’s weekly list of top 10 channels across genres on all platforms

Six Hindi GECs, two Tamil channels and one channel each from the Telugu and Hindi movies comprised BARC’s weekly list of top 10 channels across genres in week 29 of 2019. From the network’s perspective, there were three channels each from Sony Pictures Network India (SPN) and Star India and one channel each from Enterr 10 TV, Sun TV Network, Viacom18 and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel)

As mentioned above, Sun TV headed BARC’s weekly list of top 10 channels with 863.550 million weekly impressions in week 29 of 2019 as compared to second rank and 843.786 million weekly impressions in the previous week.

At second rank was Enterr 10 TV’s FTA Hindi GEC Dangal with 781.501 million weekly impressions in week 29 of 2019 as compared to 762.595 million weekly impressions in the previous week. Moving up a place to third rank in week 29 of 2019 was Star India’s flagship Hindi GEC Star Plus with 708.740 million weekly impressions as compared to fourth rank and 694.567 million weekly impressions in the previous week.

Moving up two places to fourth rank was Zeel’s flagship Hindi GEC Zee TV with 693.440 million weekly impressions in week 29 of 2019 as compared to sixth rank and 676.868 million weekly impressions in week 28. Retaining its previous week’s rank five was Star India’s flagship Telugu GEC Star Maa in week 29 of 2019 with 683.816 million weekly impressions as compared to 689.795 million weekly impressions in week 28.

Climbing up three places to sixth rank was Viacom18’s flagship Hindi GEC Colors with 563.058 million weekly impressions in week 29 of 2019 as compared to ninth rank and 526.158 million weekly impressions in week 28.

Climbing up a place to seventh rank in week 29 of 2019 was SPN’s Hindi GEC Sony Sab with 551.715 million weekly impressions as compared to eighth rank and 530.349 million weekly impressions in week 28. Dropping a rank to eighth place in week 29 of 2019 was Star India’s flagship Tamil GEC Star Vijay with 531.446 million weekly impressions as compared to seventh rank and 545.135 million weekly impressions in week 28.

SPN’s Hindi movies channel Sony Max climbed a place to ninth rank in week 29 of 2019 with 522.040 million weekly impressions as compared to tenth rank and 496.497 million weekly impressions in week 28. SPN’s flagship Hindi GEC Sony Entertainment Television (SET) re-entered BARC’s weekly list of top 10 channels across genres in week 29 of 2019 with 504.481 million weekly impressions.

BARC’s weekly list of top 11 pay channels across genres

Four Star India channels, three channels from SPN, two channels from Zeel and one channel each from Sun TV Network and Viacom18 made up BARC’s weekly list if top 11 pay channels across genres in week 29 of 2019. Five Hindi GECs, three Hindi movies channels, two Tamil channels and one Telugu channel comprised BARC’s weekly list of top 11 pay channels across genres in week 29 of 2019.

As mentioned above, here also, Sun TV headed BARC’s weekly list with 863.550 million weekly impressions in week 29 of 2019 as compared to second rank and 843.786 million weekly impressions in the previous week. Star Plus also climbed a place to second rank in week 29 of 2019 with 705.707 million weekly impressions as compared to third rank and 690.613 million weekly impressions in week 28.

Climbing up two places to third rank was Zee TV with 691.204 million weekly impressions as compared to fifth rank and 674.518 million weekly impressions in the previous week. Retaining to fourth rank in week 29 of 2019 was Star Maa with 683.816 million weekly impressions as compared to 689.795 million weekly impressions in week 28.

Colors climbed up three places to fifth rank in BARC’s weekly list of top 11 pay channels across genres in week 29 of 2019 with 558.873 million weekly impressions as compared to eighth rank and 522.718 million weekly impressions in week 28. Sony Sab climbed up a place to sixth rank in week 29 of 2019 with 547.408 million weekly impressions as compared to seventh rank and 526.128 million weekly impressions in the previous week.

Star Vijay dropped a place to seventh rank with 531.446 million weekly impressions as compared to sixth rank and 545.135 million weekly impressions in week 28. Sony Max was on eight rank in week 29 of 2019 with 519.990 million weekly impressions as compared to ninth rank and 495.560 million weekly impressions in week 28.

SET climbed up a place to ninth rank in week 29 of 2019 with 502.417 million weekly impressions as compared to tenth rank and 487.728 million weekly impressions in week 28. Zeel’s Hindi Movies channel Zee Cinema and Star India’s Hindi Movies channel entered BARC’s weekly list if top 11 pay channels in week 29 of 2019 at tenth rank with 497.790 million weekly impressions and at eleventh rank with 460.007 million weekly impressions respectively.

BARC’s weekly list of top 11 Free channels across genres

Four channels from Enterr 10 Television, three channels each from B4U Media and Zeel and one channel from Skystar comprised BARC’s weekly list of top 11 free channels across genres in week 29 of 2019. Four Hindi Movies channels, two Bhojpuri channels two Hindi GECs and one channel each from the Bhojpuri, Marathi and Music genres comprised BARC’s weekly list of top 11 free channels across genres during the week under review.

Dangal retained its previous week’s first rank in week 29 of 2019 with 589.951 million weekly impressions as compared to 593.000 million weekly impressions in week 28. Zeel’s Hindi GEC Big Magic also retained its previous week’s second rank with 358.730 million impressions as compared to 395.972 million weekly impressions in week 28.

