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News viewership grew by 60% during budget speech
MUMBAI: The biggest financial event of the country—Budget 2020 — has helped news channels, especially business news channels across segment to increase their viewership substantially, a data from Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) says.
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman gave the longest budget speech from 11 am to 1.43 pm on 1 February. The Hindi, English and Hindi+English business news channels recorded a rise of over 60 per cent to 3 million impressions during these 2 hours and 43 minutes.
Moreover, at least 22 million eyeballs of unique viewers were glued to the screen of business news channels across genre, which posted growth of over 30 per cent.
BARC on its official twitter handle mentioned: “During #Budget2020, Indian news viewership saw an impressive growth with regards to impressions and unique viewers!”
The budget viewership was recorded during week 5 of BARC that was compared to the same time slot of week 4 of the weekly impressions. BARC in its Twitter post said: “The growth in impressions were considered over the previous week 4 during the same time period from 11 am to 1.43 pm.”
The audience measurement body also said in its micro-blogging post that BBC World News has been excluded as the budget speech wasn’t aired live by the channel.
Despite Budget 2020, the viewership of general news channels across genre were slowed down in week 5 (1-7 February) as compared to week 4 (25-31january), the BARC mentioned on its website.
However, the budget being the most important event for the business news channels, both CNBC TV18 of Network18 group and ET Now of Times News Network, in the English category, grew by over 100 per cent to 727 and 266 weekly impressions in week 5 respectively.
The Reliance group-owned business news channel, CNBC TV18 being the leader in the business news channel in week 4 had garnered 275 weekly impressions. On the contrary, ET Now had received 123 weekly impressions in week 4.
In the Hindi business news category, both Network18’s CNBC Awaaz, and Zee Entertainment Enterprise’s Zee Business grew by 21 per cent and 41 per cent respectively during Budget week. The former garnered 2492 weekly impressions, whereas the latter settled at 2131 impressions in week 5 as compared to 1965 and 1249 impressions in week 4 respectively.
Week 5 was considered to be weak compared to week 4, as it had no major important event for news channels to keep viewers engaged except for the Budget 2020 and Delhi poll campaigns that concluded on February 6. Whereas, week 4 had seen many national importance events such as Republic Day, Delhi Assembly poll campaigns, and the Shaheen Bagh firing.
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.
