Tag: News 18 India

  • News18 India lines up the biggest coverage of Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha Live from Ground Zero

    News18 India lines up the biggest coverage of Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha Live from Ground Zero

    Mumbai: India’s No.1 Hindi news channel, News18 India, is all set to bring the biggest and most exciting coverage of the consecration ceremony of Ram Mandir from Ayodhya. The channel’s anchor line-up including managing editor Kishore Ajwani, Amish Devgan, Rubika Liyaqat, Prateek Trivedi, Aman Chopra, and Pankaj Bhargav are all present in the town. They endeavour to bring all the latest updates and minute details for the viewers so that they do not miss being physically there. The channel is committed to offer the most in-depth and incomparable coverage of this momentous event.

    Stay tuned to News18 India on 22 January from 9 AM onwards for the most comprehensive live coverage of Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha.

  • Rubika Liyaquat is joining News18 India as a consulting editor.

    Rubika Liyaquat is joining News18 India as a consulting editor.

    Mumbai: Rubika Liyaquat has earlier been with news channels such as ABP News and Zee News. Liyaquat is not just massively popular on TV but has also a massive following of her own on social media.  

    The Hindi news channel, which already has popular names such as Prateek Trivedi, Kishore Ajwani, Amish Devgan, and Aman Chopra, is sprucing up its line up and programming before the upcoming general elections.  

    The channel has consistently been the number one in the Hindi TV news segment for more than 18 months now, as per the BARC numbers.  

    The channel onboarded another popular TV News face Pankaj Bhargava last week. Bhargava joined News18 India from India TV where he was among the leading faces during prime time hours.
     

  • News18 Tamil Nadu to air MK Stalin’s first interview as chief minister

    News18 Tamil Nadu to air MK Stalin’s first interview as chief minister

    Mumbai: Tamil Nadu’s leading news broadcaster, News18 TN, will air the first-ever interview of Tamil Nadu’s chief minister MK Stalin, on Tuesday.

    The CM’s exclusive one-on-one conversation with News18 Tamil Nadu editor Karthigaichelvan S will go on air at 8 a.m.

    The interview, which promises to be explosive in nature, will touch upon a range of contemporary issues concerning the state, such as the opposition alliance, the BJP, and the odds of him being a king or kingmaker in the 2024 general elections. This is MK Stalin’s first-ever interview with a media house since becoming Tamil Nadu chief minister on 7 May 2021.

    The much-anticipated interview will summarise a range of political concerns, including his estimation of DMK’s performance in the upcoming polls and his increasing interest in an alliance with Congress. The chief minister may also share his thoughts on possibilities after the general election of 2024.

  • News18 Rajasthan claims pole position in news category with 39 mn YouTube views

    News18 Rajasthan claims pole position in news category with 39 mn YouTube views

    Mumbai: According to Crowdtangle, Tubebuddy, and SocialBlade, News18 Rajasthan has surpassed all other news brands in the digital media landscape with 39 million YouTube views.

    Network18, has been leading on the digital front with 200 million digital unique viewers per month. In India, two out of every five internet users access Network18’s digital platforms for original programming. The reason for this achievement has been the viewers’ consumption habits.

    News18 Rajasthan stated that they have experienced exceptional growth online as a consequence of its smart programming and real-time delivery of current events.

    The fact that market share is consistently growing across segments is evidence of how well News18 Rajasthan’s offering of news, insights, and analysis has connected with viewers.

    The channel has helped establish new benchmarks in the news broadcasting industry, and the channel’s most recent achievement demonstrates how the audience prefers News18 Rajasthan for information on key subjects, without any bias and ensuring coverage of all points of views.

  • TV channels announce special programming line-up for Independence Day

    TV channels announce special programming line-up for Independence Day

    Mumbai: Patriotic fervour is at an all-time high as the country is looking forward to celebrating its 75th Independence Day on Sunday. Joining the celebration, TV channels across genres have come up with special programming.

    Here is what’s all in store this 15 August:

    News18 India’s ‘75 Saal Bemisaal’ 

    In addition to the live coverage of prime minister Narendra Modi’s speech from the historic Red Fort on 15 August, News 18 India has put together a bouquet of special shows (airing 14 and 15 August) to mark the event.

