BENGALURU:  Sony Pictures Network India (SPN) Hindi movies channel Sony Max was the most watched movies channel in 2017 until week 32 (Saturday, 5August 2017 to Friday, 11 August 2017) as per Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) data. Sony Max was present during all the 32 weeks of 2017 in BARC’s weekly lists of top 5 Hindi Movies channels for HSM (U+R) : NCCS All : 2+ Individuals and garnered a total of 18,391,696 million impressions in 2017 until week 32. The channel was ranked number one in the top 5 channels lists for 26weeks and ranked second for six of the first 32 weeks of 2017. Sony Max network peer and SPN movies channel Sony Wah was ranked first during the six weeks that Sony Max was ranked second.

The tenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL10) was played between weeks 14 and 31 of 2017.Even if the ratings for the 8 weeks between 14 and 21 were neglected, the channel had a total of 10,213.295 million impressions in 2017 until week 32, which was the highest in the HSM (R+U) genre. Excluding the data for the 8 IPL10 weeks, Sony Max was ranked first during 18 of the first 32 weeks of 2017 in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Hindi Movies (U+R) list.

This paper must be read with a caveat: It deals only with the players/programmes present in BARC’s top 5 lists of channels and programmes per week. The sums/percentages of channels/programmes of other players as well as other than those indicated in BARC’s top 5 lists of channels/programmes have not been considered/mentioned in this paper during the period under consideration in this paper and those numbers could be more/higher.

Seven Hindi movies channels were present in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Hindi Movies (U+R) during the first 31 weeks of 2017. Three Hindi movies channels were present during all the first 32 weeks of 2017 in BARC’s weekly lists of top 5 Hindi Movies channels for HSM (U+R) : NCCS All : 2+ Individuals – they are Sony Max, Sony Wah and Zee Cinema. Please refer to the chart below:

The highest ratings obtained by Sony Max was in week 15 of 2017 (second week of IPL10) at 1,334.063 million weekly impressions, while the lowest was in week 3 of 2017 when the channel had 331.76 million weekly impressions. Excluding the 8 IPL weeks, the highest ratings obtained by Sony Max was in week 26 of 2017 at 517.758 million weekly impressions with week 3 of 2017 ratings mentioned above as the lowest.

Most watched films in the HSM (U+R) market

The Salman Khan-Anushka Sharma starrer Sultan was the most watched Hindi feature film when it featured in the top 5 programmes list during the first 32 weeks of 2017 as per BARC’s weekly list of most watched programmes in the HSM (U+R) market - NCCS All : 2+ Individuals with total impressions of 433.23 million during eight of the weeks it was in the top 5 Hindi Movies (U+R) programmes lists. When in the lists, Sultan was aired seven times on Sony Max and once on Sony Wah. The first part of the Indian epic historical Bahubali – the Beginning was the second most watched Hindi movie during the first 32 weeks of 2017 with total impressions of 39.482 million – it was aired 5 times on Sony Max and twice on Sony Wah, when it was present in the top 5 programmes lists. S S Rajamouli’s magnum opus was followed by Aamir Khan’s satirical science fiction comedy PK with a total of 28.401 million impressions during the six weeks it featured in the top 5 programmes lists – this was thrice each on Sony Max and Sony Wah.

Urban Audiences

HSM Urban (U) audiences also preferred Sony Max, which along with Zee Cinema, Star Gold and &pictures was present in BARC top 5 Hindi Movies channels weekly listduring all the first 32 weeks of 2017. The channel scored 10,741.915 million impressions during the first 32 weeks of 2017. Excluding IPL weeks, the channel scored 6,229.712 million impressions during the first 32 weeks of 2017. Please refer to the chart below:

Sultan was the most watched Hindi feature film on Hindi Movies channels in the HSM Urban or U markets – the film appeared in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Hindi Movies programmes for 9 weeks – 8 times on Sony Max and once on Sony Wah with a total of 29.183 million impressions during the first 32 weeks of 2017. Bahubali- the Beginning was the second most watched Hindi feature film on Hindi Movies channels in the urban markets during the period under consideration – It appeared in the top 5 Hindi Movies programmes list for 6 weeks – all on Sony Max with total impressions of 22.567 million impressions. Bahubali was followed by 3 Idiots – the movie featured 7 times in the top 5 Hindi Movies programmes lists during the first 32 weeks of 2017 with total impressions of 18.613 million impressions.

Rural Audiences

Per BARC data on Top 5 Hindi Movies (Rural or R) channels, it was SPN’s Sony Wah that was the most watched Hindi Movies channel in the HSM rural markets with 8,988.642 million weekly impressions during the first 32 weeks of 2017. Three channels were present in the top 5 Hindi Movies channels in the rural markets during the period under consideration in this paper. They were – Sony Wah, Zee Anmol Cinema and Star Utsav Movies. Please refer to the chart below:

Karan Arjun was the most watched film on a television movie channel when it appeared in the top 5 HSM rural market programmes lists during the first 32 weeks of 2017. The movie was present in the top 5 Hindi Movies programmes (Rural) lists for 5 weeks with a total of 16.805 million impressions and was aired on Sony Wah during all the 5 weeks that it appeared in the top 5 Hindi Movies programmes (Rural) lists. PK was the second most watched film in the Hindi Movies rural markets during the first 32 weeks of 2017. PK appeared in the top 5 Movies programmes (Rural) lists 4 times on Sony Wah during that period with total impressions of 14.06 million. Bahubali – the Beginning was the third most popular film on television in the HSM rural markets. The film scored a total of 12.212 million when it was present in the top 5 Hindi Movies programmes (Rural) lists – twice each on Sony Wah and Sony Max.