News Broadcasting
Plus is all India ‘star’ in GECs, while Sun shines brightest among regional channels: IRS 2006
MUMBAI: While in the regional space, Star Plus has managed to rise up on the charts more than any other Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) in the last five years; the story is no different as far as the Top 10 television channels in the country are concerned.
Since 2000, Star’s flagship channel has managed to topple DD2/Metro, Sony, Zee TV and Zee Cinema to claim the second position with a viewership share of nine per cent in 2006. DD1 (National Network) has maintained its top position over the years.
DD1’s viewership in the Top 10 TV channels in the All India market in 2006 is 27.4 per cent as compared to its share of 43.2 per cent in 2000 according to the findings of IRS Round I done by Hansa Research and Media Research Users Council (MRUC). Going by these numbers, DD1 viewership on an all India basis has dropped by almost half in the last five years.
DD2/Metro, which was second in line in 2000 with a share of 11 per cent has completely gone off the Top 10 television channels list in 2006.
Sony Entertainment Television, on the other hand, which was the number three channel in 2000 with a viewership share of 9.4 per cent, has fallen to the seventh position in 2006 and currently has a share of 4.6 per cent. Rival channel Zee TV saw an even steeper fall over the years, but all the same has maintained its place in the Top 10 television channels list. From its third position in 2000 with a share of 9.2 per cent, Zee TV lost 5.6 per cent share to other channels and fell straight to the tenth position this year with a share of 3.6 per cent.
The reason for the drop in Sony and Zee’s channel shares, which were the third and fourth best viewed channels after the national channels in 2000, could be because of the change in the program genre of these channels. Both channels focused more on music shows and game shows to garner viewership, reasons Hansa Research marketing and client servicing India head V Sudarshan.
Going by the data thrown up, the fact remains that viewers are still hooked to the soaps and serials, which is clearly indicated by Star Plus viewership numbers, predominantly garnered by the ‘K’ serials. However, now both Sony and Zee have a robust line up of dramas like Thodi Khushi Thode Gham, Aisa Desh Hai Mera, Saath Phere and Jabb Love Hua in the primetime. Hence it remains to be seen whether the channels’ popularity soars on the charts riding on these shows. Zee TV’s Saath Phere, for one, has been consistently delivering for the channel in terms of ratings.
While three channels from the Top 10 All India list have disappeared from the charts in 2006, three other channels have made their entry. DD2/Metro (second position), Star Sports (seventh position) and DD10 Marathi (eighth position), which were on the charts in 2000 seem to have made way for DD News (third position), Aaj Tak (fourth position) and Sun TV (fifth position) in 2006.
One of the interesting trend that is seen in the current Top 10 and the Top 10 five years back is that in 2000, no news channel made its way to the Top 10 list. Whereas in 2006, DD News and Aaj Tak have been featured.
“This explains a very big phenomenon, that there are possibilities that these news channels are now eating into the share of the print medium, and it could be that people are now preferring to tune rather than turn, for their news requirement. Viewers are interested in current news, and not yesterday’s news and this also reiterates the fact, why magazine readership has come down so dramatically over the period,” said Sudarshan.
One channel that has maintained a consistent performance on the charts since 2000 is Zee Cinema. In term of viewership share, the channel has dropped only marginally from 6 per cent in 2000 to 5.3 per cent in 2006 and is now placed in the sixth position as opposed to its fifth position in 2000.
Among the regional channels, apart from Sun TV, that have made a mark in the Top 10 channels in the All India market in 2006, are ETV (4.4 per cent) and Gemini TV (4.1 per cent) in the eighth and ninth position respectively.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
