Not Covid But It Was Narendra Modi, Ramayana & Mahabharat Wave In 2020 – See Detailed BARC Report

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the most- watched personality on television in India last year, according to the annual TV viewership report for 2019-2020 by Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC). PM Modi’s public addresses regarding the ongoing Covid pandemic, and his also his speeches focussing on a range of issues – from India being at the forefront of exporting Covid-19 vaccines to the ongoing farmer protests.

THE MODI WAVE

“Whether they are his interviews, speeches at global events, address to the nation or even a wildlife adventure show, channels that broadcast the content see their viewership leapfrog and set new levels,” the report stated, explaining the impact PM Modi had.

Notably, PM Narendra Modi’s speech at Red Fort, which was over two hours long, with 133 million viewers, saw a rise by 40 per cent, compared to his Independence Day speech in 2019. The Prime Minister’s speech on March 24, 2020, where he announced the first lockdown, saw more viewing minutes than any of his previous addresses. His address to the nation in April 2020, where he announced a relief package of Rs 20 lakh crores, became the most-watched address with over 203 million viewers tuning in.

MYTHOLOGY AND DOORDARSHAN REIGN.

Unlike the GECS, which suffered an initial loss due to lack of original content, BARC notes that the Movies as a channel genre didn’t face any hiccups, and these saw growth by 10 per cent over the viewership of 2019.

“Regional movies genre posted higher growth than their Hindi counterpart, although Hindi language genre accounted for close to 60 per cent of total movie genres viewership. Apart from Hindi, the other major markets for the genre were Telugu, Tamil and Kannada,” the report stated.

However, the report also suggests that the lack of original content meant a reduced share for GEC content in the first half of the year. It became normal, post-July, once the lockdown restrictions were eased.

As Published by koimoi