India Lockdown: Mythology shows on TV pay off

MUMBAI: Audiences for traditional TV channels has rocketed during the lockdown buoyed in part by the popularity of mythological shows like ‘Ramayan’ and ‘Mahabharat’ on Hindi general entertainment channels (GECs).As per latest BARC India viewership data for week 15 of 2020 (April 11-17), mythological shows were watched by 353 million viewers for 109 billion minutes, making up nearly 43% of overall Hindi GEC viewership. In pre-Covid-19 period (January 11-31), total viewership share of mythological content on Hindi GECs was just 14%, which jumped to 37% by week 14 (April 4-10). And looking at the emerging viewership trend, broadcasters have also increased the mythological content on Hindi GECs. It has gone from 311 hours per week in pre-Covid19 period to 466 hours in week 15.Shashi Shekhar Vempati, CEO, Prasar Bharati, feels that looking beyond the narrow prism of current circumstances, shows like ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata’ have a broader appeal that is timeless. “At a time when the entire nation is grappling with the pandemic, the shared viewing experience is having both an unifying and an uplifting effect on national psyche,” Vempati said.While ‘Ramayan’ has clocked highest viewership for any show on a Hindi GEC in recent times, due to ‘Mahabharat’ DD Bharati entered in the top five channels’ list for the first time ever.And it’s not just viewers but also the advertisers, who are making a beeline for the mythological shows. BARC India data suggests that advertisers are now keen to place ads on these two shows. As per the available data, the two shows are airing almost 190-200 slots of 10 seconds each per day during the telecast of the shows.

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