Mumbai: Continuing the lead from the last week of 2021, Sun TV began the New Year as the top performer in the first week of 2022. The Tamil GEC garnered weekly AMAs of 3020.98 according to Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) data for the period of 1-7 January.
Disturbing the long-standing status quo of Sun TV, Star Plus and Star Maa at the top three positions once again, Star Utsav lodged itself at No. two this week with 2637.26 AMA. It was at the third spot last week. At 2541.77 (‘000s) Star Plus finished third. It was followed by Star Maa and Star Vijay.
Climbing up from last week’s tenth position, Dhinchaak grabbed the sixth spot this time. Sony SAB, Colors and Zee TV were in the next three positions. Marathi GEC Star Pravah re-entered the list at the last slot after a gap of a few weeks.
The mega cities showed a preference for Sun TV (507.75) which was followed by Colors, Star Plus, Sony SAB and Star Vijay. South market was also led by the Tamil major with AMAs of 3014.22. Star Maa, Star Vijay, Zee Kannada and Zee Telugu were in the next four positions.
Among the regional markets, Star Pravah was the most viewed channel in Maharashtra/Goa with 1578.27 AMA, Star Jalsha (1278.48) in West Bengal, Tarang (477.06) in Odisha, Zee Kannada (1525.16) in Karnataka, and Star Utsav in Rajasthan (254.1) as well as in UP/Uttarakhand (443.38).
Mumbai: Maintaining hold on the top position, Sun TV garnered 2826.17 (‘000s) AMA in Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) week 52 (25 December to 31 December 2021). With weekly rating of 2625.44 AMA Star Plus was second.
Riding on weeks of success as the most-viewed channel in the Hindi heartland (Rajasthan, and UP/Uttarakhand), Star Utsav climbed up to the third spot in the last week of 2021. The channel clocked 2495.18 AMA.
Star Maa slipped to the fourth position. It was followed by Star Vijay, Colors, Sony SAB, Zee TV, Zee Kannada and Dhinchaak.
Sun TV led the mega cities at 473.13 (‘000s). Star Plus, Colors, Star Vijay and Sony SAB grabbed the remaining slots. The South market was also dominated by the Tamil major where it registered a weekly rating of 2817.58. Star Maa, Star Vijay, Zee Kannada and Zee Telugu were at the positions from two to five.
Among the regional markets, Star Pravah was the most viewed channel in Maharashtra/Goa with 1457.32 AMA, Star Jalsha (1334.12) in West Bengal, Tarang (484.16) in Odisha, Zee Kannada (1576.18) in Karnataka, and Star Utsav in Rajasthan (262.2) as well as in UP/Uttarakhand (412.6).
Mumbai: According to recently released data by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc), Sun TV was the most-watched channel with weekly ratings of 2739.54 AMA in week 51 (18-24 December). The Tamil GEC has been rulings the charts in close competition with Star Plus and Star Maa for five weeks now.
It was followed by Star Plus which bagged 2738.76 AMA for the week. Star Maa finished third at 2552.71 (‘000s).
Star Utsav, Colors, Star Vijay, Sony Sab, Zee Kannada, and Zee TV were at number four to nine. Bengali GEC Star Jalsha was the new entrant in the last position.
The mega cities were also dominated by Sun TV with weekly ratings of 467.0 (‘000s). Star Plus, Colors, Sony Sab, Star Vijay followed. At 2729.87, Sun TV led the south circuit as well. The remaining slots were grabbed by Star Maa, Star Vijay, Zee Kannada, and Zee Telugu.
Among the regional markets, Maharashtra/Goa was led by Star Pravah (1396.85), West Bengal by Star Jalsha (1316.09), Odisha by Tarang (433.38), and Karnataka by Zee Kannada (1596.42).
At 220.05 and 402.19 AMA, Star Utsav was the most-viewed channel in Rajasthan and UP/Uttarakhand.
Mumbai: Sun TV maintained its hold over the top spot in week 50 (11 December to 17 December), according to recently released Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) data. The channel garnered weekly ratings of 2748.43 (‘000s), against last week’s 2790.42.
Swapping their positions this week Star Maa emerged as the second most-viewed channel with 2702.64 AMA while Star Plus was at number three with 2668.97 (‘000s).
