Tag: Sakshi Malik

Sports lead Google searches in India; Sindhu most searched

MUMBAI: Sports stood at the podium in terms of searches in India, according to a survey released by the US based-search engine. While PV Sindhu made a lot of inroads into people’s hearts with her heroics at Rio Olympics, Sultan and MS Dhoni – The Untold Story were both the among the highest grossing movies in 2016.

Based on different forms of sports, MS Dhoni made Sushant Singh Rajput and Disha Patani household names in the second half of the year while Sultan ruled the roost in terms of earnings.

According to a report released by Google Analytics, Sports was the leading property in terms of searches in India in 2016. Rio Olympics was the most trending item in India, with Pokemon Go standing second. The Olympics was also No. 1 on the list of most-searched news events.

Amongst personalities, Indian Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu has been the second most searched personality in India, also being the most-searched Indian personality. The badminton ace was beaten by controversial US President Donald Trump, who led the personalities chart. Athlete Dipa Karmakar, MS Dhoni actress Disha Patani and Wrestler Sakshi Malik also feature in the top 10, giving sports the bragging rights over other genres.

Looking at the most searched Bollywood male celebrities, MS Dhoni actor Sushant Singh Rajput was the top trending star of 2016. Disha Patani heads that list in the female category, featuring in the same movie. In the movies category, Sultan, a film based on wrestling, was searched the most number of times in India. US Elections was the most searched news event after Rio Olympics, garnering great attention.

Indian Premier League 2016 and Euro 2016 also feature on the list of the most trending searches, with the football tournament standing at the third spot and IPL getting the sixth spot on the list. It is quite clear that for Indian audiences, Sports has been the most searched beat against other genres and the industry can always capitalise on that front.

December 15, 2016
Sports lead Google searches in India; Sindhu most searched

MUMBAI: Sports stood at the podium in terms of searches in India, according to a survey released by the US based-search engine. While PV Sindhu made a lot of inroads into people’s hearts with her heroics at Rio Olympics, Sultan and MS Dhoni – The Untold Story were both the among the highest grossing movies in 2016.

Based on different forms of sports, MS Dhoni made Sushant Singh Rajput and Disha Patani household names in the second half of the year while Sultan ruled the roost in terms of earnings.

According to a report released by Google Analytics, Sports was the leading property in terms of searches in India in 2016. Rio Olympics was the most trending item in India, with Pokemon Go standing second. The Olympics was also No. 1 on the list of most-searched news events.

Amongst personalities, Indian Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu has been the second most searched personality in India, also being the most-searched Indian personality. The badminton ace was beaten by controversial US President Donald Trump, who led the personalities chart. Athlete Dipa Karmakar, MS Dhoni actress Disha Patani and Wrestler Sakshi Malik also feature in the top 10, giving sports the bragging rights over other genres.

Looking at the most searched Bollywood male celebrities, MS Dhoni actor Sushant Singh Rajput was the top trending star of 2016. Disha Patani heads that list in the female category, featuring in the same movie. In the movies category, Sultan, a film based on wrestling, was searched the most number of times in India. US Elections was the most searched news event after Rio Olympics, garnering great attention.

Indian Premier League 2016 and Euro 2016 also feature on the list of the most trending searches, with the football tournament standing at the third spot and IPL getting the sixth spot on the list. It is quite clear that for Indian audiences, Sports has been the most searched beat against other genres and the industry can always capitalise on that front.

December 15, 2016
Cashless villages ‘Mumkin Hai’ with new channel & Rs 5-cr campaign

MUMBAI: The government has launched ‘DigiShala’, a Doordarshan free DTH channel, to promote cashless transactions in India — the first step in online payment education through the electronic media. The channel will be brought through GSAT15 (DD Direct DTH), 93.5 degree East, Receive frequency: 11590 Mhz.

The launch of the channel is part of the government’s ‘Digi Dhan Abhiyan’ under which www.cashlessindia.gov.in has been created to serve as a knowledge repository. The government plans to teach people how to safeguard their accounts from phishing and cyber crimes.

Minister of electronics and information technology Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the television was one of the most effective and far-reaching mediums to create awareness. The ministry was rolling out a dedicated TV channel to inform citizens about digital payment ecosystem and its benefits he added.

DigiShala aims to impart information, especially in rural and semi-urban areas, on the online payment ecosystem, its benefits, tools, and processes. The channel, via its user-friendly content, will also encourage viewers to use online payments. The expected viewership of the channel is more over two crore across India. It will be available free (without subscription fee) and hence could be availed by the poor.

