Analysis: Hindi News viewership declines in digitised markets post-DAS

Severe decline in viewership contribution by Mumbai & Kolkata; Delhi's contribution has increased by 20% post-DAS

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | January 17, 2012

Last week BestMediaInfo.com had reported how there was a dramatic shift in market weightages post-DAS in terms of geographic contribution of English News genre on the basis of TAM data released after a temporary suspension of 13 weeks. This week we take a look at the changes in geographic contribution of the Hindi News genre post-DAS based on the data sourced from news channels subscribing to TAM data.

At the outset, it is pertinent to note that TAM has introduced five new “Less than Class I” (LC1) markets in 2013 and they are: Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, PHCHP and Rajasthan where MP does not include Chhattisgarh but UP includes Uttaranchal. With the release of these markets, now TAM is covering 92 per cent of the HSM urban markets from the earlier 74 per cent. The new LC1 market data for weeks 1-5, 2013 (December 30, 2012 – February 2, 2013) will be visible to users on February 7, 2013 when data for Week 5 will be released.

While comparing the data for seven weeks pre-DAS (Week 37 '12-Week 43 '12) with the data for seven weeks post-DAS (Week 47 '12-Week 1 '13), we took the core TG for news genre in consideration, that is, CS M 25+ ABC, and the findings threw up up a trend more or less similar to the English News genre.

On comparing the seven-week average TVR ('000s) of Hindi News genre comprising Aaj Tak, ABP News, India TV, Zee News, IBN7, NDTV India, Live India, News24 and P7, two DAS markets – Mumbai and Kolkata – witnessed the maximum shift in market weightage post-DAS in terms of geographic contribution. While viewership in Mumbai has declined by 32 per cent, Kolkata has witnessed a decline of 39 per cent in Hindi News viewership. The viewership of Hindi News channels in Delhi has declined by 7 per cent.

Overall, the three DAS markets – Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata – have witnessed a decline of 16 per cent in viewership. This results in a decline of 6 per cent in viewership of the Hindi News genre in the entire Hindi-speaking markets (HSM). Excluding Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, the rest of HSM has recorded a decline of 2 per cent in Hindi News viewership.

Comparing the geographic contribution of Hindi News genre pre-DAS (Week 37 '12 – Week 40 '12) with post-DAS (Week 50 '12 – Week 1 '13), we found that the market weightage of digitised markets – Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata – has fallen by 8 per cent. While Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata were contributing 40 per cent of entire Hindi News viewership pre-DAS, the contribution of these markets is 37 per cent post-DAS. Mumbai's contribution with respect to digitised markets has come down from 33 per cent to 22 per cent registering a decline of 33 per cent, and Kolkata's contribution has declined by 53 per cent, from 5 per cent to 2 per cent.

Delhi is the only market where viewership contribution has increased by 20 per cent post-DAS.  Delhi was contributing 62 per cent with respect to digitised markets pre-DAS which has increased to 74 per cent post-DAS. The contribution of rest of HSM with respect to digitised markets has grown by 6 per cent, from 60 per cent pre-DAS to 63 per cent post-DAS.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com