ITV

Tag: TAM data

  • Reasons for agreeing on no TAM data for nine weeks

    Reasons for agreeing on no TAM data for nine weeks

    MUMBAI: Release of television viewership ratings in India has been suspended till 19 December to provide a stabilisation period after the compulsory switchover to digital delivery of channels happens from 1 November in the four metros.

    TAM Media Research, the only television ratings service in India, will not report viewership ratings data for nine weeks ending on 8 December, following an agreement between the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA).

    The three industry bodies and TAM, in a joint statement on Wednesday, announced their decision to suspend release of ratings for the entire country, after two days of intense discussions. IBF and TAM had earlier agreed to suspend television viewership ratings across the country, but other stakeholders’ nod was obtained over the last two days.

    The broadcasting industry pushed hard for the suspension of ratings data as it felt that during the transition process from analogue signals to digital environment in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata, there could have been discrepancies in TAM’s reporting of data, which could have had serious implications, particularly for the broadcasters, not only in terms of finance but also in terms of credibility.

    TAM data for the period of suspension from 7 October to 8 December will be cureted and validated by a panel of experts from Nielsen/Kantar, owners of TAM, and a representative each from IBF, AAAI and ISA to ensure quality, consistency and integrity of processes and data, prior to its release on 19 December, along with ratings for the week beginning 9 December.

    The statement said the deferment of release of data during the ‘switchover’ will ensure that TAM and all stakeholders have provided extended time for the on-ground situation to stabilise into a digital phase. This will help in ensuring the users take a longer-term view of data for decision-making. TAM has all its systems in place to ensure accurate data. TAM will anyway be communicating the steps it is taking in this regard to all stakeholders. All stakeholders are unanimous that consistency, quality and integrity of the data must be maintained.

    What made industry decide on no TAM data?

    Leo Burnett South Asia chairman and CEO, AAAI president and Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) chairman Arvind= Sharma says, “In the transition period, it is not a normal situation. How the data is projected in this period is what the IBF, AAAI and ISA are trying to figure out together. IBF for a variety of technical reasons thought that the purpose of digitisation will be best be served if the ratings are suspended throughout the country.”

    Shedding light on why ratings will not be reported across the country, an industry insider said, “This is basically to give TAM time to look at all the variations that take place in the data. One of the arguments pushed forth was that data for metros be withheld. But there will be a certain number of channels for whom the metros are significant proportion of their viewership. In that case it would be incorrect that their ratings are not represented adequately.”

    Viacom18 Media senior VP, GM English entertainment Ferzad Palia said, “Our aim is to ensure that nobody is unduly disadvantaged. We want the ratings system to be fine. Otherwise it defeats the purpose.”

    For genres like English channels, a large chunk of viewership comes from the four metros. “So it does not make sense to have data for the rest of the country and exclude the metros. An accurate representation should always be there,” said Palia.

    The roll-out of digitisation has already begun in the four metros. The analogue signals of all English movie channels was switched off on 10 October. Analogue signals of Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) were switched off for two hours between from 2 pm on Friday, 12 October, before going ahead with the switching off of analogue signals of more genres. In a letter to multi-system operators (MSOs), IBF president and Multi Screen Media CEO Man Jit Singh said analogue signals of Hindi movie channels will be switched off in the four metros from 11 pm on 15 October, followed by English, Hindi and business news channels from 11 pm on 18 October and Hindi GECs from 11 pm on 22 October.

    The two-month suspension period will be used by TAM and the industry bodies to smoothen the transition. New Delhi Television CEO
    Vikram Chandra said, “We welcome the decision of suspension of data. We think it is a good move as the process of digitisation can roll out without the issues that could be caused by ratings in this time. We sincerely hope that this two month period will be utilised by TAM to improve the nature of their product.”

    Considering that the first attempt at digitisation in certain pockets in the metro cities failed, complete digitisation in the metros is a very important step for the government not just for the agencies or the advertisers.

    As per law, cable digitisation is mandatory from 1 November in the four metros from 1 November.

    Many in the industry are of the opinion that the suspension of data and the complications that it may cause are a short term compromise for a long term benefit. A senior official from a media agency says, “It would be very opportunistic to corner the broadcasters. It is a government policy and in a way the situation is beyond everyone’s control. It isn’t their doing. The good thing is that the entire industry has decided to come together and work this out.”