Prasad said that the channel would show programmes depicting demos of making digital payments using USSD, UPI, Aadhaar, e-wallets, cards, and various talk shows and panel discussions with experts, as well as information about products and services under the Digital India programme. Prasad said the goal was to help small traders and citizens to switch to digital payments.

NITI Aayog has meantime launched an integrated campaign across print, television, radio and social media promoting digital payments to turn India into a cashless economy. The commission has been tasked to create a simplified yet convincing communication. With a primary budget of Rs 5 crore, the campaign will run for a period of six months in 19 regional languages. The call-to-action advertising spots with a local tone highlight routine activities such as shopping, hiring an auto, bill payments or buying groceries in which consumers can use online payments.

On Facebook and Twitter, influencers such as Abhinav Bindra and Sakshi Malik are endorsing the digital payment campaign using #Digitalpayments and #IPayDigitally. The campaign has been created by The Moving Pixels Co and Thinkstr — Ahmedabad- and Gurgaon-based advertising agencies respectively.

The TVC ‘Mumkin Hai’ (It’s possible) features a mix of consumers across occupations, age groups and economic levels as the voice-over explains various digital options. The ad ends with the prime minister’s speech urging people to become a part of cashless India.

December 10, 2016
Cashless villages ‘Mumkin Hai’ with new channel & Rs 5-cr campaign

MUMBAI: The government has launched ‘DigiShala’, a Doordarshan free DTH channel, to promote cashless transactions in India — the first step in online payment education through the electronic media. The channel will be brought through GSAT15 (DD Direct DTH), 93.5 degree East, Receive frequency: 11590 Mhz.

The launch of the channel is part of the government’s ‘Digi Dhan Abhiyan’ under which www.cashlessindia.gov.in has been created to serve as a knowledge repository. The government plans to teach people how to safeguard their accounts from phishing and cyber crimes.

Minister of electronics and information technology Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the television was one of the most effective and far-reaching mediums to create awareness. The ministry was rolling out a dedicated TV channel to inform citizens about digital payment ecosystem and its benefits he added.

DigiShala aims to impart information, especially in rural and semi-urban areas, on the online payment ecosystem, its benefits, tools, and processes. The channel, via its user-friendly content, will also encourage viewers to use online payments. The expected viewership of the channel is more over two crore across India. It will be available free (without subscription fee) and hence could be availed by the poor.

Prasad said that the channel would show programmes depicting demos of making digital payments using USSD, UPI, Aadhaar, e-wallets, cards, and various talk shows and panel discussions with experts, as well as information about products and services under the Digital India programme. Prasad said the goal was to help small traders and citizens to switch to digital payments.

NITI Aayog has meantime launched an integrated campaign across print, television, radio and social media promoting digital payments to turn India into a cashless economy. The commission has been tasked to create a simplified yet convincing communication. With a primary budget of Rs 5 crore, the campaign will run for a period of six months in 19 regional languages. The call-to-action advertising spots with a local tone highlight routine activities such as shopping, hiring an auto, bill payments or buying groceries in which consumers can use online payments.

On Facebook and Twitter, influencers such as Abhinav Bindra and Sakshi Malik are endorsing the digital payment campaign using #Digitalpayments and #IPayDigitally. The campaign has been created by The Moving Pixels Co and Thinkstr — Ahmedabad- and Gurgaon-based advertising agencies respectively.

The TVC ‘Mumkin Hai’ (It’s possible) features a mix of consumers across occupations, age groups and economic levels as the voice-over explains various digital options. The ad ends with the prime minister’s speech urging people to become a part of cashless India.

December 10, 2016
2016’s top hashtag trends

MUMBAI: From Brexit, to GST, to US elections and now demonetisation, 2016 has been an eventful year so far, and continues to throw googlys at us in the last few remaining days (Tamil Nadu CM’s death). No wonder the netizens were exceptionally chatty on Twitter this year.

The country’s trending moments became worldwide conversations on Twitter, be it PM Modi’s revolutionary demonetisation reform (Most Influential Moment of the Year), Delhi’s rising pollution problem, the debut of Global Citizen Festival in India, and the Bollywood glam at the Filmfare Awards.

PV Sindhu, Sakshi Malik, and Dipa Karmakar, India’s women athletes that won a million hearts on Twitter during the Olympics made #Rio2016 the Top Hashtag Trend of the Year on Twitter. Their medal victories and near-misses inspired women everywhere, and showcased a spirit of unwavering determination and grit.

