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Lok Sabha TV’s ratings soar
Television viewers have found India’s political drama just as gripping — if not more — than the saas-bahu soaps as the viewership for Lok Sabha TV, which telecasts the Parliament session live, surged by 46 pc on July 21, the day the special session of the Parliament began, reports Saurabh Turakhia.
Television viewers have found India’s political drama just as gripping — if not more — than the saas-bahu soaps, the
Sensex and even sports. And advertisers are flocking to news channels and the government-run Lok Sabha TV to make the most of the situation.
Viewership for Lok Sabha TV, which telecasts the Parliament session live, surged by 46 per cent on July 21, the day the special session of the Parliament began. Industry watchers said there was a surge in the number of advertisers vying for space during commercial breaks between MP speeches, though no conclusive data was available. On the same day, DD News viewership shot up by 20.4 per cent, while NDTV India recorded an 18 per cent rise.
Hiren Pandit, of Group M ESP, a media agency, believes that ratings of news channels will be up by 20 to 30 per cent. “Some advertisers will grab the opportunity,” he said, adding that he knew of a few who had joined the action in the past two days.
The last political event that saw such high viewership was the Gujarat elections, said Divya Radhakrishnan, senior vice-president, TME, another media agency. “News channels get few occasions to monetise the eyeballs they generate, like the elections and the budget. Such occurrences are a bonus,” she explained.