    Under the umbrella programming ‘75 Saal Bemisaal’, anchor Prateek Trivedi will host a special episode from Srinagar saluting the spirit of bravery and nationalism of India’s valiant BSF soldiers. The channel will also present a unique journey to the decks of INS Vikrant – the country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier. 

    Next in line will be a thought-provoking discussion where critically acclaimed actor Ashutosh Rana, lyricist Manoj Muntashir and author-historian Vikram Sampat will share their views about today’s youth and their issues, nationalism in the current context, and unsung heroes of India’s freedom struggle News18 anchor and editor Amish Devgan will host the show. Renowned poets like Pratap Fauzdar, Sudeep Bhola, Gaurav Chauhan and Hemant Pandey will add a flavour of humour to the celebrations in another programme.

    ABP News homage to martyrs: ‘Jhanda Uncha Rahe Humara

    ABP News will pay tribute to the martyrs on its Independence Day-special event ‘Jhanda Uncha Rahe Humara’. Renowned actors Ajay Devgn and Sharad Kelkar along with writer and lyricist Majon Muntashir will be present as chief guests on the show

    ‘Jhanda Uncha Rahe Hamara’ is an initiative by ABP News that captures the true spirit of patriotism. It was launched to reinforce the patriotic fervour of the nation and to uphold the values of bravery, courage, and independence. The event has been running successfully on ABP News since the past seven years, having delivered many memorable editions that have reinforced the pride of being Indian.

    This edition of ‘Jhanda Uncha Rahe Hamara’ focused on celebrating the contributions made by the armed forces and paramilitary personnel in the past one year. Soldiers from Indian Army, NDRF, Indian Air Force, CRPF, and DRDO were felicitated at the event. Top brands including Asian Paints, Keo Karpin, Nine, Paras Ghee, and Wonder Cement supported the initiative.

    The event will be aired on ABP News at 8 p.m on 14 August. There will be a repeat telecast at 4 p.m on 15 August. 

    CNN-News18 ‘GLORIUS 74’ commemorates milestone 75th year of freedom

    CNN-News18 has lined up special programming ‘GLORIOUS74’ to commemorate the country’s milestone 75th year of freedom. Through it, the channel will celebrate and honour the seven decades of Indian independence and the glorious history of its people, culture and their achievements, every day 8 p.m onwards from 9-15 August.

    The array of programming on CNN-News18 will comprise exclusive newsmaker interviews and engaging small formats to keep the patriotism quotient high. Executive editor Anand Narasimhan will host discussions with renowned personalities such as Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev and Kailash Kher who will highlight their idea of India along with the progress and developments the country has seen over the last seven decades. The channel will also share interesting snippets from India’s journey to independence throughout the day providing an informative, interactive and innovative television experience.

    On 15 August, CNN-News18 will live telecast the prime minister’s speech from the Red Fort.

    AajTak special program ‘Jai Ho’ celebrates India’s Olympic heroes

    AajTak is celebrating Independence Day with a day-long special program ‘Jai-Ho’ honouring the 2020 Tokyo Olympics medal winners.

    Airing 14 August, ‘Jai Ho’ promises insightful and candid conversations with Neeraj Chopra Bajrang Punia, Ravi Dahiya, PV Sindhu, Mirabai Chanu, Lovlina Borgohain and the Indian men’s hockey team, in their own spaces and sporting arenas.

    NAT GEO premieres ‘Buried Seeds’ – the inspiring Indian Chef Vikas Khanna

    National Geographic will be celebrating this Independence Day with the premiere of “Buried Seeds” – the life story of Michelin chef Vikas Khanna. Directed and produced by contemporary filmmaker Andrei Severny, the film traces the star chef’s journey from his beginnings as a child with misaligned feet to the man who took Indian cuisine to the world. It is a timeless and true story of human passion and willpower. 

