NEW DELHI: 2020 has been a wild year for the news industry. On the up side, viewership skyrocketed in the wake of Covid2019 pandemic; then again, it drew aggressive flak from viewers and advertisers alike for their reportage in a number of high-profile cases, including the Sushant Singh Rajput suicide. Adding to the woes of the industry was the TRP rigging scam, which left a bitter taste in the mouth of many.

Addressing all these issues and the grave concern of brand safety that has risen in these sensitive times in a chat with Indiantelevision.com, BBC Global News MD - India and South Asia Rahul Sood shared that it is high for brands to stop sitting on the fence and take some concrete steps to ensure they are not placing their products with any content they wouldn’t want to be associated with. 

MUMBAI: The Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) of India has released its data for top advertisers and brands for the period between 14 November and 20 November 2020.

The data reflects the top 10 advertisers and brands across genres on India’s television, 2+ Individuals, NCCS. All demonstrating ads that were inserted the most in week 45 of 2020.

Top Advertisers:

Hindustan Unilever continued to be the biggest advertiser this week also with 257006 impressions.

It was followed by Reckitt Benckiser India, which ranked second with 199961 ad generations.

ITC bagged the third rank this time with 48767 ad impressions. Godrej Consumer Products came in fourth with 45434 ad generations.

Audiences are always on the lookout for content about contestants from the popular television reality show Bigg Boss. In a unique partnership with Viacom18’s Hindi GEC Colors, short video platform Moj will now give its users access to exclusive content on the platform straight from the Bigg Boss house.

As part of the partnership under Social Media App sponsor, Moj will be setting up a ‘Moj App Room’ inside the Bigg Boss house for the contestants to get together, strategize, and have personal conversations. Moreover, the app’s 80 million monthly active users can also catch the exclusive non-televised ‘Moj App Room’ content on the channel’s official account on Moj.

Dangal TV is all set to launch its new soap opera ‘Prem Bandhan’, a story of a self-righteous girl who defines the true meaning of a relationship. Produced by Balaji Telefilms, ‘Prem Bandhan’ will premiere on Monday, November 30, 2020, at 7.30 pm.

Prem Bandhan is an enigma showcasing the journey and struggles of a simple, self-righteous and honest small-town girl, Janki Srivastav, who believes in voicing her opinion against people who use their power to get away with things. Often torn between responsibilities towards her family and standing up for justice, Janki lands herself in a forced marital relationship with the mysterious Harsh Shashtri.

Mumbai: When it comes to the Bhojpuri heartland, there’s nothing better than Litti Chokha that makes occasions special. Litti Chokha is not just a dish but the identity of the region. Litti Chokha has been celebrated as the authentic avatar of Bhojpuri cuisine. Keeping the festivities rolling beyond Chhath, ZEE Biskope curates Nestle Munch & Fortune Kachi Ghani Mustard Oil co-present Litti Chokha Diwas on 27 November for its extended family – the ardent viewers.

The brand launches yet another series of category first – an anthem and an animation video that narrates Litti Chokha ki kahani unhi ke zubani (self-narration by Litti Chokha). The video personifies Litti & Chokha where Litti is a popular, self-made woman who is in love with Chokha. However, Chokha – a Casanova has switching loyalties which disappoints Litti. Nevertheless, they both know that they complete each other and are madly in love with.

It was a divided house among broadcasters when BARC decided to suspend the measurement of viewership ratings for news channels for 12 weeks. A little over a month now, in spite of the blackout, TV news has not seen any fall in ad rates or advertiser dropouts. Broadcasters say that ad dollars are dependent on a number of factors that go beyond rating points and it is the game of perceptions at the end of the day.

According to M K Anand, MD and CEO of the Times Network, news is an influence medium and it is not bought and sold on CPR. “Mega news brands are not led by numbers. While we do make all efforts to ensure our channels are widely distributed and easily available, we take pride in the strength of our content and the trust our brand evokes. Advertisers look at environment and vehicle brand when they consider news channels and that is a major differentiator for legacy brands,” he said.

MUMBAI: Hindi GEC Dangal TV, a part of Enterr10 Television, is all set to entertain viewers with its latest offering, Prem Bandhan. Produced by Balaji Telefilms, the show stars Chhavi Pandey and Manit Joura as the protagonists. Prem Bandhan is a story about an independent girl who has the responsibility of her family on her shoulders, how she comes to a crossroads and ends up marrying a businessman with a mysterious past. The show has a very optimistic outlook on how one can convert a disadvantage into an advantage. Prem Bandhan will debut on 30 November 2020, and air Monday to Saturday at 7:30 pm only on Dangal TV.

It is directed by Vikram Ghai, while Nikita Dhond and Sambhav Khetarpal are the screenplay writers. The story is written by Srinita Bhoumick and the director of photography are Dinesh Sinha and Alamghir Sheikh.  

KOLKATA: Given the sudden uncertainties, digital publishers were fretting about the downturn in business at the beginning of Covid2019 crisis. Anticipating a very troublesome period, the publishers prepared to counter the worst situation. Fortunately, the industry has witnessed a better-than-expected state of business post Covid, Times Internet Ltd (TIL) COO Puneet Gupt said.

In a virtual fireside chat with Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari, Gupt spoke about the overall sentiment in the industry which is turning out to be brighter with each passing month. According to him, TIL, as well as other publications, are now gaining momentum across all metrics. While there was a huge slump in ad spend in the first couple of months when physical movements were curtailed and the market was down, there has been a gradual growth month-on-month basis since things have started opening up, especially in the last four-five months.

KOLKATA: Dish TV India has started broadcasting ‘Kalvi Tholaikkatchi’ - an educational channel launched by Tamil Nadu Government. The free-to-air channel will telecast daily from 06 AM to 11 PM on both its platforms- DishTV and D2H.

Available on channel number 597 on both DishTV and D2H, Kalvi Tholaikkatchi telecasts programs conducted by experts on preparing for competitive examinations as well as programs that enhance the students’ creativity. Additionally, the channel provides all the major announcements related to students and also has live programs by the School Education Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu. 

During the lockdown months, the audiences had limited access to content because of the absence of fresh content on television and shutting down of theatres and, hence, they turned to OTT platforms. Even though AVOD-based platforms continue to top the chart, there has been an impressive increase in the number of paid subscribers.

A study by DAN suggested people signed up for three newer OTT platforms in the lockdown months. But with the economy opening up and entertainment options returning, are people still subscribing to OTT platforms? According to industry leaders, the number of paid subscribers will continue to grow and the focus is now on retaining newer audiences and making them loyal consumers.