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Even as social media platforms tighten the ropes around spreading of fake news, it continues to thrive. A survey released by communication consulting firm The 23 Watts, ‘Truth Be Told’ reveals that a whooping 91 percent believe that fake news can influence voting decisions. During national events like elections, 90 percent of the consensus experiences an increase in fake news and 59 percent fall trap to sensationalism, leading them to share fake news.

Some of the other key highlights from the report include the fact that approximately 66 percent of GenZ population relies on internet portals (YouTube, social media, messengers, online articles) for news consumption. 80 percent of the population alters their perceptions and opinions based on fake news influence and although 95 percent claim to authenticate news, 45 percent share unauthenticated news later found to be fake.

However only 29 percent of individuals authenticate information through fact-checking websites. 


Vijay Ganesan, former Director of Analytics and Data Strategy for Europe at Kantar, was also brought on board to verify the methodology used in the report. In a conversation with Storyboard18, Ganesan discusses patterns. 




These are some alarming statistics around fake news consumption among Delhi youth during elections -What do you think are the primary reasons behind this surge?

 
The significant spike in fake news consumption among Delhi youth during elections can be attributed to several primary reasons, as highlighted by the The 23 Watts report ‘Truth Be Told’.  At the onset, fake news targets and focuses on public figures, politics, and religion, or what we can say are topics of high interest and contention- thereby driving more conversations and shares. There is obviously an apparent lack of awareness and understanding on ways to fact check, with less than one-third of individuals relying on fact-checking websites for authentication. The majority may fall victim to false narratives perpetuated by sensationalized news (14 percent) and emotional biases (20 percent). 
 

Secondly, the report indicates that a considerable portion (27 percent) of people find news verification tedious and lack time for it. This time constraint coupled with the ease of sharing information on social media platforms can lead to the dissemination of unauthenticated news, even among those who claim to authenticate news (95 percent).   Additionally, the reliance on social media and messaging apps for news consumption, particularly among young people in Delhi (66 percent), exacerbates the issue. These platforms often lack rigorous fact-checking mechanisms, making it easier for false information to spread rapidly.   




The report indicates that 91 percent of respondents believe fake news influences voting patterns. What measures do you think should be taken to mitigate this influence and ensure informed decision-making among voters?
 



Addressing the influence of fake news on voting patterns is crucial for maintaining the integrity of democratic processes. Several measures could be taken to mitigate this influence. One such measure is media literacy. 
Since the accessibility of social media and the internet is just a click away, I feel it should be ideal starting at an early age.  We can make aware and empower individuals to critically evaluate information sources, distinguish between credible and unreliable sources, and recognise manipulation techniques used in fake news, such as tone of sensationalism or lack of significant digital footprint.



When the report asked our respondents how they identify fake news, the majority answered that they use fact-checking websites. Therefore, another effective approach could be fact-checking initiatives, such as supporting and promoting fact-checking organizations. These initiatives help debunk misinformation and provide accurate information to the public.  With that being said, nearly 89 percent believe that not enough initiatives are being taken to prevent fake news and here is where the government needs to provide a safer cyber experience for a population that tends to believe what they see. We should acknowledge these insights as a call for stricter regulations and policies for social media and content shared online.  

I believe that taking small steps towards awareness can make a huge difference. 



With 80 percent of respondents admitting to altering their opinions based on fake news, what role do you see for media literacy education in addressing this challenge among the younger generation?

 
Media literacy education plays a pivotal role in addressing the challenge of fake news among the younger generation, especially considering the alarming statistic that 80 percent of respondents admit to altering their opinions based on fake news. By integrating media literacy education into school curricula from an early age, we can empower young people to critically analyse information sources, discern between credible and unreliable sources, and recognise manipulation tactics employed in fake news.

 Additionally, media literacy education can equip students with the skills to navigate the complexities of the digital landscape responsibly. They can learn how to fact-check information using reliable sources, understand the implications of sharing misinformation, and become more discerning consumers of media. By creating a mindset of being digitally “woke” through media literacy, we can significantly reduce the susceptibility to fake news. 


 

Given that only 29 percent of individuals authenticate information through fact-checking websites, what strategies can be implemented to promote fact-checking behaviour among young people?

 As mentioned earlier, media literacy is paramount. It's crucial to promote and make fact-checking tools easily accessible. In today's digital age, institutions need to equip young people with the means to access accurate information. Encouraging them to bookmark reliable fact-checking sites and integrate them into their daily information consumption habits is essential.   