Virat Kohli’s Tweet in support of Anushka Sharma was the Golden Tweet or the most Retweeted Tweet of 2016.

According to Twitter India, Twitter reflected and influenced Indian society that was united together in celebration, victory, protests, revolutionary reforms, crises, and significant cultural moments.

To commemorate that, the micro blogging site has released a list of highlights from Twitter’s 2016.

Hashtags are the anchors of any solid conversation; they enable users to discover and participate in what others are talking about for an issue they care about. With 7 of the top 10 hashtags this year related to the #Rio2016 Olympics and #WT20 cricket, sports dominated the trending Twitter conversations for the nation. The government’s flagship programme, #MakeInIndia is also one of the most popular Hashtag Trends of the year with its global appeal.

1. #Rio2016

All conversations surrounding this exciting sporting global moment converged on Twitter, as Indians Tweeted using the #Rio2016 hashtag. The hashtag united the country in this moment of national prominence and the Tweets reflected the pride, thrill and joy of Indians everywhere as Indian athletes won medals at the Olympics and received well-deserved cheers on the platform.

2. #IndvsPak

The two national teams enthralled fans with a cut-throat match in the group stage of the ICC WT20 tournament. The cricket mania took Twitter by storm as aficionados from either side of the border Tweeted fervently with #IndvsPak to join the conversation on the platform onMarch 19th.

3. #WT20

The apex international championship of Twenty20 cricket was religiously Tweeted about by the nation’s ardent cricket lovers. Fans rejoiced at every six and coped together with every wicket by using the #WT20 hashtag from March 15 – April 3.

4. #IndvsAus

India battled it out against the Aussies in the group stage of the WT20 tournament. Enthusiastic Indians Tweeted their support for the national team with the #IndvsAus hashtag and celebrated the national win when India beat Australia on March 27th.

5. #MakeInIndia

The Government of India uses Twitter to promote their flagship #MakeInIndia programme that encourages companies to manufacture their products in India. The Government shared updates on new deals, joint ventures and tech transfers using this hashtag around the world. Large corporations as well as SMBs across various verticals also Tweeted regarding developments related to this global #MakeInIndia initiative.

6. #IndvsWI

India vs West Indies was the penultimate knockout semi-final game in the WT20 tournament. #IndvsWI trended all day on March 31st and Tweets regarding the much anticipated match took over the Twitter timeline. West Indies won the match and millions of broken-hearted Indians still stood strong with Team India, in a display of true passion.

7. #IndvsBan

Indians around the world were united with #IndvsBan as fans Tweeted to fellow cricket lovers and joined the conversation on March 23rd. India clinched the thrilling WT20 match by defeating Bangladesh by 1 run and Twitter reflected the sentiments of this joyous moment.

8. #PVSindhu

India’s 1.2 billion people stood behind PV Sindhu (@Pvsindhu1) as she set out to compete against world #1 Carolina Mari in the Olympic Badminton Women’s Final. She became the first Indian woman to win a silver medal at the Olympics and Indians took to Twitter to congratulate her. #PVSindhu became an inspiring story for women empowerment as young women, mothers, and well-known women icons in India came together on Twitter to celebrate her victory.

9. #surgicalstrike

Debates and discussions ensued on Twitter after the Indian Army carried out a surgical strike against Pakistan on September 29th, following the Uri Attack. The nation stood divided in favour of or against this choice of action that led to a significant number of casualties of Indian soldiers.

10. #JNU

Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar was slapped with sedition charges and arrested on February 13th for a speech he gave at an event held on campus to mark the third anniversary of terror convict Afzal Guru’s hanging. The#JNU hashtag took Twitter by storm as people debated over serious issues such as condemning freedom of speech that this arrest reflected.

December 6, 2016
2016’s top hashtag trends

MUMBAI: From Brexit, to GST, to US elections and now demonetisation, 2016 has been an eventful year so far, and continues to throw googlys at us in the last few remaining days (Tamil Nadu CM’s death). No wonder the netizens were exceptionally chatty on Twitter this year.

The country’s trending moments became worldwide conversations on Twitter, be it PM Modi’s revolutionary demonetisation reform (Most Influential Moment of the Year), Delhi’s rising pollution problem, the debut of Global Citizen Festival in India, and the Bollywood glam at the Filmfare Awards.