    Khanna narrates the incredible story of how he learned to walk and won people’s hearts with the magic of his cooking. Along the way, he becomes one of the most influential chefs in the world and a cultural ambassador of India. The film also captures the true essence of Indian culture, heritage, and customs through kaleidoscopic visuals of India, with all the beauty, bonding, and sacrifices made by an Indian family to fulfill the dream of their child.

    The film premieres on 15 August at 9 p.m on National Geographic in India.

    discovery+ launch of Mission Frontline with Sara Ali Khan

    After the success of the first chapter of “Mission Frontline” with Rana Daggubati, discovery+ will be launching the “Mission Frontline” with Sara Ali Khan on the occasion of Independence Day. The special show gives the audiences a glimpse into the lives of the Veerangana force – an all-women commando unit of India set up by the Assam Police in 2012 to tackle grave issues against women – whilst shining light upon their inspiring stories of bravery. Sara Ali Khan will be seen in a unique avatar donning the commando uniform and stepping into the shoes of a Veerangana to perform rigorous drills.

    Bolo LIVE launches campaign #Rashtragaan

    Joining the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ initiative announced by PM Narendra Modi on 25 July, streaming app and short video content platform Bolo LIVE (formerly Bolo Indya) has launched a campaign #Rashtragaan in partnership with MyGov India. The campaign encourages Bolo LIVE’s seven million users across 14 languages to record their videos while singing the National Anthem and upload it on the app. 

  • Aaj Tak most watched Hindi News channel in 2018

    Aaj Tak most watched Hindi News channel in 2018

    BENGALURU: The most watched Hindi news channel in the Hindi speaking market (HSM)–be it urban (U), rural (R) or combined (U+R) is India Today TV Network’s Aaj Tak during the first 37 weeks of 2018. The channel was present during all the first 37 weeks of 2018 according to Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) data for weeks 1 to 37 of 2018 (Saturday, 30 December 2017 to Friday, 14 September 2018) in all the three weekly lists for HSM (U+R), HSM (U) and HSM (R).
    Overall, Aaj Tak topped BARC’s weekly lists for HSM (U+R) during the first 37 weeks of 2018 in terms of overall viewership. In HSM (U+R), Zee News was the second most watched Hindi news channel during the first 37 weeks of 2018, followed by India TV. Only three channels appeared in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Hindi news channels in HSM (U+R) during all the first 36 weeks of 2018. Aaj Tak was ranked first for 35 of the first 37 weeks of 2018, followed by Zee News and India TV which were ranked first for one week each in BARC’s weekly lists of top 5 Hindi news channels in HSM (U+R).

    In HSM (R), Aaj Tak was the only channel that was present in BARC’s weekly lists during all the first 37 weeks of 2018. The next closest channel in terms of presence in BARC’s HSM (R) lists was News Nation, which was present for 34 of the first 37 weeks of 2018. Zee News was next – it was present for 30 of the first 37 weeks of 2018 in BARC’s top 5 Hindi news channels in HSM (R).
    In terms of average viewership during the first 37 weeks of 2018, after Aaj Tak, ABP News was second – the channel was present in BARC’s HSM (R) lists for 27 of the first 36 weeks of 2018. Zee News was third in HSM (R) in terms of average viewership during the 29 of the first 36 weeks it was present in BARC’s HSM (R) lists.
    Four channels were present in BARC’s weekly lists of top 5 Hindi news channels in HSM (U) during all the first 37 weeks of 2018. Aaj Tak also topped the BARC weekly lists in HSM (U) followed by Zee News, India TV and ABP News in terms of overall viewership during the first 37 weeks of 2018. Aaj Tak was ranked first for 29 of the first 37 weeks of 2018, followed by Zee News which was ranked first for 6 of the first 36 weeks of 2018 and India TV which was ranked first for two of the first 37 weeks of 2018.
    News 18 India just missed the bus by just 1 week. It was present for 36 of the first 37 weeks of 2018 in BARC’s weekly lists of top 5 Hindi news channels in HSM (U). In terms of average weekly viewership, News 18 India would be ahead of ABP News. News 18 India had higher average weekly viewership during the 36 weeks that it was present in BARC’s weekly lists as compared to the average weekly viewership of ABP News during the 37 weeks that it was present in BARC’s weekly lists.
    News Nation was present for 6 of the first 36 weeks of 2018 in BARC’s list of top 5 Hindi news channels in HSM (U+R). Besides Aaj Tak,HSM rural audience’s showed a preference for News Nation in terms of its presence in the respective BARC weekly lists. However, the channel would be ranked sixth based on its average weekly impressions during the 34 of the first 37 weeks of 2018 that it was present in BARC’s lists in HSM (R), behind Aaj Tak, ABP News, Zee News, News 18 India and India TV respectively. In the case of urban HSM audiences, News Nation was present for only one week in the respective BARC’s lists during the first 37 weeks of 2018.

