BENGALURU: Deja Vu-that is what one can say about the occupants of the first two ranks in Broadcast Audience Research Council’s (BARC) weekly ratings for the English news (All India (U+R) : NCCS AB : Males 22+ Individuals) and Hindi News (HSM (U+R) : NCCS All : 15+ Individuals) genres. In the weeks leading to the announcement of the national budget, both the genres, English news as well as Hindi news, recorded increase in viewership. BARC classifies Hindi news viewership into three markets–viewership in rural Hindi-speaking India HSM - (R); in urban Hindi speaking India HSM - (U) and combined viewership of urban and rural Hindi speaking India HSM - (U+R).
The combined ratings of the top-five English news channels grew by 28.1 percent to 2.495 million weekly impressions in week 4 as compared to 1.948 million impressions in week 3 of 2018.
The combined weekly impressions of the top-five Hindi news genre in HSM (U+R) grew by 16.3 percent in week 4 of 2018 to 531.471 million from 456.868 million. In HSM rural across the same demographics, the combined ratings of the top-five Hindi news genre increased by 13 percent to 223.713 million weekly impressions in week 4 of 2017 from 197.899 million weekly impressions in week 3 of 2017. Hindi news viewership in the HSM urban market grew by more than in rural markets. The combined ratings of the top-five Hindi news channels in HSM - U grew by 17.8 percent in week 4 to 309.971 million weekly impressions from 263.186 million weekly impressions. The occupants of the top two ranks in the separate HSM rural and urban markets of the Hindi news genre were the same in week 4 of 2018 as in the combined HSM market.
In week 4 of 2018 (Saturday, 20 January 2018 to Friday, 26 January 2018), Arnab Goswami-helmed Republic led the English news genre with 0.901 million weekly impressions. The previous occupant of the numero uno slot until Republic TV came along, Times Now, occupied its regular second rank with 0.853 million weekly impressions. At third place in the English news genre in week 4 of 2018 was another regular–India Today Television with 0.357 million weekly impressions. CNN News18 was ranked with 0.222 million weekly impressions followed by NDTV 24x7 with 0.162 million weekly impressions.
In HSM (U+R), HSM (R) and HSM (U), Aaj Tak led the Hindi news genre. In HSM (U+R), Aaj Tak scored 140.277 million weekly impressions. The Essel group’s Hindi news channel, Zee News, was ranked second in all three BARC HSM classifications. It recorded 112.665 million weekly impressions in HSM (U+R). At third place was India TV in HSM (U+R) and HSM (U). India TV was absent from the top-five channels list in HSM (R). The channel had 93.857 million weekly impressions in HSM (U+R) in week 4 of 2017.
ABP News was ranked fourth in HSM (U+R), third in HSM (R) and fifth in HSM (U) market. The channel recorded 93.172 million weekly impressions in HSM (U+R). News18 India was ranked fifth in HSM (U+R) and HSM (R), and fourth in HSM (U). News 18 India recorded 91.500 million weekly impressions in HSM (U+R).
News Nation was ranked fourth in HSM (R) with 36.535 million weekly impressions. The channel did not feature among the top five ranks in HSM (U+R) and HSM (U).
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