    There are also questions being asked over the decision to suspend ratings release. An official from a leading channel network asks, “What happens is we will get a distorted data, but they will be giving it after nine weeks. The point is either you don’t give the data or give it now. What is the point in giving the data after 9 weeks?”

    The suspension of TAM data comes at one of the peak times in the media business with the festival season having kicked off. So what happens to the deals and more importantly, what yard stick does one use for negotiations in this two month period?

    Zeel chief sales officer Ashish Sehgal says, “Parameter is always the past data. Post evaluation happens after data comes out. Now they will analyse it 8 weeks later. The impact will not be on buying per say but may be on planning. And as far as big properties are concerned, it is festive season and the inventories are all sold out. And for shows like Sa Re Ga Ma all the initial ratings have come. So one has an idea how it will perform.”

    Allied Media COO P M Balakrishnan said, “The entire realignment is just sinking in. The clients are beginning to try to figure out what will be a better option, whether to go off TV or use any other medium. Other mediums like print, OOH and radio will come into play, but there is no escaping from that visual and TV.Long term deals are easier to handle because there is a possibility of realignment but for short term deals there is a question mark. Everyone is still trying to understand what the best way is out.”

  • Life OK achieves its all-time high ratings

    MUMBAI: Life OK, the second Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) from the Star Network stable, has recorded its highest rating of 167 GRPs. The channel, which had opened with 87 GRPs in December 2011, has come a long way and its popular mythological show ‘Mahadev‘ has contributed immensely in its journey.

    As per TAM data (HSM, C&S, 4+) provided by Hindi GECs, though there is no change in Life OK‘s position on GEC ladder (at No.5 in the hierarchy) but it added 26 GRPs to its last week‘s tally. The success can be attributed to the telecast of ‘Mahaepisode‘ of ‘Mahadev‘ on 9 September. The special episode of the show ran for an hour and garnered 8.2 TVR, highest recorded rating of any show in this year. The show averaged around 3.1 TVR as compared to 2.9 TVR in the previous week.

    Star Plus is back as the leader of the flock. The channel has maintained status quo with 250 GRPs in the week ended 15 September. Its fiction shows continue to garner good numbers as ‘Diya Aur Baati Hum‘ (5.3 TVR) continues to be the most watched show on Indian television.

    Despite the loss of 11 GRPs, taking the second leadership position is Zee TV. The fiction shows of the channel like Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke (2.1 TVR), Rab Se Sona Ishq (1.4 TVR), Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein (2.2 TVR) have seen a marginal drop in their ratings. However, ‘Dance Ke Superkids‘ (4.6 TVR) continues to fetch increased eyeballs and is the highest rated show on the weekend prime-time.

    There is a tie at the No. 3 position of GEC ranking. Both Colors and Sony Entertainment Television (Set) have notched 230 GRPs each. Colors added a GRP while Set ended the week with a loss of 14 GRPs.

    Colors‘ ‘Balika Vadhu‘ has been holding onto its No.2 position in the ‘Top 10 shows‘ with 4.7 TVR (last week 5.1). It replaced ‘Saas Bina Sasural‘ on the channel; its last rating was recorded 1 TVR. The new season of the channel‘s laughter reality show Comedy Circus titled ‘Comedy Circus Ke Ajoobe‘ opened with 3.3 TVR on 9 September.

    Set‘s new fiction property ‘Honge Juda na hum‘, which launched on 10 September, opened with a 1 TVR. It replaced ‘Saas Bina Sasural‘ on the channel, last rating of which was recorded 1 TVR. The new season of the channel‘s laughter reality show Comedy Circus titled ‘Comedy Circus Ke Ajoobe‘ opened with 3.3 TVR on 9 September.

    ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati 6‘ saw a drop in its ratings in the following week. Though it opened with a 6.1 on 7 September (Friday), it clocked 3.9 TVR on 14 September (Friday). The Saturday (15 September) episode of the show rated 4.8 TVR while the Sunday episode (9 September) fetched 4.2 TVR.

