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Rio 2016: Swimming, archery get high viewership in opening week
NEW DELHI: India may not have a Michael Phelps, rather one doesn’t remember if an Indian swimmer even participated in Rio, but surprisingly swimming garnered maximum viewership of 30.8 (000) Impressions in the initial days of Olympics 2016.
According to BARC data for the period of August 6-12, 2016, swimming topped the list of Top 10 watched events/disciplines (basis sum of normalized impressions across 30 min) across the nine SD and HD TV channels of Star Sports and Doordrashan (TG: All India, 4+).
The swimming discipline was followed by archery in the second spot as the most watched sports/discipline in India, though this could be understood as the Indian women’s team, lead by world champ Deepika Kumari, was expected to win a medal in the team and individual sections at Rio.
Despite the fact the Indian men and women archers failed to shoot themselves to the medal podium, but viewership was an impressive 24.2 (000) Impressions; probably because in the land of Arjun and Karna, master mythological archers, archery is an attractive sport.
Impressions 000 is the number of individuals (in 000s) of a target audience who viewed an “event”, averaged across minutes. This is what is also known as TVT (Television Viewership in Thousands), according to BARC responsible for TV audience measurement in India.
Though PV Sindhu (silver medalist in the women’s section at Rio) was probably just starting her campaign at the Olympics during the period under review, but the presence of bigger stars like Saina Nehawal, Jwala Gutta, K. Srikanth, etc gave badminton the No. 3 spot in terms of viewership with 9.3 (000) Impressions.
It would be worthwhile to see the viewership figures for the women’s final match played on August 19, 2016 as and when BARC comes out with its data as facing a dismal Olympics 2016 campaign, the whole of India was rooting for the lanky Sindhu to win the yellow metal. Ditto for Sakshi Malik’s wrestling matches where India finally ended up getting a bronze medal courtesy a 23-year-old woman hailing from a patriarchal State of Haryana.
Interestingly, the Indian men’s hockey match against Canada, which ended in a draw, pulled in 9.1 Impressions in terms of viewership. But when before this match, India had played Ireland in the opener and won, the audience was a low 5.7 Impressions.
BARC’s Week 32 data on Rio 2016 telecast also highlights that telecast across nine channels for a cumulative 950 hours in the period 6-12 August garnered 210.9 million Impressions.
The opening ceremony garnered 0.5 million Impressions across all the 9 channels.
(Note: The viewership data corresponds to specific duration of the event/discipline and not a particular time band.)
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.
