Ad volumes grew by 34% in the second half of 2020 compared to the first half of 2020: BARC India

TV Viewership witnessed a growth of 23% during Mid-March to June (Week 11-26) as compared to the January to early March period (Week 1-10), according to Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India’s yearbook. The third edition, titled ‘The Year After Two Thousand & Nineteen’, highlights how covid-19 forced people to stay confined to their homes since March 25, 2020.

TV played a significant role in keeping people connected with the outside world during the lockdown. 2020 reaffirmed the strength of television as a medium in India amongst both viewers and advertisers, proving TV is indeed the screen of choice for the household, Sunil Lulla, chief executive officer, BARC India. “The year was a consolidation and reaffirmation year for television in India. It was marked by a substantial increase in TV viewership with total TV growing by 9% and ad volumes experiencing a staggering growth of 34% in the second half,” he added.

As per the report, non-prime time (NPT) viewership for general entertainment channels (GEC), news and kids, grew by 16%, 26% and 31% respectively in 2020 compared to 2019. Meanwhile, ad volumes grew by 34% in the second half of 2020 when compared to the first half of 2020 with top 10 advertising sectors accounting for 80% to total ad volumes in 2020. Communication by the Government was on an upsurge during lockdown, and volumes for govt. messaging grew by 184% (2.7 times) during Apr-June 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.

The year 2020 saw mythological classics such as Ramayan and Mahabharat made a comeback on our TV screens, Week 13, 2020 onwards with Ramayana now holding the record of the most watched TV program in the world. Driven by the classics, advertisers placed their bets on DD’s GECs during lockdown. Ad volumes for DD’s GECs grew by 62% in Apr-June quarter of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.

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