BENGALURU: TRAI’s new tariff order (NTO) seems to have changed viewership patterns if one were to go as per Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) data. Of course, BARC has started slicing and dicing the data more and more specifically and hence enabling an improved scenario of viewership patterns in the country. But, NTO resulted in the major networks converting some of their free to air (FTA) channels to pay TV, hence enabling channels that remained FTA viewership to leapfrog. One of the biggest beneficiaries of the change in its competitions’ platforms to pay TV is Enterr 10 TV’s Hindi GEC Dangal. Dangal has often been the leader in BARC’s weekly list of top 10 channels across genres on all platforms as also in BARC’s weekly lists of top 10 Hindi GEC channels in the combined rural and urban Hindi speaking markets or HSM (U+R) as also in the rural Hindi speaking market or HSM (R). At the same time, Dangal has also been amongst BARC’s weekly list of top 10 Hindi GECs in the urban Hindi speaking market or HSM (U). Another channel that has reaped viewership benefits has been Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) FTA Hindi GEC Big Magic.

Since week 27 of 2019, BARC has started reporting breakup of free and pay channels in the case of some markets, including the top 10 or 11 channels across genres. BARC’s weekly list of top 11 free channels across genres contains channels only from the region above the five South Indian states and the union territory of Puducherry – the Hindi speaking markets. BARC defines HSM as all India without the states in which the four South Indian languages – Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu are spoken. Ten of 11 channels in BARC’s weekly list of top 11 free channels across channels are mostly either Hindi or Bhojpuri, the one exception being Marathi. Six of the 11 channels among the top 11 FTA channels across genres are movies channels – equally divided between Hindi movies and Bhojpuri movies. Often the number of Bhojpuri channels equals Hindi channels.

Let us look at BARC’s weekly list of top 11 free channels across genres for week 30 of 2019

BARC’s weekly list of top 11 free channels across genres  for week 30 of 2019 (Saturday, 20 July 2019 to Friday, 26 July 2019) had two Hindi GECs, three Hindi movies channels, four Bhojpuri channels including three Bhojpuri movie channels, and one channel each from the Marathi and music genres. From the networks’ perspective, there were four channels from Enterr 10 TV, three channels each from B4U Media and Zeel, and one channel from Skystar Entertainment Private Ltd (Skystar).

All the 11 channels in BARC’s weekly list of top 11 free channels across genres were same as in week 29, but with a small tweak in ranks. As a matter of fact, the names and ranks of the first four channels in BARC’s weekly list of top 11 free channels across genres in week 30 of 2019 were the same as in week 29.

As mentioned above, Dangal headed BARC’s weekly list of top 10 channels on all platforms across genres in week 30 of 2019. The channel climbed up one place to first rank with 866.547 million weekly impressions in week 30 of 2019 from second rank and 781.501 million weekly impressions in week 29. Dangal retained first rank in BARC’s weekly list of top 11 free channels across genres in week 30 of 2019 with 665.082 million weekly impressions as compared to 589.591 million weekly impressions in week 29. Dangal was ranked first in BARC’s weekly list of top 10 Hindi GECs in the combined urban and rural Hindi speaking market HSM (U+R) as well as in HSM (R) and was ranked sixth in HSM (U). Dangal also headed BARC’s weekly list of top 8 free Hindi GECs during the week under review.

At second rank in week 30 was Big Magic with 405.141 million weekly impressions as compared to 358.730 million weekly impressions in BARC’s weekly list of top 11 free channels across genres. Big Magic was ranked seventh in BARC’s weekly list of top 10 Hindi GECs in HSM (U+R) on all platforms. Big Magic was ranked second in BARC’s weekly list of top 10 Hindi GECs in HSM (R) and was ranked eighth in HSM (U). It was ranked second in BARC’s weekly list of top 8 free Hindi GECs during the week under review.

At third rank in week 30 of 2019 was B4U Media’s Hindi movies channel B4U Kadak with 325.020 million weekly impressions as compared to 347.028 million weekly impressions in the previous week. B4U Kadak was ranked second in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Hindi movies channels on all platforms in HSM (U+R) and was ranked first in HSM (R). B4U Kadak was ranked first in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 free Hindi movies channels.

At fourth rank was Enterr 10 TV’s Marathi channel Fakt Marathi with 162.021 million weekly impressions as compared to 184.384 million weekly impressions in week 29. Fakt Marathi was ranked second in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Marathi channels in the Maharashtra and Goa market.

B4U Media’s Bhojpuri channel B4U Bhojpuri climbed up a place to fifth rank in week 30 of 2019 with 157.775 million weekly impressions as compared to sixth rank and 154.732 million weekly impressions in the previous week. B4U Bhojpuri was ranked first in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Bhojpuri channels in the Bihar and Jharkhand market. This indicates that the channel has viewers outside the Bihar and Jharkhand markets also.

Enterr 10 TV’s Bhojpuri channel Bhojpuri Cinema dropped a place to sixth rank in week 30 of 2019 with 157.352 million weekly impressions as compared to fifth rank and 160.117 million weekly impressions in the previous week. Bhojpuri Cinema topped BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Bhojpuri channels in the Bihar and Jharkhand market.

Another B4U Media Hindi movies channel, B4U Movies also climbed up a place to rank seven in week 30 of 2019 with 150.461 million weekly impressions as compared to eighth rank and 130.537 million weekly impressions in week 29. B4U Movies was ranked fifth in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Hindi movies channels in HSM (U+R) and was ranked second in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 free Hindi movies channels.

Zeel’s Bhojpuri channel Big Ganga dropped a place to eighth rank in week 30 of 2019 with 138.778 million weekly impressions as compared to seventh rank and 151.977 million weekly impressions in week 29. Big Ganga was ranked third in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Bhojpuri channels in the Bihar and Jharkhand market.

Skystar’s Hindi movies channel Skystar Movies retained its previous week’s ninth rank in week 30 of 2019 with 120.616 million weekly impressions as compared to 124.183 million weekly impressions in week 29. Skystar Movies was ranked third in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 free Hindi movies channels.

Zeel’s Music channel Zing climbed a rank to tenth place in week 30 of 2019 with 102.370 million weekly impressions as compared to eleventh rank and 100.580 million weekly impressions in week 29.

Dropping a place to eleventh rank in week 30 of 2019 was Enterr 10 TV’s Hindi movies channel Enterr 10 with 102.280 million weekly impressions as compared to tenth rank and 102.757 million weekly impressions in week 29.

Enterr 10 was ranked fourth in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 free Hindi movies channels.