    The next in the GEC ladder is Sab that added a GRP to close the week with 137 GRPs.

    Sahara-One with 34 GRPs (last week 36 GRPs) follows.

  • Star Plus continues to rule the GEC genre

    MUMBAI: The pecking order of the top four Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs) remains unchanged and Star Plus continues to lead the genre.

    As per TAM data (HSM, C&S, 4+) provided by the Hindi GECs, Star Plus has added 11 GRPs to pocket 264 GRPs for the week ended 1 September. Its fiction shows continue to do well but the viewership of leading property ‘Diya Aur Baati Hum‘ dropped to 5.6 TVR from 6.7 TVR in the preceeding week.

    Colors shed 14 GRPs but is still the second most watched channel in the genre backed by its fiction shows like ‘Balika Vadhu‘ (5.5 TVR), ‘Parichay‘ (2.6 TVR) and ‘Madhubala‘ (2.5 TVR) that have seen increase in eyeballs. The channel collected 244 GRPs for the week ended 1 September. Colors might see the performance bettering next week because it‘s launching Sahara-One‘s singing reality show ‘Sur-Kshetra‘ on 8 September.

    Holding on to the No.3 position is Zee TV which lost 10 GRPs to end the week with 227 GRPs. The reason for the loss in numbers could be the fall in ratings of its newly launched shows like ‘Ramayana‘ and ‘Dance Ke Superkids‘. The epic show, which had opened with 2.7 TVR, had ratings of 1.3 in the week. Meanwhile, ‘Dance Ke Superkids‘ fell from 5.6 TVR to 4.4 TVR.

    Sony Entertainment Television (Set) lost a GRP to record 210 GRPs. The grand finale episode of Indian Idol-6 that ran for almost two-and-a-half hours clocked 3.3 TVR on Saturday. Its most watched fiction show ‘Bade Ache Lagte Hai‘ rated 3.4 TVR (last week 3.3 TVR). The channel is launching its biggest game show, ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati -6‘, on 7 September. Hosted by Amtibach Bachan, the show is expected to up Sony‘s ratings and hierarchy in the Hindi GEC pecking order.

    Life OK with 132 GRPs (last week 126) is the next in the ladder while just a GRP away is Sab with 131 GRPs (last week 126). Sahara One with 35 GRPs (last week 37) follows.

  • Euro 2012: Spain vs Portugal match delivers 2.04 TVR for Neo

    MUMBAI: The semi-final match between Spain and Portugal was the most watched match of Uefa Euro 2012 garnering 2.04 TVR in the six metros (Sec ABC 15+ CS male target group), broadcaster Neo Prime said quoting TAM data.

    The second semi-final match between Germany and Italy got only 1.37 TVR. The two semi-finals had average ratings of 1.70 TVR.
    The viewership data for the final between Spain and Italy is expected next week.

    Comparably, the semi-final matches in the previous edition of tournament had average ratings of 1.12 TVR with the first semi-final match between Germany and Turkey getting a TVR of 1.91 and the second semi-final between Russia and Spain attracting 0.91 TVR.

    The 2008 Uefa Euro was aired on ESPN in India.

    The event‘s reach also improved significantly with 19.28 million viewers tuning in for matches till the semi-final stage. The previous edition had a reach of 14.96 million.

    The four quarter final matches for the tournament was 1.09 TVR with the last two matches getting viewership of above 1 TVR. The 2008 edition had average ratings of 0.88 for the quarter final stage.

    On the whole, the average event viewership notched 0.73 TVR which is just a tad better than the 0.67 TV in the previous edition. Eleven out of 30 matches till the semi-final stage rated more than 1 TVR compared to seven matches in the 2008 Uefa championship.

    In US, the Uefa Euro 2012 final on ESPN set a record as the most-watched European Football Championship game in the United States. The match was seen by an average audience of 4.068 million viewers in 2.699 million average television households.

    Throughout the 31 matches of the three-week tournament, ESPN‘s live English-language TV presentation delivered an average of 993,000 households and 1,300,000 viewers, up 51 per cent in households and viewers respectively, versus 31 matches in 2008 (657,000 households and 859,000 viewers).

    In the U.K., the Spain-Italy final on pubcaster BBC and ITV averaged 12.3 million viewers during the game, compared with two million on ITV.

