News channels gain steam as polls loom

livemint.com:

general elections are approaching. At the beginning of the lockdown, the news category commanded nearly a fifth of overall TV viewership, thanks to lack of fresh content and viewers’ hunger for covid-related information, only to fall to nearly 4% as the economy opened up. However, its share has spurted further to 7.1%, latest data accessed by Mint showed.

Television monitoring agency BARC did not respond to a query to confirm the figures. “The news category is witnessing a resurgence, with an increase of almost 10% compared to the first quarter of the year. This can be attributed to significant news events and high-impact stories, including the political crisis in Maharashtra, Uniform Civil Code, Manipur violence and Gyanvapi issue," M.K.

Anand, managing director and CEO of Times Network said. He added that the news category is poised for strong performance in the near to mid-term, and state and general elections will be the primary drivers for news viewership. The pandemic outbreak triggered widespread panic and confusion, driving people to seek information on the rapidly evolving scenario, and lifting news channels.

“Besides, the void created due to the absence of new content in GECs and sporting events redirected attention to news channels, further propelling the growth in viewership. Between Week 39 of 2020 and Week 10 of 2022, news channels experienced a data blackout. Once ratings were reinstated, the news genre gradually returned to its initial level of viewership," Anand said.