During the pandemic, the Hindi General entertainment channels have witnessed a long-time low. Which again got on track during the ‘new normal’ with channels launching new shows and serials. Topping up the news, we learned about Zee acquiring the TV rights for ICC events. The information is expected to increase the channel’s viewership along with the surge in the share price. As per the week 34 BARC data, most top GECs are losing viewership. The report suggests regional channels like SUN TV and STAR Maa at the top two positions, respectively.
In contrast, Star Plus slipped to the third position. The Television secured the Weekly AMA (in’ 000s) as 39.74 minutes. AMA is the number of individuals who viewed an event for a particular audience.
The shift in primetime ratings
With multiple options today, audiences constantly look for relatable and new content. It widens the scope of storytelling and provides an opportunity for more unique channels and shows with a fresher perspective to compete with the big traditional market players.
While the entertainment industry has evolved drastically over time, content and consumption patterns have also changed. Primetime ratings have remained and continue to remain the most significant aspect of audience measurement, and most channels thrive on it to determine their position in the industry. There used to be a time when big traditional channels like Star Plus and Zee TV led these ratings, and the battle was always between the usual top 2 or 3 popular channels. Today, audience viewing patterns and content scales have allowed new television channels to enter the market. The television channels like SUN TV, STAR Maa, Dangal, and Zee Telugu have gained a promising position in the HSM Primetime.
Manish Singhal, Managing Director at Enterr10 TV, said, “As a channel, Dangal TV has introduced 100% original programming with a variety of genres such as family drama, supernatural drama, mythological costume drama, action-thriller genre. With a promise of family entertainment that audiences can resonate with.”
“At Dangal, we currently have nine original shows, including Shubh Shagun, Jai Hanuman, Bindya Sarkar, Nath, Mann Sundar, Sindoor ki Keemat, Nagmadi, Rang jaau tere rang mein, Control room, and Crime Alert. We are relentlessly creating content to engage the audiences with a lineup of entertaining shows and iconic characters. Dangal TV has won the audience’s support and has captured the No.1 position in the prime time slots at the HSM GEC leaderboard over the past few months. While content plays an important role, it is equally imperative to understand the viewers and offer them immersive storylines that reflect their culture and values. Catering to a wide range of viewers, Dangal is creating relatable and differentiated content with unique storytelling and high-quality production. In comparison, the perceived leading GEC channels have thrived on the back of a brand and fandom that has been built over a while. In an ever-evolving ecosystem, the factors have changed, enabling additional players to join the GEC industry and work towards climbing the leadership board and achieving the primetime ratings.”
How are regional channels driving ratings?
Since 2018, television channels and broadcasters have focused their interest on regional languages. People are keener and more curious about region-based content—one of the primary reasons being relatability. The audience relates to the subject or theme of the story or background. On the OTT platforms also, we can see the regional languages and shows dominating the earlier Hindi genre. As per a FICCI EY report, the share of regional language content on OTTs will rise to 54% in 2024. Manish says, “Bhojpuri, Punjabi, and Gujarati cinema have a significant hold in today’s industry. Hindi GEC has a market of its own and has hugely influenced the Hindi-speaking markets, thus narrowing the scope for other regional content to have a foothold in these markets.”
If appropriately considered, the distinction in content has evolved. Whatever the audience liked earlier has definitely changed for good. Now regional-based content and stories are more popular than average drama or story. Hence, the shift in ratings is happening over television channels. Having said that, the Hindi GEC has an audience base that is not fading away anytime soon.