  • Hindi GECs slide in 2nd week after IPL

    MUMBAI: The Hindi general entertainment genre has not managed to hold ground in the second week after the closure of the IPL this year. In the first week post IPL, the genre had gained 30 GRPs.

    As per TAM data for week ended 9 June (data sourced from Hindi GECs) for the Hindi speaking markets (C&S, 4+), all the GECs have lost eyeballs barring Life OK, the second GEC offering from Star India.

    Star Plus maintains its lead position with 270 GRPs (gross rating points) amid a loss of 2 GRPs from the preceding week. However, Zee TV, Colors and Sony Entertainment Television (Set) are caught in a cut-throat battle.

    The three channels are only apart by 3 points with Zee TV at 203 GRPs, followed by Set (201 GRPs) and Colors (200 GRPs). The three channels lost 30 GRPs, 21 GRPs and 4 GRPs respectively.

    Maintaining its fifth position, Life OK has added 10 GRPs to take its total to 122 (GRPs) in the week. Sab collects 120 GRPs (last week 121).

    Sahara One loses 10 GRPs to score 31 GRPs in the week ended 9 June.

  • Life OK topples Sab, touches high of 123 GRPs

    MUMBAI: Star India’s gamble of ceasing non-performing second rung Hindi general entertainment channel Star One and starting afresh with a channel sans Star branding is paying off.

    Life OK, the second Hindi GEC channel from the Star stable, has reached its all time high with 123 GRPs (gross rating points) in the week ended 19 May.

    As per Tam data for the Hindi speaking markets (C&S, 4+), the channel has added 33 GRPs in the week. It has also overtaken Multi Screen Media’s second Hindi GEC Sab to capture the fifth position on the GEC ladder.

    “We are happy that within six months of launch we have reached so far. What is important is that viewers are connecting to our core philosophy of ‘appreciating what we have’. All our shows are highlighting a cause or issue and viewers are appreciating it,” Life OK GM Ajit Thakur told Indiantelevision.com.

    He added that despite very big shows, it’s the “philosophy and disruptive strategy” which is working for the channel.

    For Life OK, its mythological show Devon Ke Dev Mahadev remained the top gainer. With the high point during the week, the average weekly ratings of the show surged from 1.1 TVR in the last week to 2.3 TVR in the week ended 19 May.

    Also, Saubhagyawati Bhava’s average ratings have gone up to 1.4 TVR from 1.1 TVR in the previous week.

    Thakur said that in the coming week, two shows – Saubhagyawati Bhava and Mai Laxmi Tere Aangan Ki – will have high points, which will further give a peak to the channel. The channel will also have a week-long special of Savdhan India.

    Thakur said that Star India has allowed the channel to take big risks and that he has the youngest team with passion and commitment to run the channel, which is helping in growing it.

    Launched on 18 December last year, Life OK had debuted with 87 GRPs in its kitty.

    Meanwhile, a look at the other channels’ scorecard:

    Star Plus maintained its lead, even if it lost 14 GRPs during the week. The channel ended the week with 262 GRPs. Satyamev Jayate rated 4.4 TVR in HSM markets (All 4+, HSM) and a national TVR of 3.7 (All 4+, All India).

    These are simulcast ratings of the original episode aired on Sunday morning 11 am across nine channels (Star Plus, Star Pravah, Star Jalsha, Star World, Star Utsav, Star Vijay, Asianet, ETV Telegu and Doordarshan).

    Four of its primetime shows found place among the top 10 shows on the Hindi GECs.

    Zee TV and Colors shared second spot with 213 GRPs each. While Colors added 12 GRPs to its last week’s tally, Zee TV lost 11 GRPs.

    Zee TV’s DID Li’L Masters and its auditions episode featured in the top 10 shows while Colors had only Balika Vadhu in the list.

    Sony Entertainment Television (Set) followed with 210 GRPs, losing seven GRPs during the week.

    Sab was the biggest loser in the week. It lost 15 GRPs and slipped below Life OK to end the week at 116 GRPs (last week 131 GRPs).

    Sahara One maintained its status quo with 39 GRPs (last week 40), while Imagine TV, which has ceased original programming, closed the week with 2 GRPs.