They were followed by Star Utsav, Star Vijay, Colors, Sony SAB, Zee Kannada, Zee Tv and Dhinchaak in that order.
With weekly AMAs of 453.17 (‘000s) Sun TV was the top performer in the Mega Cities list, followed by Colors, Star Plus, Sony SAB, and Star Vijay. The south market was also dominated by the Tamil major at 2740.81. Star Maa, Star Vijay, Zee Kannada, and Zee Telugu clinched remaining spots.
Among the regional markets, Maharashtra/Goa was led by Star Pravah (1425.54), West Bengal by Star Jalsha (1228.95), Odisha by Tarang (486.04), and Karnataka by Zee Kannada (1590.84).
At 226.25 and 388.79 AMA, Star Utsav was the most-viewed channel in Rajasthan and UP/Uttarakhand.
Mumbai: Maintaining its hold on the first position, Sun TV was the most-watched channel (All India) for the third consecutive time in week 49 (4 December – 10 December). According to recently released Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) data, the channel garnered weekly ratings of 2790.42.
Sun TV was followed by Star Plus and Star Maa with weekly AMAs of 2616.45 and 2519.79.
Star Utsav, Colors, Star Vijay, Sony SAB, Dhinchaak, Zee TV, and Star Pravah grabbed the remaining slots.
The mega cities, as well as the south market, were also led by Sun TV where it clocked in 465.1 and 2783.21 AMA respectively. It was followed by Colors, Star Plus, Sony SAB, and Star Vijay in the mega cities, and Star Maa, Star Vijay, Zee Telugu, and Zee Kannada down south.
Among the regional markets, Star Pravah was the most viewed channel in Maharashtra/Goa with 1512.08AMA, Star Jalsha in West Bengal (1281.68), Tarang in Odisha (521.14), and Zee Kannada in Karnataka (1392.12).
Within the Hindi heartland, Rajasthan was ruled by Star Utsav at 207.69 AMA and UP/Uttarakhand by Zee Anmol at 396.72.
Mumbai: Pro Kabaddi League, one of the fastest-growing sports franchises in terms of viewership is all set to return on 22 December, after a two-year hiatus, imposed by the pandemic.
Like sporting events, the league has also undergone format changes owing to Covid-19 protocols. This time, all matches will be played in Bengaluru, sans any LIVE audience to cheer their favourite teams. But, this may not mar the enthusiasm of the fans who have been waiting for the sporting event, say agency experts. The official broadcaster Star Sports Network too has upped its ante and pushed its marketing efforts to regain the viewership that the series enjoyed pre-pandemic.
Will PKL see a similar resurgence in viewership like the IPL?
According to the Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc), the sports genre had 2.4 per cent share in the overall TV viewership before Covid struck. This decreased to 0.7 per cent during the first lockdown, then increased marginally to 0.8 per cent during Unlock period, and grew once again to 4.1 per cent by the end of the year. The Indian Premier League (13th season) that was aired between week 38 and week 45 increased sports viewership by six times compared to previous weeks (week 34-37). (BARC Yearbook 2020)
“IPL in 2020 had a format shift due to Covid-19, however TV ratings saw an increase by about 50 per cent. One of the major reasons was high TV viewership during pandemic and lockdown. But, the viewership went back to 2019 levels in 2021,” said MediaCom managing partner Vishal Shah.
It is also significant to note that IPL was the only major sports event that was aired in the pandemic year 2020. Since people were confined to their homes and starved of LIVE sports action, TV viewership increased across genres. While, PKL may not have that advantage, because 2021 has turned out to be a tremendous year for LIVE sports with a packed sporting event calendar, especially in the second half.
“Looking at the ratings trend this year, the numbers might be slightly lower than what the last season did, as the overall numbers have changed in the past two years,” said dentsu Amplifi India group trading director Sujata Dwibedy. “But, good marketing from the (Star Sports) network, across media is expected. This should pull more viewers.”
Campaign in full swing
Star Sports has already kicked off the promotions for the eighth season of PKL roping in M S Dhoni for their ad campaign. More recently, the broadcaster released a regional ad film playing up the opening match of PKL between Telugu Titans and Tamil Thalaivas on 22 December. The promo featured movie star Naga Chaitanya, indicating that the marketing efforts are in full swing.