  • BARC week 32:  Republic TV regains top position in English News

    BARC week 32: Republic TV regains top position in English News

    MUMBAI: After losing its top position in week 31 of BARC ratings Arnab Goswami’s Republic TV regained its top position in the English news genre in week 32. Times Now stepped down to second position.  

    Zee News replaced News Nation in Hindi news genre, Aaj Tak continued to rule Hindi news genre. Whereas News 18 India jumped up tosecond position this week in Hindi news (U+R).

    English News

    This week Arnab Goswami’s Republic TV regained it top position in the english news genre with 936 impressions (000s) sum as compared to 734 impressions (000s) sum last week. Times Now stepped down to the second position with 815 impressions (000s) sum. Meanwhile, CNN News 18 found itself at third position with 485 impressions (000s) sum as compared to 236 impressions (000s) sum last week, followed by India Today Television at fourth position with 346 impressions (000s) sum. NDTV maintains its fifth position with 191 impressions (000s) sum. 

    English Business News

    CNBC TV 18 continues to rule in the English business news genre with 619 impressions (000s) sum. ET Now and BTVI maintained theirsecond and third positions with 200 impressions (000s) sum and 105 impressions (000s) sum. CNBC TV 18 Prime HD found itself at fourth position with 18 impressions (000s) sum as compared to 25 impressions (000s) sum last week.

    Hindi News (U+R)      

    Aaj Tak continues to lead in Hindi news genre with 132715 impressions (000s) sum as compared to 149487 impressions (000s) sum last week. Meanwhile News 18 India found itself at second position with 101841 (000s) sum as compared to 99687 impressions (000s) sum last week. ABP News and Zee News maintained their third and fourth positions with 101215 impressions (000s) sum and 99428 impressions (000s) sum. Meanwhile, India TV steps down to fifth position with 94834 impressions as compared to 115894 impressions (000s) sums last week.  

    Hindi News Rural  

    Aaj Tak also continued to to dominate in Hindi news (R) with 62162 impressions as compared to 73376 impressions (000s) sum last week. ABP News maintained its second position this week with 49176 impressions, followed by News 18 India is at third position with 41798 impressions (000s) sum. Zee News replaced News Nation at fourth position with 39957 impressions (000s) sum. Meanwhile India TV stepped down to fifth position with 39731 (000s) impressions as compared to 45738 impressions (000s) sum last week. 

    Hindi News Urban

    Aaj Tak maintained its top position in Hindi news genre (U) with 70553 impressions (000s) sum as compared to 76112 impressions (000s) sum last week. News 18 India found itself at second position this week with 60043 impressions (000s) sum. Zee News maintained its third position with 59471 impressions (000s) sum as compared to 60523 impressions (000s) sum last week. India TV moved down to fourth position with 55103 impressions (000s) sum as compared to 70156 impressions (000s) sum last week. ABP News maintained its fifth position with 52038 impressions (000s) sum.

  • BARC week 29:  Zee News replaces News18 India in Hindi news rural

    BARC week 29: Zee News replaces News18 India in Hindi news rural

    MUMBAI: The Broadcast Audience Research Council data for week 29 showed Republic TV continuing to dominate the English news genre, whereas Aaj Tak led in Hindi genre. Zee News replaced News18 India in Hindi news Rural.