Moreover, social media platforms should integrate features that encourage fact-checking, such as pop-up notifications prompting users to verify information before sharing or highlighting fact-checked articles in news feeds.


 
Another way could be to make it mandatory for educational institutions to integrate fact-checking initiatives into existing programs. This could involve guest lectures from one of the fact-checking websites or from the PIB Fact Checking Unit, collaborative projects, or student-led campaigns to promote fact-checking awareness on campus.

 
To promote fact-checking among young people, we can start by running government-supported awareness campaigns about its importance. These campaigns should target youth through schools and social media. Also, partnerships between government, companies, and schools can help expand fact-checking efforts. It's essential to teach fact-checking skills in schools so that young people learn to spot fake news. These steps can help young people become better at telling truth from misinformation and curb the spread of fake news
 



Considering that 59 percent of respondents admit to falling prey to sensationalism and sharing fake news, how can social media platforms be better regulated to prevent the dissemination of false information?

 
To stop fake news on social media, platforms can do a few things. Regularisation of how they check and remove fake news by using better technology and more people can definitely. Working with fact-checkers can help label fake news. Platforms should also be clear about how they decide what shows up in feeds. Teaching users about spotting fake news and making rules stricter for verified accounts can help too. Platforms need to work with regulators to make sure they're responsible for what's shared.


 

In your opinion, what role do stakeholders, including tech companies, media organisations, and educational institutions, play in addressing the fake news epidemic among the youth population?


 
It is about challenging a notion. Everyone has a part to play in tackling the spread of fake news, especially among young people. Tech companies need to step up and create better tools to spot and stop false information from spreading online. They can team up with fact-checkers to flag fake news and make sure it doesn't get seen by too many people.  Media outlets also have a massive influence. They need to focus on telling the truth and showing where their information comes from. Fact-checking should be a top priority to fight against fake news. And let's not forget about schools! They play a crucial role in teaching students how to think critically about the news they see online. By giving young people the skills to tell fact from fiction, schools help them become smarter consumers of media.

91 percent believe fake news affects voting, yet many share unauthenticated news: Survey

Shares of Patanjali Foods Ltd fell over 3 percent in early trade on February 28, despite the company clarifying through an exchange filing on February 27 that the Supreme Court's observation of "misleading advertisements" over some of the products sold by Patanjali Ayurved Ltd will not affect its business as it is a separate listed entity, as per a Moneycontrol report. 

Shares of Patanjali Foods have gained over 3 percent in a month and nearly 30 percent in six months. At 9.23am, shares of Patanjali Foods traded 2.5 percent lower at Rs 1581.80, marking its third day of decline, the report further stated.

"The observations do not have any bearing on the regular business operations or the financial performance of Patanjali Foods," the company informed exchanges.

An apex court bench had issued a show-cause notice to Patanjali Ayurved, co-founded by yoga guru Ramdev, and managing director Balakrishna for going back on their promise to not make "misleading claims" in advertisements for its medicines.

In November 2023, the Supreme Court reprimanded Patanjali Ayurved for continuing to publish misleading claims and advertisements against modern medicine.

The Supreme Court was hearing a writ petition filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) over misleading advertisements by certain companies.

Following this, the court directed Patanjali Ayurved to not publish misleading advertisements in the future and also to not make any casual statements about it in the press.


In December quarter, Patanjali Foods' standalone net profit declined to Rs 216.54 crore from Rs 254.54 crore in the September quarter. The company saw its revenue from operations rise to Rs 7,910.70 crore in the December quarter from Rs 7,821.89 crore in the quarter ago period.





Patanjali Foods shares fell over 3 percent; despite 'no threat' assurance following SC crackdown on Patanjali Ayurved

The longstanding debate on the rolling and unrolling of data for news channel viewership may be nearing resolution as the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) board gears up for a crucial meeting with officials from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) on December 19.

People close to the development said there are two focal points for the upcoming discussion. First on the agenda is the unrolling of data, a move that would grant broadcasters access to weekly viewership data for the news genre. The second item slated for deliberation is the potential expansion of panel homes.

Towards the end of November, the MIB allowed BARC to discard the four-week rolling average data system for news ratings. Initially implemented after a 17-month hiatus due to the alleged TRP scam the move was opposed by some broadcasters. Soon after, MIB urged BARC to maintain the status quo, promptly splitting the stakeholders in the broadcasting industry into.

This split stakeholders in the broadcasting industry into two camps, those favouring weekly data and those supporting the four-week rolling data.

The upcoming meeting is anticipated to see a resolution from the MIB.