“In 2019, PKL witnessed 50-55 per cent growth in viewership from the previous season across different audiences and markets,” observed MediaCom managing partner Vishal Shah.
Kabaddi being a homegrown sport, the league has enormous support and viewership from the Tier II and III towns. PKL viewership base largely comes from markets like Andhra Pradesh/Telangana (32 per cent) followed by Maharashtra/Goa (24 per cent), Karnataka (12 per cent) and Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu Kashmir (seven per cent) and Kerala (five per cent), as per the BARC data.
The viewership for PKL is much more evenly spread out according to dentsu’s Dwibedy. “It is not necessary that only people from the hinterland and Tier II towns have been viewing it (PKL), it has its loyal fans across demographics and across audiences but is skewed towards males,” she added.
No LIVE audience at this year’s spectacle
This year PKL will be missing LIVE audiences and will shed the caravan style format. Instead, all teams will play at a single location in Bengaluru. Looking back at IPL last year, media planners suggest that format changes will have little to no impact on the viewership of the tournament. Mashal Sports has also announced that triple headers will be played on all Saturdays which may have a positive impact on the viewership over weekends.
New categories of advertisers likely
Ad rates and sponsorship for PKL are likely to see a premium in proportion to the growth in audiences that the event saw in 2019.
According to dentsu’s Dwibedy, brands who found cricket very expensive but want to still associate with some impactful property will be looking to partner with PKL, along with brands who genuinely see a fit with PKL and want to amplify their presence through the series. “We could also see some new categories of advertisers emerging as sponsors,” she added.
“The other opportunity is also to do with the season and timing, IPL has always been a popular choice for summer brands whereas PKL is happening in a period that will attract winter seasonal brands,” said Mediacom’s Shah.
Categories such as e-sports, e-pharmacy, auto, telecom, beverages, mobile handsets, paan masala, deodorants, paints, and cement have consistently been associated with the tournament and are expected to do the same this year.
Mumbai: According to Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) data for week 48 (27 November to 3 December), Sun TV was the most-watched channel with weekly AMAs of 2861.9 (‘000s). The Tamil language GEC improved its score over last week when it had garnered 2783.24 AMA to be in this position.
Telugu channel Star Maa toppled Star Plus to emerge at number two with 2636.85 (‘000s). Star Plus finished in the third position at 2554.02.
Star Utsav entered the top five league after delivering consistently high ratings in the Hindi hinterland (Rajasthan and UP/Uttarakhand), for the past many weeks. Its score stood at 2306.99 in week 48 (All India, 2+).
Colors slipped to number five, followed by Star Vijay and Sony SAB. Goldmines Telefilms’ FTA Hindi movie channel Dhinchaak climbed up two places to grab the eighth spot. Zee Telugu and Star Pravaah (Marathi) were in the last two positions.
Sun TV led the mega cities with 480.66 (‘000s). Colors, Star Plus, Star Vijay, Sony SAB followed. The South market was also dominated by the Tamil major at 2855.89 AMA. Star Maa, Star Vijay, Zee Telugu, and Zee Kannada were at number two to five.
With 1499.47 weekly AMA, Star Pravah was the leader in Maharashtra/Goa market. West Bengal was led by Star Jalsha (1232.54), Odisha by Tarang (526.96), and Karnataka by Zee Kannada (1367.28). At 241.29 Star Utsav was the most-watched channel in Rajasthan and Zee Anmol (386.08) in UP/Uttarakhand.
Mumbai: Toppling Star Plus, Sun TV became the most watched channel in Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) week 47 (20 to 26 November). The channel garnered weekly AMAs of 2783.24 (‘000s). It was at the second position last week with 2694.33 AMA.
Star Plus grabbed the next spot with 2743.38 AMA. At 2709.69, Star Maa stood at third position.
Star Utsav, Colors, Star Vijay Sony SAB, were at number four to seven. Marathi GEC Star Pravah was eighth position. Zee TV and Dhinchaak latched on to the last two slots.
Sun TV continued to lead the mega cities with weekly AMAs of 483.25 (‘000s). It was followed by Colors, Star Plus, Star Vijay and Sony SAB.
