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BARC week 47: Few changes in Top 10 channels across genres; entertainment viewership falls
BENGALURU: There was not too much change in Broadcast Audience Research Council of India’s (BARC) weekly list of Top 10 Channels Across Genres on All Platforms for week 47 of 2019 (Saturday, 16 November 2019 to Friday, 22 November 2019, week or period under review) as nine of the channels were same as in week 46. Even the ranks of the first eight channels in week 47 of 2019 were the same as in the previous week. One channel – Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd’s (Zeel) free to air (FTA) Hindi GEC Big Magic exited the list in week 47 of 2019 to be replaced by Zeel’s Tamil GEC Zee Tamil as compared to the previous week.
Entertainment viewership falls in week 47 of 2019 as compared to the previous week
Though overall entertainment viewership seemed to have dropped according to BARC’s weekly data for TV+OOH viewership, there was not too much impact on the combined viewership numbers of the Top 10 channels across genres lists on All Platforms, on the Pay TV platform and the FTA platform as is obvious from the charts that follow. TV viewership dropped to 14 billion weekly impressions in week 47 of 2019 from 14.4 billion in week 46. An analysis of the rough data furnished by BARC, OTT viewership seems to have fallen by almost 50 percent during the week under review as compared to the previous week. Simple mathematical calculations show that OTT viewership in week 46 was 0.2 billion weekly impressions, which fell to about 0.1 billion weekly impressions in week 47 of 2019.
Please refer to the figure below for TV and OTT viewership numbers for weeks 46 and 47 of 2019.
Top 10 Channels Across Genres on All Platforms
Six Hindi GECs, two Tamil channels and one channel each from the Kannada and the Telugu genres made up BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Channels Across Genres on All Platforms for week 47 of 2019. From the network’s perspective, there were three channels from Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel), two channels each from Sony Pictures Network India (SPN), Star India and one channel each from Enterr 10 Television, the Sun Tv Network and Viacom18.
One channel – Enterr 10 Television’s Hindi GEC Dangal was FTA, while the other nine channels were Pay TV in BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Channels Across Genres on All Platforms in week 47 of 2019.
Please refer to the figure below:
Top 10 Pay TV channels
BARC weekly list of Top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres had three channels from Zeel, two channels each from SPN, Star and Viacom18 and one channel from the Sun Tv Network in week 47 of 2019. There were five channels from the Hindi GEC genre, two channels from the Tamil genre and one channel each from the Kannada, Kids and Telugu genres which made up BARC’s weekly list of Top Channels Across Genres on the Pay Platform in week 46 of 2019.
As mentioned above, the first eight channels were same in rank and file in BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres in week 47 of 2019 as compared to week 46. There was one change in the list – Star India’s Tamil GEC Star Vijay (ranked 10 in week 46) exited it in week 47 to be replaced by Zee Tamil at rank 9. Viacom18’s kids channel NICK moved down to rank 10 in week 47 from rank 9 in week 46 of 2019.
Also, as has been the case over the past few weeks, the most watched pay channels were not Hindi GEC – they were Tamil and Telugu GECs at ranks one and two respectively in the list.
Please refer to the chart below
Top 10 Free to Air channels
The weekly list of Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres was the same in rank and file in week 47 of 2019 as in the previous week.Four channels from Enterr 10 Television, three channels from the B4U Network, two channels from Zeel and one channel from SkyStar made up BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres for week 47 of 2019. Four of the channels were from the Hindi movies genre, three were from the Bhojpuri genre, two were Hindi GECs and one channel was from the Marathi genre in week 47 of 2019.
Please refer to the chart below:
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.
