News Headline
BARC Week 49: Across genres list shared equally by Hindi and South Indian GECs
BENGALURU: There were five channels each from Hindi GEC and three South Indian languages in Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) weekly list of Top 10 Channels on All Platforms Across genre for week 49 of 2019 (Saturday, 30 November 2019 to Friday, 6 December 2019, week or period under review). There were three channels from the Tamil genre and one channel each from the Kannada and Telugu genres in the top 10 across genres on all platforms weekly list for week 49 of 2019.
There were three channels each from Star India and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) and one channel each from Enterr 10 Television, Sony Pictures Network India (SPN), Sun Tv Network and Viacom 18 in BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Channels on All Platforms Across genre for week 49.
Eight of the channels in the across genres on all platforms list in week 49 were same as in the previous week. Zee’s Tamil channel Zee Tamil Star India’s Tamil GEC Star Vijay reentered the weekly list at the cost of SPN’s flagship Hindi GEC Sony Entertainment Television (SET) and the Network18/Viacom18 associated Telugu GEC ETV Telugu. The first seven channels in BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Channels on All Platforms Across genre for week 49 of 2019 were same in rank and file. Zeel’s Zee Kannada climbed up a place in week 49 to eighth rank in week 49 from ninth place in the previous week. One channel, the most watched one – Dangal TV was free to air (FTA), while the other nine were on the pay TV platform.
Please refer to the figure below:
Top 10 Pay TV channels Across Genres
It was the three South Indian languages channels that dominated BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres in week 49 of 2019. There were six channels – three from Tamil, two from Telugu and one from Kannada genres in BARC’s weekly list of top 10 pay channels across genres during the period under review.Besides the six South Indian channels, there were four Hindi GEC’s in BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres in week 49 of 2019.
Nine of the channels in the weekly pay TV across genres list in week 49 0f 2019 were same as in the previous week with a slight shuffling of ranks. SET exited the list and was replaced by Star India’s Tamil GEC Star Vijay. There were three channels each from Star India and Zeel, two channels from Network18/Viacom18 and one channel each from SPN and Sun Tv Network in BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres in week 49 of 2019.
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 channels Across Genres
Top 10 Free to Air Channels Across Genres
The first nine channels in BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Free to Air Channels Across Genres in week 49 of 2019 were the same as in the previous week with slight changes in the ranks. Enterr 10 Television’s Hindi Movies channel Enterr 10 exited the list in week 49 of 2019 to be replaced by Zeel’sMusic channel Zing.
There were three channels each from Enterr 10 Television, the B4U Network andZeel and one channel from SkyStarin BARC’s weekly list of Top 10 Free Channels Across Genres for week 49 of 2019. There were three channels each from the Hindi Movies and the Bhojpuri genres, two were Hindi GECs’ and there was one channel each from the Marathi and Music genres in week 49 of 2019.
Please refer to the chart below:
Television viewership went up by 0.2 million weekly impressions in. week 49 of 2019 as compared ton week 48 while OTT viewership remained the same at 0.2 billion weekly impressions as per BARC weekly data for TV+OTT for week 49 of 2019. Please refer to the chart below:
Awards
Hamdard honours changemakers at Abdul Hameed awards
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.








