News Headline
Television viewership fell but Sun TV continues as most watched channel
BENGALURU: The Kalanithi Maran headed Sun Tv Network’s flagship Tamil GEC Sun TV continued to head Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) weekly lists of Top 10 Channels on All Platforms Across Genres and Top 10 Pay Channels Across Genres in Week 31 of 2020 (Saturday, 1 August 2020 to Friday, 7 August 2020, week or period under review) for the second consecutive week. Sun TV saw Weekly impressions fall 2.44 percent in Week 31 of 2020 to 1,099.956 million weekly impressions from 1,127.465 million in the previous week. Overall, television viewership declined 2.27 percent during the week under review to 17.2 billion weekly impressions from 17.6 billion in the previous week.
Here are some comparisons based on BARC data for top 2/3/4/5 or 10 channels – the impressions are for the genre/sub-genre/platform: Check out the news genre, highlighted in yellow:
| Top 2/3/4/5/10 Channels | Weekly Impressions | (000s) Sums (Except TV+OTT) + Brands & Advertisers) | |||||
| Genre/SubGenre | Week 30 | Week 31 | Change | Change% | |||
| Regional | |||||||
| 1 | 1 | Assamese | 67751 | 64237 | -3514 | -5.19% | |
| 2 | 2 | Bangla | 927648 | 899483 | -28165 | -3.04% | |
| 3 | 3 | Bhojpuri All | 130466 | 122211 | -8255 | -6.33% | |
| 4 | 3.1 | Bhojpuri Pay | 55500 | 55364 | -136 | -0.25% | |
| 5 | 3.2 | Bhojpuri Free | 88893 | 80974 | -7919 | -8.91% | |
| 6 | 4 | Gujarati | 107357 | 108894 | 1537 | 1.43% | |
| 7 | 5 | Marathi All | 806932 | 756848 | -50084 | -6.21% | |
| 8 | 5.1 | Marathi Pay | 770548 | 726082 | -44466 | -5.77% | |
| 9 | 5.2 | Marathi Free | 76258 | 66063 | -10195 | -13.37% | |
| 10 | 6 | Oriya | 414784 | 409056 | -5728 | -1.38% | |
| 11 | 7 | Punjabi | 150236 | 153643 | 3407 | 2.27% | |
| 12 | 7.1 | Punjabi Pay | 133048 | 138200 | 5152 | 3.87% | |
| 13 | 7.2 | Punjabi Free | 36193 | 40372 | 4179 | 11.55% | |
| South Indian | |||||||
| 14 | 8 | Kannada | 1458969 | 1432989 | -25980 | -1.78% | |
| 15 | 9 | Malayalam | 625038 | 568928 | -56110 | -8.98% | |
| 16 | 10 | Tamil | 2293797 | 2244210 | -49587 | -2.16% | |
| 17 | 11 | Telugu | 2351674 | 2272202 | -79472 | -3.38% | |
| 18 | 12 | Hindi GEC (U+R) | 7121222 | 6724302 | -396920 | -5.57% | |
| 19 | 12.1 | Hindi Pay | 4450473 | 4254897 | -195576 | -4.39% | |
| 20 | 12.2 | Hindi Free | 3006130 | 2793599 | -212531 | -7.07% | |
| 21 | 12.3 | Hindi GEC (R) | 3956504 | 3684492 | -272012 | -6.88% | |
| 22 | 12.4 | Hindi GEC (U) | 3092163 | 2974263 | -117900 | -3.81% | |
| 23 | 13 | Hindi Movies (U+R) | 2085291 | 1997453 | -87838 | -4.21% | |
| 24 | 13.1 | Hindi Movies Pay | 1916860 | 1806799 | -110061 | -5.74% | |
| 25 | 13.2 | Hindi Movies Free | 675515 | 810550 | 135035 | 19.99% | |
| 26 | 13.3 | Hindi Movies (R) | 952074 | 980887 | 28813 | 3.03% | |
| 27 | 13.4 | Hindi Movies (U) | 1195591 | 1156433 | -39158 | -3.28% | |
| 14 | News | ||||||
| 14.1 | Regional News | ||||||
| 28 | 14.1.1 | Assamese | 62463 | 57998 | -4465 | -7.15% | |
| 29 | 14.1.2 | Bangla | 146962 | 142365 | -4597 | -3.13% | |
| 30 | 14.1.3 | Marathi | 218992 | 259734 | 40742 | 18.60% | |
| 31 | 14.1.4 | Oriya | 84875 | 78630 | -6245 | -1.38% | |
| 14.2 | South Indian | ||||||
| 32 | 14.2.1 | Kananda | 206692 | 226304 | 19612 | 9.49% | |
| 33 | 14.2.2 | Malayalam | 223295 | 229810 | 6515 | 2.92% | |
| 34 | 14.2.3 | Tamil | 189753 | 166891 | -22862 | -12.05% | |
| 35 | 14.2.4 | Telugu | 256725 | 267061 | 10336 | 4.03% | |
| 36 | 14.3 | Hindi (U+R) | 864586 | 945741 | 81155 | 9.39% | |
| 37 | 14.3.1 | Hindi (R) | 349817 | 377727 | 27910 | 7.98% | |
| 38 | 14.3.2 | Hindi (U) | 514770 | 568012 | 53242 | 10.34% | |
| 39 | 14.4 | English News | 11538 | 16090 | 4552 | 39.45% | |
| 14.5 | Business News | ||||||
| 40 | 14.5.1 | Hindi Business News | 8171 | 8324 | 153 | 1.87% | |
| 41 | 14.5.2 | English Business News | 902 | 685 | -217 | -24.06% | |
| 42 | 15 | Kids | 637797 | 593281 | -44516 | -6.98% | |
| 43 | 16 | Sports | 150144 | 155252 | 5108 | 3.40% | |
| 44 | 17 | English Entertainment | 3332 | 3963 | 631 | 18.94% | |
| 45 | 18 | English Movies | 59904 | 61855 | 1951 | 3.26% | |
| 46 | 19 | Infotainment | 197897 | 177071 | -20826 | -10.52% | |
| 47 | 20 | Music | 500184 | 458583 | -41601 | -8.32% | |
| 48 | 21 | Youth | 150745 | 153502 | 2757 | 1.83% | |
| 49 | 22 | Lifestyle | 23943 | 19236 | -4707 | -19.66% | |
| 50 | 23 | TV+OTT (Billion Imp) | 17.6 | 17.2 | -0 | -2.27% | |
| 24 | Across Genre | ||||||
| 51 | 24.1 | Top 10 All | 8320992 | 7783917 | -537075 | -6.45% | |
| 52 | 24.2 | Top 10 Pay | 6539253 | 6343513 | -195740 | -2.99% | |
| 53 | 24.3 | Top 10 Free | 3560699 | 3449871 | -110828 | -3.11% | |
| 25 | Ads | ||||||
| 54 | 25.1 | Top 10 Brands (Insertions) | 142566 | 159492 | 16926 | 11.87% | |
| 55 | 25.2 | Top 10 Advertisers (Insertions) | 669750 | 613806 | -55944 | -8.35% | |
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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.
