News Headline
BARC segments viewership data for South regional news from GECs
BENGALURU: Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) has started putting out viewership data for news channels in the four Southern languages of India – Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, besides data for the other channels starting from week 1 of 2018 (Saturday, 30 December 2017 to Friday 5 June 2018) in the public domain. This was long due, considering the fact that some of the channels, more so the top five channels of each language, have higher viewership than the combined all India viewership of the top five English news channels, notwithstanding the differing demographics. The regional space has a large number of channels catering to various tastes in the local lingo that include GEC, news, sports, kids, etc. With so much of clutter, advertisers can now make an enlightened decision about where to air their message in a particular regional news market.
Earlier, BARC used to furnish data for all the regional channel genres under one head – top five channels for the regional language. There are more than five news channels each for all the four Southern languages. Many of the channels are parts of larger national level media networks/groups/publications. The demographics for Southern news channels are the urban and rural areas in the prime territory/ies for that language and cover all individuals of 2+ age. In the case of Hindi news channels, where BRAC provides data segregated into (Urban + Rural); (Rural) and (urban), the demographics are all 15+ individuals in the respective Hindi Speaking Market or HSM. In the case of English news, BARC provides data for All India (U+R) Males 22+ individuals.
So which are the news channels that have made it to the top five in each of languages in week 1 of 2018?
Tamil News
Let’s start with the Tamil language – The area covered is urban and rural Tamil Nadu/Pondicherry. In week 1 of 2017, Polimer News was ranked first in the Tamil news genre with 37.359 million weekly impressions, followed by Puthiya Thalaimurai with 35.691 million weekly impressions at second place. Thanthi TV was ranked third with 32.647 million weekly impressions followed by News 7 Tamil at fourth place with 22.454 million weekly impressions. At fifth place was the Sun Network’s Sun News with 18.836 million weekly impressions.
Telugu News
The area covered by BARC data is the urban and rural regions of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
TV9 Telugu headed the Telugu news genre with 52.188 million weekly impressions, followed by NTV Telugu with 41.893 million weekly impressions at second rank. TV 5 News was ranked third in week 1 of 2018 with 35.934 million weekly impressions, followed by ABN Andhra Jyothi at fourth place with 34.642 million weekly impressions. Completing the quintet was V6 News with 30.557 million weekly impressions.
Kannada News
The area covered is Karnataka.
TV9 Kannada headed the top five Kannada news channels list in week 1 of 2017 with 63.623 million weekly impressions. Public TV was ranked second with 43.828 million weekly impressions. Suvarna News 24×7 was ranked third with 22.286 million impressions followed by News 18 Kannada with 16.477 million weekly impressions. At fifth place was BTV News with 11.799 million weekly impressions.
Malayalam News
The market is the Kerala market.
Asianet News was ranked one in week 1 of 2018 with 31.953 tmillion weekly impressions. Malayalam Manorama’s news channel – Manorama News was ranked second with 15.861 million weekly impressions followed by Mathrubhumi News with 11.515 million weekly impressions at third place. At fourth and fifth places were News 18 Kerala and Media One TV with 6.181 million weekly impressions and 4.249 million weekly impressions.
Also Read: Zee Anmol leads Hindi GEC (U+R) in BARC week 1 2018
Four Star India channels among top 10 channels across genres
Republic TV, Aaj Tak continue to lead genres as news viewership falls
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