PV Sindhu, Sakshi Malik, and Dipa Karmakar, India’s women athletes that won a million hearts on Twitter during the Olympics made #Rio2016 the Top Hashtag Trend of the Year on Twitter. Their medal victories and near-misses inspired women everywhere, and showcased a spirit of unwavering determination and grit.

Virat Kohli’s Tweet in support of Anushka Sharma was the Golden Tweet or the most Retweeted Tweet of 2016.

According to Twitter India, Twitter reflected and influenced Indian society that was united together in celebration, victory, protests, revolutionary reforms, crises, and significant cultural moments.

To commemorate that, the micro blogging site has released a list of highlights from Twitter’s 2016.

Hashtags are the anchors of any solid conversation; they enable users to discover and participate in what others are talking about for an issue they care about. With 7 of the top 10 hashtags this year related to the #Rio2016 Olympics and #WT20 cricket, sports dominated the trending Twitter conversations for the nation. The government’s flagship programme, #MakeInIndia is also one of the most popular Hashtag Trends of the year with its global appeal.

1. #Rio2016

All conversations surrounding this exciting sporting global moment converged on Twitter, as Indians Tweeted using the #Rio2016 hashtag. The hashtag united the country in this moment of national prominence and the Tweets reflected the pride, thrill and joy of Indians everywhere as Indian athletes won medals at the Olympics and received well-deserved cheers on the platform.

2. #IndvsPak

The two national teams enthralled fans with a cut-throat match in the group stage of the ICC WT20 tournament. The cricket mania took Twitter by storm as aficionados from either side of the border Tweeted fervently with #IndvsPak to join the conversation on the platform onMarch 19th.

3. #WT20

The apex international championship of Twenty20 cricket was religiously Tweeted about by the nation’s ardent cricket lovers. Fans rejoiced at every six and coped together with every wicket by using the #WT20 hashtag from March 15 – April 3.

4. #IndvsAus

India battled it out against the Aussies in the group stage of the WT20 tournament. Enthusiastic Indians Tweeted their support for the national team with the #IndvsAus hashtag and celebrated the national win when India beat Australia on March 27th.

5. #MakeInIndia

The Government of India uses Twitter to promote their flagship #MakeInIndia programme that encourages companies to manufacture their products in India. The Government shared updates on new deals, joint ventures and tech transfers using this hashtag around the world. Large corporations as well as SMBs across various verticals also Tweeted regarding developments related to this global #MakeInIndia initiative.

6. #IndvsWI

India vs West Indies was the penultimate knockout semi-final game in the WT20 tournament. #IndvsWI trended all day on March 31st and Tweets regarding the much anticipated match took over the Twitter timeline. West Indies won the match and millions of broken-hearted Indians still stood strong with Team India, in a display of true passion.

7. #IndvsBan

Indians around the world were united with #IndvsBan as fans Tweeted to fellow cricket lovers and joined the conversation on March 23rd. India clinched the thrilling WT20 match by defeating Bangladesh by 1 run and Twitter reflected the sentiments of this joyous moment.

8. #PVSindhu

India’s 1.2 billion people stood behind PV Sindhu (@Pvsindhu1) as she set out to compete against world #1 Carolina Mari in the Olympic Badminton Women’s Final. She became the first Indian woman to win a silver medal at the Olympics and Indians took to Twitter to congratulate her. #PVSindhu became an inspiring story for women empowerment as young women, mothers, and well-known women icons in India came together on Twitter to celebrate her victory.

9. #surgicalstrike

Debates and discussions ensued on Twitter after the Indian Army carried out a surgical strike against Pakistan on September 29th, following the Uri Attack. The nation stood divided in favour of or against this choice of action that led to a significant number of casualties of Indian soldiers.

10. #JNU

Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar was slapped with sedition charges and arrested on February 13th for a speech he gave at an event held on campus to mark the third anniversary of terror convict Afzal Guru’s hanging. The#JNU hashtag took Twitter by storm as people debated over serious issues such as condemning freedom of speech that this arrest reflected.

December 6, 2016
Sony brings month-long Pro-Wrestling League S2 on 15 December

MUMBAI: The biggest olympic league in the world and much acclaimed Pro Wrestling League (PWL), in association with Wrestling Federation of India, launched last year, is back in Season 2 with “Double Dhamaka”. World’s biggest Olympic sports league and the longest running Live TV show surpassed the television presence of many televised leagues and garnered millions of eyeballs.