The South market was also dominated by Sun TV at 2776.53 (‘000s). Star Maa, Star Vijay, Zee Telugu, and Zee Kannada grabbed the remaining four positions.
Among the regional markets, Star Pravah was the most viewed channel in Mahrashtra/Goa with 1528.44 AMA, Star Jalsha in West Bengal (1205.38), Tarang in Odisha (471.46), and Zee Kannada in Karnatka (1372.18).
The Hindi heartland was ruled by Star Utsav. The channel garnered 249.13 weekly AMA in Rajasthan and 365.58 (‘000s) in UP Uttrakhand.
Mumbai: Star Plus regained the top spot after a gap of two weeks as per Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) data for week 46 (13 to 19 November). The channel garnered weekly AMAs of 2726.35 (‘000s). It was at the second position last week with 2575.03 AMA.
Tamil major Sun TV followed Star Plus with 2694.33 AMA. At 2603.83, Star Maa stood third. Star Utsav, Colors, Sony SAB, Star Vijay were at number four to seven, respectively. Marathi GEC Star Pravah, which entered the all-India top-10 league at the tenth spot last week, was at eighth position. Zee TV and Zee Telugu grabbed the ninth and tenth positions, respectively.
Sun TV continued to lead the mega cities with weekly AMAs of 457.05 (‘000s). It was followed by Colors, Star Plus, Star Vijay, and Sony SAB.
The South market was also dominated by Sun TV at 2688.73 (‘000s). Star Maa, Star Vijay, Zee Telugu, and Zee Kannada grabbed the remaining four slots.
Among the regional markets, Star Pravah was the most viewed channel in Maharashtra/Goa with 1559.13 AMA, Star Jalsha in West Bengal (1173.04), Tarang in Odisha (476.19), and Zee Kannada in Karnataka (1308.6).
The Hindi heartland was led by Star Utsav with 219.79 weekly AMAs in Rajasthan and 355.03 in UP Uttarakhand.
Mumbai: The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 garnered a reach of 167 million on TV. The event staged in the UAE and Oman, broke viewership records in several regions, including India, as per data shared by the cricket governing body.
There was nearly 10,000 hours of live coverage of the tournament offered across TV and digital platforms in 200 countries. This edition of the tournament saw increased viewership and consumption in India, Pakistan, the UK, Australia, and the strategic market of the USA.
The India-Pakistan clash saw consumption of 15.9 million minutes in India on the Star TV Network and became the most viewed T20I match in history, exceeding the previous high of the India-West Indies semi-final match from the 2016 edition of the ICC event held in India.
The overall TV consumption for the full tournament in India was recorded at 112 billion minutes, despite India’s early exit from the tournament. Viewership share amidst younger audiences in India (children below the age of 15) was at a healthy 18.5 per cent.
Digital consumption for the tournament saw an explosive growth on Disney+ Hotstar in India, adding significantly to the overall television viewership in the market, noted ICC.
In the UK, viewership for the India v Pakistan match grew by 60 per cent on Sky UK whereas the overall viewership for the market went up by 7 per cent. In Pakistan, the event was being broadcast by three players for the first time namely PTV, ARY and Ten Sports, which led to further growth in viewership by 7.3 per cent compared to the 2016 edition of the event.
In Australia, the viewership increased by 175 per cent on the Fox Network. In the USA, which the ICC recently named as one of the focus markets for the sport, the tournament was the most viewed cricket tournament ever on ESPN+.
ICC’s partnership with Facebook was a driver for the significant increase in video views, with a total of 4.3 billion views across all channels for the tournament, compared to 3.6 billion views which were garnered for the 2019 edition of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
The consumption across ICC’s digital assets also grew, recording a total of 2.55 billion minutes. ICC’s social media channels also saw significant growth in engagement at 618 million across those platforms, which is a 28 per cent jump since the 2019 edition of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
“We are pleased with these outstanding global viewership numbers, that demonstrate the power of T20I cricket to attract a huge audience across the globe on linear and digital platforms,” said ICC chief executive officer Geoff Allardice. “It reinforces our belief that there is a significant opportunity and appetite to grow the game in our strategic growth markets including the USA.”