As for increasing panel homes, BARC recently increased the sample size by about 25,000 and presently has a 55000 homes panel. They are also committed to add more as per government guidelines.

In an earlier interview with Storyboard18, Shashi Sinha, chairman of BARC India had explained how it works.


“To start with, BARC is a very robust currency but there are certain smaller segments like the news genre where the sample is very small so the chances of variations are very high and increasing the panel homes reduces that. This kind of sample size reduces infiltrations of any sort,” he had said.

There is another rule in the guidelines issued by the ministry that says 25 percent of the panel homes should be rotated every year. The rotation is to be done such that older panel homes are removed first while maintaining the representativeness of the panel. This rotation is expected to be achieved in a staggered manner by rotating panel homes every month. All of this helps in better and fairer measurement of data.

Debate on news data may soon conclude as BARC meets MIB on Dec 19

The print industry is gradually shaking off the post-Covid lull, showing a significant boost in ad volumes during the first half of 2023 (January to June), amid subdued performance by the TV sector. 

 According to the latest report from TAM, ad space per publication in print saw a 43 percent growth compared to the first half of 2021 and a 5 percent increase over the same period in 2022.

Experts suggest that advertisers are boosting their festive ad budgets for print by up to 15 per cent.

TAM's report also highlights a striking trend in the advertising landscape. Between January and June 2023, a total of 51,000 advertisers with 67,000 brands exclusively advertised in print as compared to the corresponding period last year.

According to Sujata Dwibedy, chief investment and trading officer, Amplifi, the supply-side management platform of dentsu, with no readership survey for print, it is difficult to prove numbers. However, trends in the usual sectors remained steady, she said.

“For instance, the first quarter does see BFSI and Auto in addition to CPG (consumer packaged goods) and e-commerce which are the lead spend categories, growing,” Dwibedy added.

While World Cup and other big-ticket events will be a spending booster for H2, it is primarily the festive season that will add significantly to AdEx, said Dwibedy.

According to her, the festive season leads to a lot of activations in print and large-format ads for announcements and promos. “Some of the clients advertise only around the festivals! Even without the larger properties, the ad expenditure sees a higher share of spends in the second half,” she said.


Advertiser and brand breakdown

As per TAM numbers for the first half of the year, the top sectors dominating the print advertising landscape in the first half of 2023 came from diverse interests. The education sector claimed the lead with a substantial 19 percent share, emphasising its commitment to reaching a wide audience. Following closely, services and auto industries secured the second and third positions with 16 percent and 11 percent stakes, respectively.

Meanwhile, retail and banking/finance/investment sectors held strong at 8 percent each. The rest in the top 10 included personal accessories at 6 percent, personal healthcare at 5 percent, and food & beverages, as well as durables each claiming a 4 percent share and personal care/personal hygiene contributing 2 percent.

In terms of leading advertisers, the top 10 advertisers contributed 13 percent share of ad space in print. Maruti Suzuki India secured the lead with a strong presence, followed by SBS Biotech, Reliance Retail, LIC of India, and Hero Motocorp, each making noteworthy contributions. Think & Learn, Titan Company, MG Motor India, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India and Allen Career Institute also made their mark. Allen Career Institute held its position among the leading advertisers, reflecting the dynamic landscape of print advertising's key players.


What worked for advertisers?

Maruti Suzuki India which topped the advertisers list is equally excited about the second half of the year to leverage the medium’s reach and create recall.

Shashank Srivastava, senior executive director-marketing and sales, Maruti Suzuki India, explained how print works for the brand.

“Our print advertising strategy encompasses four primary categories. Firstly, we announce new launches; secondly, we take up sustenance advertising for existing brands, thirdly, we engage in tactical advertising, often tied to seasonal themes. Lastly, we conduct corporate branding efforts,” he said.

“In the first half of this year, we went heavy with advertising related to new launches because we had three major launches which included the Fronx, Invicto and Jimny. These campaigns print extensive ads for maximum reach. Moving forward, our advertising budget in the second half will remain consistent but a larger portion will be allocated to festive tactical advertising. Our focus will be on creating engaging conversations and amplifying recall across all regional markets,” Srivastava said.

Chirag Shah, vice president, Madison Media Sigma, a media planning and buying firm, also highlighted how the regional markets performed well in the first quarter.

According to him, regional genres, specifically Maharashtra and West Bengal, saw significant growth in ad volumes in H1 2023 over the same period last year.

His expectation is that advertising and consumer promotion expenditure will see a significant surge in the second half of 2023. “It will be spurred by factors such as inflationary pressure cooling off, marquee cricketing events like Asia Cup and ICC World Cup coming up in H2,” he said.