The Second season of the league is set to kick-start from December 15, 2016. PWL today announced numerous additions in the second season featuring eight teams instead of six with an increase in players’ pool to 80 from the initial draft of 54. From 18 days, the multi-city league moves on to a month-long second edition of PWL.

Wrestling Federation of India president Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, emphasized,“While local ‘Dangals’ enjoyed unprecedented live spectators, data suggests that on TV, wrestling emerged as the most watched Olympic sport for Indian audience in the last 12 months.” He added, “PWL had direct impact on recent Olympic medalist Sakshi Malik, as she got an opportunity to study, share & compete alongside the best wrestlers in the world during PWL.”

ProSportify founder & promoter Kartikeya Sharma, reiterated,“We’ve created a friendly format for TV viewing sports fans whilst keeping the ethos, mat rules and rich tradition of the game intact. Additionally, our three innovations worked heavily in PWL’s favour. Essentially, converting an individual sport into a Team Game with boys & girls representing the same team. Secondly, introduction of ‘Toss’& subsequently ‘Player Blocking’ added a sense of suspense, excitement & drama in the competitive fast-paced game”.

Sony Pictures Network president- Sports & Distribution, Rajesh Kaul, said, “At Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN), we are committed to bringing the best of International sports as well as supporting domestic sports leagues. Given India’s affinity towards wrestling which is ingrained in our culture, the PWL garnered impressive viewership in its inaugural year on our network and earned the distinction of being one of the top three domestic leagues in India.”

PWL was launched with the aim to provide international platform to the deserving talent across India to compete with worlds best wrestlers in India. The most watched Olympic sport league in India also reached out to newer pockets and increased players fan following. Internationally the league has established as the most successful league, as a result we will now feature over 40 international wrestlers as compared to 24 last year. With this PWL becomes the biggest league with maximum Olympians playing in India.

October 13, 2016
Sony brings month-long Pro-Wrestling League S2 on 15 December

MUMBAI: The biggest olympic league in the world and much acclaimed Pro Wrestling League (PWL), in association with Wrestling Federation of India, launched last year, is back in Season 2 with “Double Dhamaka”. World’s biggest Olympic sports league and the longest running Live TV show surpassed the television presence of many televised leagues and garnered millions of eyeballs.

The Second season of the league is set to kick-start from December 15, 2016. PWL today announced numerous additions in the second season featuring eight teams instead of six with an increase in players’ pool to 80 from the initial draft of 54. From 18 days, the multi-city league moves on to a month-long second edition of PWL.

Wrestling Federation of India president Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, emphasized,“While local ‘Dangals’ enjoyed unprecedented live spectators, data suggests that on TV, wrestling emerged as the most watched Olympic sport for Indian audience in the last 12 months.” He added, “PWL had direct impact on recent Olympic medalist Sakshi Malik, as she got an opportunity to study, share & compete alongside the best wrestlers in the world during PWL.”

ProSportify founder & promoter Kartikeya Sharma, reiterated,“We’ve created a friendly format for TV viewing sports fans whilst keeping the ethos, mat rules and rich tradition of the game intact. Additionally, our three innovations worked heavily in PWL’s favour. Essentially, converting an individual sport into a Team Game with boys & girls representing the same team. Secondly, introduction of ‘Toss’& subsequently ‘Player Blocking’ added a sense of suspense, excitement & drama in the competitive fast-paced game”.

Sony Pictures Network president- Sports & Distribution, Rajesh Kaul, said, “At Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN), we are committed to bringing the best of International sports as well as supporting domestic sports leagues. Given India’s affinity towards wrestling which is ingrained in our culture, the PWL garnered impressive viewership in its inaugural year on our network and earned the distinction of being one of the top three domestic leagues in India.”

PWL was launched with the aim to provide international platform to the deserving talent across India to compete with worlds best wrestlers in India. The most watched Olympic sport league in India also reached out to newer pockets and increased players fan following. Internationally the league has established as the most successful league, as a result we will now feature over 40 international wrestlers as compared to 24 last year. With this PWL becomes the biggest league with maximum Olympians playing in India.

October 13, 2016
Rio 2016: Swimming, archery get high viewership in opening week

NEW DELHI: India may not have a Michael Phelps, rather one doesn’t remember if an Indian swimmer even participated in Rio, but surprisingly swimming garnered maximum viewership of 30.8 (000) Impressions in the initial days of Olympics 2016.

According to BARC data for the period of August 6-12, 2016, swimming topped the list of Top 10 watched events/disciplines (basis sum of normalized impressions across 30 min) across the nine SD and HD TV channels of Star Sports and Doordrashan (TG: All India, 4+).

