BENGALURU: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (Zeel) free to air (FTA) Hindi general entertainment channel (Hindi GEC) Zee Anmol entered the bastions held by either the Sun TV Network’s flagship Tamil GEC Sun TV or the channel that aired the Indian Premier League (IPL) in week 21 of 2018. Zee Anmol had then topped Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) weekly list of the top 10 channels across genres, only to be overtaken by the normal occupant of the numero uno rank Sun TV in the following week. In week 23 of 2018 (Saturday, 2 June 2018 to Friday, 8 June 2018), the difference in the ratings between the top channel in the list, Sun TV, and Zee Anmol narrowed to just 1.073 million weekly impressions as compared to the normal difference between Sun TV and the second ranked channel of around 2-5 million weekly impressions in the previous year.  Of course, during IPL weeks, it was generally the channel that aired the world’s richest cricket league competition that was ranked first in BARC’s weekly across genres lists.

Six Hindi GECs’, two Telugu GECs’ and one channel each from the Hindi Movies and the Tamil genres comprised BARC’s top 10 channels across genres list during the week under consideration. From the network’s perspective, three channels each from Star India and Zeel, two channels from Sony Pictures Network India and one channel each from the Sun TV Network and Viacom 18 made up BARC’s list of top 10 channels across genres in week 23 of 2018.

As mentioned above, Sun TV topped BARC’s across genres weekly list with 807.338 million weekly impressions in week 23 of 2018 as compared to 856.341 million weekly impressions in the previous week. The channel also was ranked first in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Tamil channels in the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry markets and the first four programmes during primetime based on average rating across all airings (original and repeat) in the week were aired on Sun TV in these markets.

At second rank in BARC’s weekly across genres list was Zee Anmol with 806.265 million weekly impressions in the week under review as compared to 824.521 million weekly impressions in week 22 of 2018. Zee Anmol also topped BARC’s list of top 10 Hindi GECs’ in the combined urban and rural Hindi speaking markets or HSM (U+R) and in HSM (R). The Balaji Telefilms produced soap Kumkum Bhagya that was aired on the channel was ranked third in the HSM (U+R) and was ranked first in HSM (R) in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Hindi GEC programmes during primetime based on average rating across all airings (original and repeat) in the week.

Climbing up three ranks was SPN’s women focused Hindi GEC Sony Pal with 654.741 million weekly impressions in week 23 as compared to 581.109 million weekly impressions in week 22 of 2018. Sony Pal was ranked second in BARC’s weekly lists of top 10 Hindi GECs’ in HSM (U+R) and HSM (R). The sitcom Tarak Mehta ka Oolath Chasma was ranked fourth in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Hindi GEC programmes during primetime based on average rating across all airings (original and repeat) in the week in HSM (R).

Zeel’s flagship Hindi GEC Zee TV climbed up a rank to fourth place with 634.961 million weekly impressions in week 23 of 2018 as compared to fifth rank and 624.069 million weekly impressions. Zee TV was ranked third in HSM (U+R) and second in HSM (U).  Kumkum Bhagya, which was aired on Zee TV, and its spinoff Kundali Bhagya were ranked second and fourth in HSM (U+R), Kumkum Bhagya was ranked fifth in HSM (R), while in HSM (U) three programes on the channel – the two Bhagyas’ and Ishq Subhan Allah were among BARC’s top 5 Hindi GEC programmes based on average rating across all airings (original and repeat) in the week. 

SPN’s Hindi Movies channel Sony Max was ranked fifth in week 23 of 2018 with 592.577 million weekly impressions as compared to rank four and 664.599 million weekly impressions in week 22. Sony Max also topped BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Hindi Movies channels in the week in HSM (U+R) and HSM (U) and was ranked fifth in HSM (R). In week 23 it was the airing of the first part of SS Rajamouli’s two film tale – Bahubali the beginning that helped the channel to its ranks in various BARC’s weekly lists including in the top 5 Hindi Movies programmes list based on average rating across all airings (original and repeat) in HSM (U+R) and HSM (R). Other films aired on the channel during the week under consideration that were among the top 5 programmes lists were Kanchana Returns and Sultan.

The Balaji Telefilms produced supernatural seasonal soap Naagin has always catapulted Viacom18’s flagship Hindi GEC Colors to amongst the ranks in BARCs’ top channels and programmes charts. Colors re-entered BARC’s top 10 channels across genres list in week 23 of 2018 at rank six with 571.151 million weekly impressions. Colors was ranked fifth in BARC’s weekly list of top 10 Hindi GECs’ in HSM (U+R) and was ranked first in HSM (U). The third season of Naagin or Naagin 3 started in week 23. In the week of commencement itself, the programme entered BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Hindi GEC programmes based on average rating across all airings (original and repeat) in HSM (U+R), HSM (U) and HSM (R). Another offering from the channel, the reality show  Dance Deewane also entered BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Hindi GEC programmes in HSM (U+R) and HSM (U).

Retaining its previous week’s seventh rank in week 23 of 2018 was Star India’s FTA Hindi GEC Star Bharat with 559.746 million weekly impressions as compared to 540.519 million weekly impressions in week 22.  Star Bharat was ranked fourth in BARC’s weekly list of top 10 Hindi GECs’ in HSM (U+R) and ranked fifth in HSM (U) and HSM (R).

Pushing its Telugu sibling channel Star Maa one rank to eighth place was another Star India FTA channel Star Utsav with 531.697 million weekly impressions in week 23 as compared to ninth rank and 501.065 million weekly impressions in week 22 of 2018.  Star Utsav was ranked sixth in BARC’s weekly list of top 10 Hindi GECs’ in HSM (U+R) and was ranked fourth in HSM (R).

At ninth rank was Star India’s Telugu GEC Star Maa with 513.783 million weekly impressions in week 23 of 2018 as compared to eighth rank and 539.206 million weekly impressions in week 22.  Star Maa was ranked second in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Telugu channels in the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh markets three of its programmes were among BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Telugu programmes during primetime based on average rating across all airings (original and repeat) in the week in these markets.

Also re-entering the list was Zeel’s Telugu GEC Zee Telugu at tenth place with 510.127 million weekly impressions in week 23 of 2018. Zee Telugu topped BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Telugu channels in the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh markets and one of its programmes was included in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Telugu programmes during primetime based on average rating across all airings (original and repeat) in the week in these markets.