News Broadcasting
News consumption, ad volumes on a high in the first half of 2020: BARC+Nielsen
NEW DELHI: As India enters in unlock 2.0, news channels look at the brighter side, both in the terms of viewership and advertisements, reveals the tenth edition of BARC+Nielsen weekly report on media consumption habits in the covid period.
News viewership in the first half of 2020 stands 3 per cent above that in the first half of 2019, taking 12 per cent of the overall media consumption pie, operating at 43 per cent higher viewership than the previous year. Primetime viewership is even higher at 48 per cent more. Business news viewership in the first half of 2020 is 44 per cent higher than the previous year, reveals the data.
For the covid period, news consumption has started stabilising at 11 per cent of the overall TV viewership in week 26’20 (starting 27 June).
The viewing impressions for Hindi News are also operating at a much higher level compared to pre-covid period (11 Jan – 31 Jan), at 71 per cent more. The number is 45 per cent more for English news, 19 per cent more for Hindi Regional News, and 13 per cent more for English Business News.
The viewing impressions for Southern India are even higher across genre, especially news, with Tamil News channels recording 177 per cent higher viewing impressions than pre-covid period, Malayalam channels at 96 per cent higher, Kannada channels at 93 per cent higher, and Telugu channels at 40 per cent higher.
Ad volumes are also increasing on news genre, clocking 39 million in June 2020, higher than 35 million during the same period last year. However, the overall ad volumes in the first half of 2020 (225 million) are lower than that in the same period the previous year (259 million). Albeit, for some of the languages, the numbers are higher than that of the previous year.
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