  • IPL ratings remain flat at 3.4 TVR for 46 matches

    MUMBAI: The viewership for the first 46 matches (44 matches excluding two abandoned matches) of the Indian Premier League remained flat at 3.40 TVR, despite the improved quality of matches and several close encounters.

    The cumulative reach of the current season of IPL matches stood at 151.58 million, according to Tam data for CS 4+ TG All India market.

    The season 4 of the IPL had garnered an average viewership of 3.54 TVR with a cumulative reach of 152.72 million. The season 1 of the tournament followed by season 3 had the best performance garnering 4.72 and 4.53 TVR respectively.

    The IPL ratings have gone down below the 3.5 TVR for the first time, marking a new low in its viewership.

    Earlier, the IPL had notched an average viewership of 3.41 TVR for the initial 36 matches with a cumulative reach of 144.9 million.

    The first 27 matches of the IPL had managed a viewership of 3.53 TVR, down from 3.88 TVR a year ago. Even the cumulative reach has taken a beating, down from 140 million last year to 137 million.

    The average viewership for the first seven matches was 3.76 TVR which further fell to an average of 3.65 TVR for the 16 matches.

    Explaining the falling viewership of the IPL, Percept Media Lab had released an analytical report according to which the IPL viewership has stabilised after going through a ‘level shift‘ or sudden drop in viewership.

    The report also stated that the viewership has dropped since the initial attraction and draw of sports combined with glamour has worn off, and there is no longer a ‘novelty’ around the IPL concept.

    It also established that the share of Female viewers for SEC ABC has dropped to 10 per cent from 13 per cent in IPL season 4 even as it retained its core Male TG.

  • 36 IPL matches notch 3.41 TVR

    MUMBAI: The IPL ratings have gone down below the 3.5 TVR for the first time, marking a new low in its viewership.

    According to TAM data (for CS4+ TG, All India market), the IPL has notched an average viewership of 3.41 TVR for the initial 36 matches with a cumulative reach of 144.9 million.

    Comparably, the average ratings for first 37 matches in IPL season 4 was 3.67 TVR despite the event happening in the backdrop of a largely successful ICC World Cup, which India won after 27 years.

    In 2010, the rating for the league was at its high with the first 38 matches garnering 4.61 TVR. The inaugural edition of the IPL was the most successful with an average rating of 4.84 TVR for the first 38 matches.

    The first 27 matches of the IPL had managed a viewership of 3.53 TVR, down from 3.88 TVR a year ago. Even the cumulative reach has taken a beating, down from 140 million last year to 137 million.

    The average viewership for the first seven matches was 3.76 TVR which further fell down to an average of 3.65 TVR for the 16 matches.

  • Weak IPL5 ratings cause for concern

    Weak IPL5 ratings cause for concern

    MUMBAI: After a spell of success for three consecutive years, the Indian Premier League is getting a harsh reality check. While Max, the official broadcaster, has found it tough to sell to advertisers at last year‘s rates, the initial ratings are a matter of concern for the long-term growth of the property.

    The average rating for the first six matches of the fifth edition of the IPL has hit an all-time low, scoring weaker than last year‘s which had taken place immediately after a long-drawn World Cup at home that India went on to win. TAM data shows that the average rating stood at 3.76 TVR, a big drop from the 4.63 TVR that the event garnered last year. The third edition of the event had done even better with average rating of 4.99 TVR.

    Making matters worse for Max is the fact that the overall reach too has seen a 10 per cent drop to 90 million from 101 million last year. If the ratings continue their downward spiral, it will have huge implications for Max in particular as it had to make do with unsold inventory and lesser sponsors for this season. The channel had made Rs 9 billion in revenues from last season‘s IPL in spite of average viewership for the tournament falling even as the overall reach increased.

    The drop in ratings will certainly put pressure on Max. As it has sold just 65-70 per cent of its commercial time.However, MSM president network sales, licensing and telephony Rohit Gupta says that it is still early for an analysis. “We need to give it another week. We are doing deals.”

    Industry experts point out that the main reasons for the drop in ratings are Team India‘s disastrous performance in England and Australia followed by lackluster showing in the four nation Asia Cup with the win over Pakistan being the only talking point coupled with one-sided matches in the IPL.