B4U Media’s Hindi Movies channel B4U Kadak also retained its previous week’s third rank with 347.208 million weekly impressions as compared to 307.206 million weekly impressions in week 28. Enterr 10 TV’s Marathi channel Fakt Marathi climbed up a place to fourth rank in week 29 of 2019 with 184.384 million weekly impressions as compared to fifth rank and 197.780 million weekly impressions in week 28.

Enterr 10 TV’s Bhojpuri movies channel Bhojpuri Cinema climbed up a place to fifth rank in week 29 of 2019 with 160.117 million weekly impressions as compared to sixth rank and 172.979 million weekly impressions in week 28. B4U Media’s Bhojpuri Movies channel B4U Bhojpuri climbed three places in week 29 of 2019 with 154.732 million weekly impressions to sixth rank as compared to ninth rank and 154.067 million weekly impressions in week 28.

Zeel’s Bhojpuri channel Big Ganga also climbed a place to seventh rank in week 29 of 2019 with 154.732 million weekly impressions as compared to eighth rank and 154.924 million weekly impressions in week 28. B4U Media’s Hindi Movies channel dropped a place to eight rank in week 29 of 2019 with 130.537 million weekly impressions as compared to seventh rank and 164.568 million weekly impressions in week 28

Skystar’s Hindi Movies channel Skystar Movies entered BARC’s weekly list if top 11 free channels across genre in week 29 of 2019 at ninth rank with 124.183 million weekly impressions. Enterr 10 TV’s Hindi Movies channel Enterr 10 also entered BARC’s across genres free channels list in week 29 of 2019 with 102.757 million weekly impressions. Zeel’s music channel Zing dropped a place to eleventh rank in week 29 of 2019 with 100.580 million weekly impressions as compared to tenth rank and 107.974 million weekly impressions in week 28.

July 26, 2019
Big Ganga launches 4 new Bhojpuri shows

MUMBAI: Big Ganga, ZEE Entertainment Enterprise Ltd’s Bhojpuri general entertainment channel in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Purvanchal is all set to cater to the demands of its audience for original content with two hours of weekday and one hour of weekend with four new shows.

All shows will be aired from 18 March, Monday to Friday between the time band 6 pm to 8 pm and Saturday to Sunday from 6 pm to 8 pm. All the new shows are offered to the viewers in a bid to entertain the entire family viewing during the prime time slot.

Big Ganga business head Amarpreet Singh Saini said, “In the region we have received high demand for original content, especially amongst genres like socio-mytho and comedy, which is also is amongst the most consumed genres in the non-Bhojpuri content space as per the consumer research data. Thus we are extremely confident that through our fiction offerings we will be catering to this need gap and will once again be triumphing our core consumers’ cause. With the backing of iconic and topical non-fiction properties, we are sure to further deepen our pride positioning amongst Bhojpuri viewers as they will now have their own original Bhojpuri Prime Time. We are very optimistic about a positive and buoyant response from our viewers.”

On weekdays, the prime time will start with ‘Memsaab No 1’. This will be followed by the first-time launch of two Bhojpuri fiction shows for the region given the growing demand from viewers – Divya Shakti and Bagal Wali Jaan Maareli. Adding to the list will be Raag Chunavi to facilitate relaxed weekend viewing. With the channel being a prominent entity on Free Dish and other distribution networks (Airtel, D2H, Tata Sky, Dish TV), this quartet of offerings shall cater to the growing demographic of the Bhojpuri-speaking audience in the region.

ZEEL regional hindi speaking markets cluster head Amit Shah further added, “Bhojpuri entertainment is one of the fastest growing industries in the country and being a network with one of the highest viewership in the market, it is our key focus. The market has grown exponentially in the past few years and like other regional Hindi speaking markets, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Purvanchal regions are also seeking differentiated customized regional content. We at ZEE have always set new benchmarks in national as well as regional content space. With our new launches, we aim to form a further deeper bond with our viewers by offering content that resonates with their sensibilities as well as caters to their growing aspiration. With these launches, we are not only making inroads in the region but are opening doors for many of our stakeholders as well as advertisers. We have some of the most talented names associated with these shows which have received an unprecedented viewership in this respective belt.”

Memsaab No.1 is a reality series in the region. It will provide a status platform for women to display their skills across dance, music, games and various challenging activates to win the coveted title of being the best Memsaab of the season.

Bagal Wali Jaan Maareli is a fun-filled ride of two neighbouring gentlemen who despite being in love with their wives, also strongly adhere to the idea of ‘love thy neighbour’s wife’. The show’s quirky humour is bound to be a success with young and old alike, given the region’s high liking for OTT.

Divya Shakti is a socio-mythological fiction showcasing stories of the power of faith and bhakti. The show will feature topical vrats, festivals, regional spiritual figure, bhakti and miracle stories, which shall evoke a high connect amongst the viewer.

Raag Chunavi will be a multi-talent format non-fiction show featuring the region’s best stand-up comedians, comedy poets, mimicry artists, who will take pot-shots at various election-related themes through a common man's viewpoint and pathos. It will have high traction given the topicality as well as the connect with on-ground reality of a common Indian voter.

March 20, 2019