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News consumption declines from the highs of lockdown weeks
BENGALURU: News consumption has been declining in the past few weeks from the highs of the COVID2019 weeks according to the BARC-Nielsen Reports. Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) and information, data and measurement company Nielsen or BARC-Nielsen have used the average consumption between Weeks 2 and 4 of 2020 as the yardstick to compare the growth of television consumption in the weeks starting Week 11 of 2020 onward. Of the four major genres that together garner 90 percent of television consumption in India – GEC, Movies, News and the Kids genre, News is the third most consumed genre.
During the lockdown weeks that commenced midweek 12 of 2020, television was one of the most important and credible sources of what was happening for a world that was just grappling with the concept of a true new global pandemic that was to change the way of life to the many living generations of humanity. Life as most knew changed forever as social distancing became one of the new normals. Man is a social animal – a true cliché, now humanity had to relearn how to continue being so and at the same time not come too close to other humans. A majority of humans worked from home, stayed at home and television along with the internet became the two biggest sources of news and entertainment. Theater, restaurants, resorts, hotels, malls, public places, places for recreation, parks, gardens, tourist places were shut down, production of new entertainment content stopped. News was the new currency for ‘drama’ as channels beamed content that showed how the challenges posed by the pandemic ware being faced in different geographies. Heartening stories of the survivors of the virus, of the people, the COVID2019 warriors who made life bearable for the rest of us were aired across news channels. Prime minister Narendra Modi’s speeches drew never before imagined eyeballs to the news channels that aired them ‘live’. Slowly humans started to know more and more of the devil that forced them to stay at home.
Overtime, as humans understood more and more about the pandemic, the initial training that the lockdowns imparted began to be a part of the new normal, nations including India, started to open up once again, to unlock. Many people returned to work, television consumption in terms of minutes, average time spent and reach has been declining from the highs of the lockdown weeksas did news consumption. There were a few blips when television news did see viewership increase – this was in week 24 of 2020 when Indians were hit with two big blows on consecutive days – June 14 of 2020 saw the death by suicide of the very popular Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, which was followed by the Galwan Valley attack on 15 June.
Please refer to the figure below that shows consumption share of the top 4 genres up to Week 26 of 2020.
The Hindi News genre in the Hindi Speaking Market or HSM has significant viewership. News consumption in the four South Indian languages of Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu spoken in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, and Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Telangana respectively is quite high. BARC defines HSM as all India minus the states where these four South Indian languages have evolved. BARC publishes data in the public domain of the Top 5 News channels in Hindi in HSM, English (all India), Assamese (Assam / North East / Sikkim(U+R)); Bangla (West Bengal), Kannada (Karnataka), Malayalam (Kerala), Marathi (Maharashtra & Goa), Oriya (Odisha), Tamil (Tamil Nadu and Puducherry), Telugu (AP and Telangana). The demographics in the all the cases as of Week 17 of 2020 are 2+ in that particular market. Begore Week 17 of 2020, BARC published data for different demographics in the case of Hindi and English News in the public domain, hence the charts below show data from Week 17 of 2020 onward.
The figure below shows that consumption of the top 5 Hindi News channels and the South Indian languages has been declining.
Consumption of the Top 5 News channels in the regional languages has also been declining. Marathi News had the highest consumption in Maharashtra and Goa as compared to the other languages news channels in their respective territories, Mumbai, the financial capital and the capital of Bollywood is in Maharashtra were impacted by the two events in Week 24 of 2020 as is obvious from the graph below.
English News consumption has also been declining over the past few weeks and the trend would have continued, but for data for the Arnab Goswami led Republic TV which seems to have bucked the trend in week 24 of 2020. Despite the combined weekly impressions of the Top 5 English News channels in Week 27 of 2020 declining versus Week 26, Republic TV, which heads the genre, saw viewership increase 7.2 percent during the same period.
Please refer to the figure below for consumption trends of the Top 5 English News channels.
New GEC content production commenced in a few places after Unlock 1.0 came into force. Hindi content production has commenced in the previous week. OTT platforms such as Netflix have announced premieres of a lot of new entertainment content. This is sure to take away the viewership from News channels, more so during primetime. However, the world will never be the same.
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.
