MUMBAI: As India moves back to normalcy, the share of general entertainment channel (GEC) viewership has started showing signs of recovery. The data provided by TV audience measurement body, Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) reveals that in the week 30-33, the total number of Hindi GEC viewers who watches news is 49 per cent, whereas 77 per cent of them watch movies. Movies have definitely impacted GEC viewership, especially in Bangla, Marathi, Kannada and Malayalam.

The report further says that in Week 33, total TV viewership recorded 1.08 trillion viewing minutes. The TV viewership has shown a consistent growth in the last 12 weeks. It was 22 per cent higher than pre-Covid2019 viewing. Also, the daily average reach is seven per cent higher than pre-Covid2019 time.

The data highlights that the primetime shows have shown consistent growth in the last 12 weeks with 3 per cent rise in both Hindi and Southern markets. However, non-primetime shows continue to operate at 44 per cent higher than pre-Covid2019 levels.

As far as the Southern GEC is concerned, the cumulative reach has not been affected during Covid2019.