    The mood in the market is that while there were no sky high expectations from the IPL this year, in the same breath it wasn‘t expected to do this bad.

    Percept Jt MD Shailendra Singh reasons that the positioning of the IPL as a “youth” league has gone for a toss what with retired players Adam Gilchrist and Rahul Dravid taking centrestage.

    “The IPL has become a veteran league with so many retired players playing in the tournament. The franchises should have promoted the youth faces. The whole purpose of the IPL will be defeated if the youth is not given due recognition,” he avers.

    GroupM ESP managing partner Hiren Pandit does not agree that the IPL has lost its youth value. He believes that the lack of competitiveness is driving away interest. The Indian team‘s pathetic form also contributed to the low interest.

    Pandit, though, cautions against writing off the IPL as the data is just for the first six matches. “I think it‘s too early to comment, let‘s wait for some more matches. But, yes, the ratings have gone down due to lack of good performance from players and the Indian team‘s performance in the recent tours,” he says.

    He is also hopeful that a couple of good performances will lift the mood among fans. A case in point is last year‘s IPL when Chris Gayle took the IPL by storm with his ruthless knocks. Gayle, who remained unsold during the auction, was taken as a replacement player by Royal Challengers Bangalore, which turned out to be a game changer.

    Singh feels that the franchises should do more activity round the year to engage fans and the emphasis should be on the sport rather than entertainment. He is quick to add that the right dosage of entertainment is also needed.

    Maxus and Motivator South Asia MD Ajit Varghese says though the drop in ratings is a concern, advertisers at the same time will get a value out of their marketing investment‘s since a rating of 3.76 is not that bad either. He also contends that advertisers who have taken on-air sponsorship this year will gain more as the number of advertisers is less which will result in less clutter.

    “We never had high expectations from the IPL this season as ratings have taken a hit due to Indian team‘s (bad) performance. However the drop in ratings remain a concern,” Varghese adds. “Different advertisers have different objectives to get on to the IPL bandwagon. Some might want to use it to launch products, while others do it for impact. Some also might do it to strengthen their leadership position.”

    A sports marketing expert feels that one reason for lower ratings is a lack of close match endings. “Glamour also is important as the IPL has always been sold as an entertainment property. The fact that ‘Houseful‘ did well at the box office shows that people are not interrupting their schedule to watch matches,” the executive says.

    Pandit, however, has a contrarian view. “I don‘t think that (glamour) it will do any wonders for the IPL because at the end of the day it is about the sport, which in itself is an entertainment proposition.”

  • Zee TV slips back to No. 4

    Zee TV slips back to No. 4

    MUMBAI: Zee TV, which had reached to the second spot last week after a gap of one year, has slumped back to No. 4.

    As per TAM data (C&S, 4+, HSM) for week ended 31 March, Zee TV saw a dip of 14 GRPs (gross rating points) to close the week with 200 points. A majority of fiction shows of the channel have lost eyeballs.

    Leading GEC, Star Plus, has also seen a fall of 29 GRPs to clock 289 points during the week. The channel had crossed the 300 GRP-mark last week on the back of Star Parivaar Awards 2012 that had clocked 6.41 TVR. Star Plus launched its singing reality show, ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar’ on 31 March, which opened with a 0.8 TVR.

    Sony Entertainment Television (Set) has jumped to No. 2 this week. The channel added 8 GRPs to end the week with 217 GRPs (last week 209). The channel’s non-fiction shows, C.I.D (3.99 TVR) and Crime Petrol (4.80 TVR), continue to be in the list of top 10 shows on Hindi GECs.

    Occupying the third place is Colors. The channel saw a rise in ratings, ending the week with 205 GRPs (200 GRP). Its leading fiction show Balika Vadhu has seen an improvement and was the third most watched show on a Hindi GEC.

    Next in the list are Sab and Life OK which added 8 GRPs each and clocked 140 GRPs and 82 GRPs respectively.

    Imagine TV with 54 GRPs (last week 62) and Sahara One with 53 GRPs (last week 43) are fighting neck-and-neck at the bottom of the heap.