The swimming discipline was followed by archery in the second spot as the most watched sports/discipline in India, though this could be understood as the Indian women’s team, lead by world champ Deepika Kumari, was expected to win a medal in the team and individual sections at Rio.

Despite the fact the Indian men and women archers failed to shoot themselves to the medal podium, but viewership was an impressive 24.2 (000) Impressions; probably because in the land of Arjun and Karna, master mythological archers, archery is an attractive sport.

Impressions 000 is the number of individuals (in 000s) of a target audience who viewed an “event”, averaged across minutes. This is what is also known as TVT (Television Viewership in Thousands), according to BARC responsible for TV audience measurement in India.

Though PV Sindhu (silver medalist in the women’s section at Rio) was probably just starting her campaign at the Olympics during the period under review, but the presence of bigger stars like Saina Nehawal, Jwala Gutta, K. Srikanth, etc gave badminton the No. 3 spot in terms of viewership with 9.3 (000) Impressions.

It would be worthwhile to see the viewership figures for the women’s final match played on August 19, 2016 as and when BARC comes out with its data as facing a dismal Olympics 2016 campaign, the whole of India was rooting for the lanky Sindhu to win the yellow metal. Ditto for Sakshi Malik’s wrestling matches where India finally ended up getting a bronze medal courtesy a 23-year-old woman hailing from a patriarchal State of Haryana.

Interestingly, the Indian men’s hockey match against Canada, which ended in a draw, pulled in 9.1 Impressions in terms of viewership. But when before this match, India had played Ireland in the opener and won, the audience was a low 5.7 Impressions.

BARC’s Week 32 data on Rio 2016 telecast also highlights that telecast across nine channels for a cumulative 950 hours in the period 6-12 August garnered 210.9 million Impressions.

The opening ceremony garnered 0.5 million Impressions across all the 9 channels.

(Note: The viewership data corresponds to specific duration of the event/discipline and not a particular time band.)

August 20, 2016
Rio 2016: Swimming, archery get high viewership in opening week

NEW DELHI: India may not have a Michael Phelps, rather one doesn’t remember if an Indian swimmer even participated in Rio, but surprisingly swimming garnered maximum viewership of 30.8 (000) Impressions in the initial days of Olympics 2016.

According to BARC data for the period of August 6-12, 2016, swimming topped the list of Top 10 watched events/disciplines (basis sum of normalized impressions across 30 min) across the nine SD and HD TV channels of Star Sports and Doordrashan (TG: All India, 4+).

The swimming discipline was followed by archery in the second spot as the most watched sports/discipline in India, though this could be understood as the Indian women’s team, lead by world champ Deepika Kumari, was expected to win a medal in the team and individual sections at Rio.

Despite the fact the Indian men and women archers failed to shoot themselves to the medal podium, but viewership was an impressive 24.2 (000) Impressions; probably because in the land of Arjun and Karna, master mythological archers, archery is an attractive sport.

Impressions 000 is the number of individuals (in 000s) of a target audience who viewed an “event”, averaged across minutes. This is what is also known as TVT (Television Viewership in Thousands), according to BARC responsible for TV audience measurement in India.

Though PV Sindhu (silver medalist in the women’s section at Rio) was probably just starting her campaign at the Olympics during the period under review, but the presence of bigger stars like Saina Nehawal, Jwala Gutta, K. Srikanth, etc gave badminton the No. 3 spot in terms of viewership with 9.3 (000) Impressions.

It would be worthwhile to see the viewership figures for the women’s final match played on August 19, 2016 as and when BARC comes out with its data as facing a dismal Olympics 2016 campaign, the whole of India was rooting for the lanky Sindhu to win the yellow metal. Ditto for Sakshi Malik’s wrestling matches where India finally ended up getting a bronze medal courtesy a 23-year-old woman hailing from a patriarchal State of Haryana.

Interestingly, the Indian men’s hockey match against Canada, which ended in a draw, pulled in 9.1 Impressions in terms of viewership. But when before this match, India had played Ireland in the opener and won, the audience was a low 5.7 Impressions.

BARC’s Week 32 data on Rio 2016 telecast also highlights that telecast across nine channels for a cumulative 950 hours in the period 6-12 August garnered 210.9 million Impressions.

The opening ceremony garnered 0.5 million Impressions across all the 9 channels.

(Note: The viewership data corresponds to specific duration of the event/discipline and not a particular time band.)

August 20, 2016