    English News

    Arnab Goswami’s Republic TV stood unbeaten at top position in English news genre with 1057 impressions (000s) sum as compared to 777 impressions (000s) last week. Times Now found itself at second position with 970 impressions (000s) sum, followed by India Today Television at third position  with 293 impressions (000s) sum. Mirror Now and CNN News 18 maintained their fourth and fifth positions with 265 impressions (000s) and 201 impressions (000s) sum.

    English Business News

    CNBC TV18 maintained its top position with 673 impressions (000s) sum as compared to 537 impressions (000s) sum last week. ET Now is in second position with 212 impressions (000s) sum.  BTVI and CNBC TV 18 Prime HD maintained their third and fourth positions with 77 impressions (000s) sum and 16 impressions (000s) sum.

    Hindi News (U+R)

    Aaj Tak stood at first position with 150333 impressions (000s) sum as compared to 125034 impressions (000s) sum last week. Where as  Zee News is at second position  with 103078 impressions (000s) sum, followed by India TV at third position with 101256 impressions (000s) sum. ABP News stepped down to fourth position with 94355 impressions (000s) sum as compared to 85738 impressions (000s) sum last week. News18 India maintained its fifth position with 93105 impressions (000s) sum.     

    Hindi News Rural

    Aaj Tak continued to dominate in Hindi news (R) with 69245 impressions (000s) sum as compared to 54097 impressions (000s) sum last week. ABP News maintained its second position this week with 45859 impressions (000s) sum. India TV is at third position with 39560 impressions (000s) sum. Zee News replaced News18 India at fourth position with 39264 impressions (000s) sum. News Nation stepped down to fifth position with 38263 impressions as compared to 32969 impressions (000s) sum last week.

    Hindi news urban

    Aaj Tak maintained its top position in Hindi news genre (U) with 81078 impressions (000s) sum as compared to 70936 impressions (000s) sum last week.  Zee News maintained its second position with 63814 impressions (000s) sum, followed by India TV and News18 India at third and fourth positions with 61697 impressions (000s) sum and 54989 impressions (000s) sum. ABP News maintained its fifth position with 48496 impressions (000s) sum.

  • Hindi News genre versus Indian English News during festival week

    Hindi News genre versus Indian English News during festival week

    BENGALURU: Previously, we asked if the Indian English News genre was faced with festival blues – pre, during and post the biggest Indian festival season of Diwali that happened in week 42 of 2017 (Saturday, 14 October 2017 to Friday 20 October 2017). How did big brother – the Hindi News genre fare? According to Broadcast Audience Research Council of India’s (BARC) weekly data, combined weekly ratings of the top five Hindi News channels also declined, but not as much as the smaller siblings have.

    The variation in the Hindi News genre’s combined weekly ratings of the top five channels from its average ratings (between weeks 19 to 43 of 2017 excluding week 21) during weeks 41, 42 and 43 were -6.4 percent, -10.2 percent and -10.9 percent respectively. At the same time the variations in the Indian English News genre’s combined weekly ratings of the top five channels from its average ratings during weeks 41, 42 and 43 were -29 percent, -26.2 percent and -25.2 percent respectively.

    The slide of the combined weekly ratings of the top five Hindi News channels continued pre, during and post Diwali. Their combined weekly ratings declined from 440.188 impressions in week 41 of 2017 to 422.233 million weekly impressions in Diwali week 42 of 2017 and slid even further to 419.260 million weekly impressions in week 43 of 2017. In the case the Indian English News channels, combined ratings of the top 5 channels dropped in the week 41 to 1.986 million weekly impressions, then rose a bit during Diwali week to 2.050 million weekly impressions and then fell slightly again in week 43 to 2.026 million weekly impressions.

    The viewership and ratings of Hindi News and the English News genres differ. The Hindi News genre had a relatively steady viewership during the first 43 weeks of 2017. Ratings across the top three Hindi channels have had narrower margins between each other as compared to the English genre which was dominated by just two channels. Three top Hindi News channels garnered about 65 percent (almost two thirds) of the genre’s ratings. These were Aaj Tak (A little above 25 percent of the genre’s average ratings in 2017); Zee News (A little more than 20 percent of the genre’s average ratings in 2017) and ABP News (A little more than 19 percent of the genre’s average ratings in 2017).

