GECs
TV grows at the expense of radio, cinema
Television and the Internet are the only media that have consolidated their reach in India in the period between December 2000 and June 2001, according to the IRS 2001 R2 survey.
Television now reaches 50.6 per cent of the population, a growth of 1.3 per cent over figures for the six months from July 2000. The study, commissioned by the Media Research Users‘ Council (MRUC) says that the reach of the press on the other hand, has remained static at 33.3 per cent. Both radio and cinema have recorded dwindling figures over the first half year?s figures. The reach of TV has shown an increase both in urban as well as in rural India, the report says. TV now reaches 78.7 per cent of the urban population and 39.8 per cent of the rural population.
| Press | TV | Radio | Cinema | Internet | |
| Urban + Rural | 33.3 | 50.6 | 15.1 | 8.9 | 0.8 |
| Urban | 56.7 | 78.7 | 14.4 | 14.1 | 2.6 |
| Rural | 24.3 | 39.8 | 15.4 | 6.9 | 0.1 |
(Figures in %)
Doordarshan however can no longer afford to be complacent about its stranglehold on viewers. DD1‘s reach has slumped from 41 per cent in the first half of the year to 38.4 per cent. The satellite market too has continued to remain fluid with both Zee and Sony losing viewers between December 2000 and June 2001, while Star Plus gradually climbed the charts.
DD1 has remained the channel tuned in the most number of All India households, while Zee retains the top slot among the satellite channels in the urban and rural households, followed by Sony. Star Plus on the other hand has consolidated its position by moving up to the fifth place. Discovery Channel too has notched a few points and moved a rank upwards, displacing Star Movies from its position.
Television Viewership
| Channels | U+R | U | R |
DD 1 |
38.4 | 54.3 | 32.3 |
| DD Metro | 13.6 | 26.0 | 8.8 |
| Sony TV | 9.5 | 26.8 | 2.9 |
| Zee TV | 9.3 | 26.0 | 3.0 |
| Star Plus | 7.6 | 24.6? | 1.1 |
| Zee Cinema | 4.9 | 15.7 | 0.8 |
| Sun TV | 4.5 | 8.5 | 3.0 |
| Eenadu TV | 4.4 | 6.3 | 3.7 |
| Gemini | 3.9 | 6.0 | 3.1 |
| Star Sports | 3.1 | 9.5 |
0.6 |
(Figures in %)
The IRS survey represents fieldwork during the full year July‘ 00-June‘ 01 and information collected from 2,37,326 respondents from 741 towns and 2475 villages. The IRS is a continuous survey, and the reporting takes place every six months based on a moving annual total.
The latter half of the year, according to the study has noted a change in the demographic profile of the population, with a shift in population towards the higher SECs. Urban India shows an increase of those having an income of Rs.5000 and above from 21.1% to 21.9% since the past round of IRS. The education profile of the population shows an improvement – in urban India, the percentage of SSC or higher educated persons has increased from 46.0 to 47.2, while in rural India, the percentage of illiterates or those without any formal education has dropped from 43.7 to 42.1.
The percentage of joint families in urban India has dipped from 18.8 to 18.2 while there is a much more perceptible drop in rural India – from 23.4% to 21.8%, followed by a consequent increase in the number of nuclear families.
TV Channels Tuned
|
Channel |
U+R |
U |
R |
|
DD 1 |
36.3 |
68.3 |
24.1 |
|
DD Metro |
18.3 |
43.4 |
8.7 |
|
Zee TV |
12.0 |
34.6 |
3.4 |
|
Sony TV |
11.6 |
33.5 |
3.2 |
|
Star Plus |
9.9 |
32.0 |
1.4 |
|
Star Sports |
8.7 |
27.9 |
1.4 |
|
Zee Cinema |
7.9 |
26.2 |
0.9 |
|
Discovery |
7.3 |
24.3 |
0.8 |
|
Star Movies |
6.9 |
22.9 |
0.8 |
|
ESPN |
6.4 |
21.4 |
0.6 |
(Figures in %)
The top 10 channels received by All India (Urban + Rural) households are as follows:
TV Channels Received
|
Channel |
U+R |
U |
R |
|
DD 1 |
36.8 |
69.3 |
24.4 |
|
DD Metro |
19.4 |
45.5 |
9.5 |
|
Zee TV |
12.2 |
35.1 |
3.4 |
|
Sony TV |
11.8 |
34.1 |
3.2 |
|
Star Plus |
10.2 |
33.0 |
1.5 |
|
Star Sports |
9.3 |
29.6 |
1.5 |
|
Zee Cinema |
8.1 |
26.9 |
1.0 |
|
Discovery |
7.6 |
25.6 |
0.8 |
|
Star Movies |
7.4 |
24.5 |
0.8 |
|
ESPN |
6.8 |
22.9 |
0.7 |
The Internet continues to be the fastest growing media in the country, although the figures of its reach are still dismally low. The report states there are 5.66 million Internet users in the country, while users in the 5000+ population towns have shown an increase of about 35 per cent.
No. of Internet Users
| Town Class | Round-07 | Round -08 |
| 1 million + |
1873
|
2494
|
| 500,000 – 1 million |
701
|
936
|
| 100,000 – 500,000 |
370
|
498
|
| 50,000 – 100,000 |
544
|
737
|
(Figures in ‘000)
GECs
Asianet Television Awards 2026 celebrates women power in Malayalam TV
“She is the Colour” theme honours icons as ceremony airs on March 14 and 15 at 7 PM.
MUMBAI: If television lights up living rooms, this year Asianet decided to let women provide the colour. The Asianet Television Awards 2026 turned the spotlight firmly on women empowerment with the theme “She is the Colour”, celebrating the strength, resilience and achievements of women who continue to shape society and the Malayalam entertainment industry.
The ceremony honoured several distinguished personalities whose journeys have left a lasting cultural imprint. Among them was legendary playback singer Vimala Varma, widely recognised as the first Malayalam playback singer. The evening also paid tribute to Padma Shri awardees Devaki Amma and Vimala Menon for their exceptional contributions in their respective fields.
Leading women from the Malayalam film industry were also recognised during the event, including actor Shweta Menon, who currently serves as president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, and National Award winning actor Surabhi Lakshmi.
The awards ceremony brought together a glittering lineup of actors and industry figures, including Jayasurya, Vijay Babu, Asha Sarath, Lena, Esther Anil, Anumol, Akhila Bhargavan, Sarayu Mohan, Prajod Kalabhavan, Gayathri Suresh, Sabumon Abdusamad, Swasika, Tini Tom, Sijoy Varghese, Kailash, Veena Nandakumar, Sabareesh Varma, Ansiba Hassan and Dinesh Prabhakar. Kishan Kumar, executive vice president Malayalam at JioStar, was also present at the event.
Beyond individual recognitions, the awards celebrated excellence across Malayalam television, acknowledging artists and technicians whose work continues to drive the industry forward.
The evening also offered plenty of spectacle, with elaborate dance performances, stunt acts and comedy skits performed by popular television and film personalities, turning the ceremony into a full fledged entertainment showcase.
Viewers will get to watch the celebrations when the Asianet Television Awards 2026 air on Asianet on March 14 and 15, Saturday and Sunday, from 7 pm onwards, bringing the star studded tribute to homes across Kerala and beyond.
