MUMBAI: ABP News Network (ANN) has witnessed a massive consumption uptick on its digital platforms, owing to the strong, round-the-clock coverage on COVID-19. Garnering the trust of billions, the digital arm of ANN has become a credible choice for the viewers in every major news week.
According to the BARC and Nielsen Crisis Consumption report, viewership in the country has witnessed a rise of 11 per cent to 622 million viewers between 21 – 27 March 2020 (week 12) when compared to January 11-31, 2020 (week 2). Through minute-to-minute updates and comprehensive insights on the pandemic, ANN’s digital platform has garnered a whopping 15.7 billion impressions in the month of March (Source: YouTube Analytics), attesting their dominance on the digital front.
In addition, the group has witnessed record-breaking viewership in March 2020, with 1.3 billion views on YouTube (Source: YouTube Analytics), surpassing the previously recorded numbers of the general election in May 2019, as content consumption on smartphones have increased by 12 per cent with users spending 3.8 hours a day on their devices.
Apart from YouTube, ABP News & ABP Ananda have done exceptionally well on Facebook, keeping the viewers apprised and engaged. ABP News has garnered 12.34 million total interactions and 223 million views, surpassing its nearest competitor Aaj Tak with 45 per cent higher total interactions (Source: CrowdTangle; 20 March-31 March). And, ABP Ananda has achieved 2.28 million total interactions, six per cent higher total interactions than its nearest competitor Zee 24 Ghanta (Source: CrowdTangle; 20th Mar-31March 20).
The BARC-Nielsen report also highlighted that viewers chose to ‘search’ for more news through multiple channels during the lockdown. In this light, ABP Live App has also emerged as the viewers’ topmost pick from Week 2 of March 2020 (09-15) to week 3 of March 2020 (16-22), observing a humongous upsurge with plus 46 per cent users and plus 138 per cent total video views.
Since its inception, the digital arm of ABP News Network has championed issues on multiple spectrums - may it be social, political, environmental or cultural. The platform possesses a rich portfolio of diverse content that appeals to different age groups and audiences.
ABP News Network chief executive officer Avinash Pandey says: “We are proud to be a pioneer in the digital news segment. With the COVID-19 situation evolving, we have seen it as our duty to provide the viewers with a veracious account of all developments through our digital platforms.”
“Our commitment to deliver the best, even amid trying times has brought us to this leading position and we are pleased to be the viewers’ most-preferred news destination. It is now time for advertisers to fine-tune their media plans amid the ongoing shifts in consumer behaviour to leverage the highly-engaged audiences across the digital spectrum,” adds Pandey.