    The two channels that dominated the Indian English News genre were Republic TV (almost 36 percent of the genre’s average ratings in 2017); and Times Now (almost 30 percent of the genre’s average ratings in 2017). The Arnab Goswami led Republic TV was launched on 6 May 2017 (beginning of week 19 of 2017). In week 21 of 2017 English News channels, with the support of the News Broadcasters Association, excluding Republic TV, had withdrawn from BARC ratings measurement in protest against what they claimed were unfair practices by Republic TV. Hence the numbers considered above for the Indian English News genre, Republic TV and Times Now are for the period between weeks 19 and 43, and excludes data for week 21 of 2017.

    Notwithstanding a difference in the consumer data classification for ratings for the two genres, the Hindi News genre has had a much larger viewership than the Indian English News genre.  Ratings considered in this paper for the Hindi News genre have been measured across HSM (U+R) : NCCS All : 15+ Individuals, while those of the Indian English News genre have been measured across All India (U+R): NCCS AB : Males 22+ Individuals. This means that the data for the Hindi News genres includes persons of all genders above 15 years of age, while in the case of the English News genre, the data only covers all males above 22 years of age. NCCS is the new consumer classification system adopted by the audience measurement body BARC. The average weekly combined ratings of the top five Hindi News channels between weeks 19 and 43 excluding week 21 of 2017 was 470.307 million impressions, while that of the Indian English News genre during weeks 19 to 43 excluding week 21 was 2.875 million impressions.

    The Hindi News genre started with relatively higher ratings in week one of 2017 and dropped in weeks two and three before rising to the genre’s second highest ratings in week 11 of 2017.This was the week during which election results of five states in India were announced. On the other hand, BARC weekly data for the top five English News genre showed that the lowest combined ratings of the top five English News channels in 2017 until week 43 were in week two of 2017 (Saturday, 7 January 2017 to Friday 13 January 2017) at 1.179 million weekly impressions. Week one of 2017, with 1.218 million weekly impressions, had the second lowest ratings in 2017 until week 43.

    The ratings of the Hindi News genre declined during the weeks that IPL 10 was played (week 14 to 20 of 2017) and fell further for another four weeks after IPL 10. The ratings of the Indian English News genre also started to decline in week 14 with the commencement of the IPL, but then rose sharply again with the launch of Republic TV in week 19. The combined weekly ratings of the top five English News channels in week 19 at 4.282 million were the second highest ratings scored by the genre during the first 43 week of 2017, with Republic TV garnering about half the ratings of the genre – 2.115 million weekly impressions in that week.

    The combined ratings of the top five Hindi News channels in week 24 at 350.836 million weekly impressions were the genre’s lowest ratings in 2017 until the time of writing of this report, before rising again to the highest ratings of the genre in 2017 to date. This was in week 35 of 2017, the week that saw the court verdict and the resultant arrest of Indian godman Ram Rahim. News about the fate of Ram Rahim on Monday, 28 August 2017 was one of the most watched events on news television in the recent past in India. Viewership of the Hindi News genre grew 2.1 times from 121.5 million impressions (the average viewership for the previous four Mondays’) to 256.1 million impressions on Monday, 28 August 2017 according to BARC data.

    On the other hand, viewership of the top five the English News channels actually shrank by 1.2 percent in week 35 to 2.942 million weekly impressions from 2.979 million weekly impressions in week 34 of 2017. It is probably the Ram Rahim verdict day news that helped English News channels retain their previous week’s ratings. The English News Genre grew by 46 percent from 482 thousand impressions (Av Impressions for the last 4 Mondays) to 703 thousand impressions on Monday 28 August 2017 according to BARC data.

    Please refer to the two charts below for ratings of the Hindi News and the Indian English News channels during the first 42 weeks of 2017, albeit with an explanation before the second chart.

    public://F_6.jpg

    The Arnab Goswami led Republic TV is a major force to reckon with in the English News genre. Right from its launch, the channel has been garnering a huge chunk of the genres combined ratings. It has usurped the previous leader Times Now’s numero uno position in the English News genre from the very first week of its launch to date in 2017.

    Republic TV’s average contribution to the combined ratings of the top five English News channels is about 36 percent – more than a third. In its launch week, the channel had contributed 49.44 percent to the combined ratings of the top five English News channels. Its lowest contribution to the genre’s ratings has been 30.56 percent in week 35 of 2017 (Saturday 26 August 2017 to Friday, 1 September 2017) – the channel had scored 0.899 million weekly impressions of the genre top five channels ratings combined total of 2.942 million weekly impressions. Hence the figure below shows two curved lines – one that includes the ratings of the top five English News channels including Republic TV and another that shows the combined ratings of the second, third, fourth and fifth ranked channels, or ratings without Republic TV ratings (w/o Republic TV).

    public://F2_11.jpg

  • Republic TV, Aaj Tak continue to lead genres as news viewership falls

    Republic TV, Aaj Tak continue to lead genres as news viewership falls

    BENGALURU: Republic TV recorded its lowest viewership since its launch in week 36 of 2017 (Saturday, 2 September 2017 to Friday, 8 September 2017). The channel garnered 854,000 weekly impressions, lower than the earlier low of 868,000 weekly impressions it had scored in weeks 25 and 27 of 2017 according to Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) weekly list of top 5 English News channels All India (U+R): NCCS AB: Males 22+ Individuals. The channel has started with a bang in week 19 with 2.117 million weekly impressions. At present, ignoring ratings for week 21, Republic TV’s average weekly ratings since launch until week 36 of 2017 (except for week 21) are 1.141 million weekly impressions, hence its week 36 ratings are well below its par ratings.

    In the Hindi News genre, the genre leader for 35 of the 36 weeks of 2017 has been Aaj Tak. The only week that it lost the pole position was in week 6 of 2017 to India TV. Aaj Tak was ranked second in that week. For week 36 of 2017, Aaj Tak scored 137.519 million weekly impressions according to BARC list of top 5 Hindi News channels: HSM (U+R) : NCCS All : 15+ Individuals. The channel’s average weekly impressions in 2017 until week 36 are 122.870 million, hence its week 36 weekly impressions score is well above its par.

    In week 36, the combined weekly impressions of the top 5 English News gene channels were 2.760 million, lower than the 2.942 million weekly impressions of the previous week or the 2.979 million weekly impressions of week 34.  The average combined weekly impressions of the top 5 English News channels in 2017 until week 36 (except week 21) were 2.460 million, and week 36 impressions for the genre are well above the 36 week par. The genre’s highest combined weekly impression of the top 5 channels at 4.897 million impressions were in week 11 – the week during which election results for five states were announced. The second highest ratings by the top 5 English News channels were 4.282 million impressions in week 19, the week that Republic TV was launched.

    In the case of Hindi News channels, the genre had scored its highest weekly impressions in week 35, with the top 5 channels having combined weekly impressions of 738.482 million. This was the week that saw the reportage of the Ram-Rahim case judgment day – Monday, 28 August 2017 attracting record-breaking viewership. Week 36 has seen the top 5 channels combined weekly impressions plunge to 564.769 million weekly impressions, but still well above the 36 week average of 492.903 million.

    Please refer to the figure below for average ratings of the top five English News channels during the first 36 weeks of 2017 (excluding data for week 21 of 2017):

    public://f1_5.jpg

    Please refer to the figure below for the average ratings of the top 5 channels of the Hindi News Genre during the first 36 weeks of 2017.

    public://f2_5.jpg

    As mentioned by us earlier, News about the fate of godman Ram Rahim on Monday, 28 August 2017 was one of the most watched events on news television in the recent past in India. Viewership of the Hindi News genre grew 2.1 times from 121.5 million impressions (the average viewership for the previous four Mondays’) to 256.1 million impressions on Monday, 28 August 2017. The English News genre grew by 46 percent from 482 Impressions ‘000s (Av Impressions for the last 4 Mondays) to 703 Impressions ‘000s on Monday 28 August 2017.