 
The print publisher’s take

Satyajit Sengupta, chief corporate sales and marketing officer, DB Corp Ltd, said the first half of the year has been encouraging for the brand with double-digit growth in advertising revenue.

 “Almost all verticals have shown strong growth. Education, real estate, jewellery, health sector, automobiles and BFSI, all strong print categories have been growing over the last year. We are already talking to our advertisers regarding festive plans and budgets are going to be up in most cases to the tune of 10-15 percent,” Sengupta said.

 Like most marketers, Sengupta also believes this year's robust cricket calendar with the Asia Cup and One Day World Cup would fuel advertising.

 “We also have state elections in the large states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. So we have got our hands full. We can see that advertisers are increasingly gravitating back towards print,” he added.

Print advertising gains momentum in H1 2023; brands seen boosting festive ad budgets by up to 15%

News18 India has done it again. With a 14.3% market share, the channel is again in the number one position in the HSM market in the Week 34-Week 37 period. The market share has also shown growth between Week 33 and Week 37. Between Week 33 and 36, News18 India had a market share of 14.1%.

Competition numbers are still way behind that of News18 India. TV9 Bharatvarsh, Aaj Tak, India TV and Republic Bharat clocked a market share of 11.7%, 11.4%, 11.1% and 10.5% respectively in Week 34-37. In fact, Aaj Tak and Republic Bharat also showed a drop in market share between Week 33-Week 37. 

<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/WhatsApp-Image-2022-09-22-at-12.12.19-PM.jpeg" alt="" width="412" height="341" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2198" />

 In the 1800-2400hrs, TG 15+ HSM (Week 37, All days) market, News18 had a 14.8% market share. The others in the top five in order of rankings were TV Bharatvarsh, Republic Bharat, India TV and Aaj Tak. The channels had market shares of 12.1%, 11.7%, 11.7% and 11.5% respectively. 

<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/WhatsApp-Image-2022-09-22-at-12.12.19-PM-1.jpeg" alt="" width="931" height="477" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2200" />

 In terms of cumulative reach too, News18 India topped the charts. In the HSM- Urban + Rural, the channel’s reach touched 88447000, way above the second ranking channel TV9 Bharatvarsh that stood at 67914000.Aaj Tak, India TV and Republic Bharat were the other channels in the top five list.

<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/WhatsApp-Image-2022-09-22-at-12.12.19-PM-2.jpeg" alt="" width="960" height="1024" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2199" />

The return of ratings has been a big relief for the industry, experts said.

“It always helps to have the measurement mechanism for decision making. Ratings form the basis on which decisions on channel selection and spends are made,” said Amol Dighe, CEO, Investments and Business Development, Madison Media, in a separate interview with Storyboard18 as part of our Media Mavens series.

Dighe says they saw a change in the pecking order of news channels with the return of the ratings in the genre. “ Some channels dropped in ratings while some channels saw an increase in their ratings. We are still seeing a fluctuation. As buyers, this needs to be keenly watched and deals will be dynamic till this settles down,” he adds.

News18 India leads the show yet again

News18 India is at an all-time high when it comes to market share. As per the latest BARC data, News18’s average market share in the HSM-Urban + Rural Market stands at 14.1% between week 33 and week 36. Others in the top five list in the same category are far behind. Aaj Tak, TV9 Bharatvarsh, India TV and Republic Bharat clocked a market share of 11.8%, 11.5%, 11% and 10.6% respectively in the same period.

<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/g2.png" alt="" width="375" height="375" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2060" />

The network’s English offering, CNN News18, has also been on a growth trajectory ever since BARC ratings in the news genre resumed in March this year. In the All India (Urban + Rural), AB15+ category, CNN News18 saw a 2.2% jump in their average market share between the periods of week 33-35 and week 33- 36. The channel holds a 33.4% market share, leaving behind Republic TV at 25.9%, Times Now at 22.5% and India Today Television at 10.0%.

<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/h2.png" alt="" width="439" height="260" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2061" />

While ratings have brought more perspective for marketers interested in the genre, investments in news never stopped, said Jai Lala, Chief Executive Officer, Zenith in a separate interview with Storyboard18 as part of our Media Mavens series. Lala says there is a school of marketer that believes in perception planning but there is another group that swear by GRPs and TRPs. 

“It's a complete scientific way of planning. These channels go completely by the BARC data. So basically it is data-driven planning. Either way the good part is investments in news never went off the charts and it continues to be an important genre for advertisers,” Lala said.

Lala also highlights the fact that shuffling of rankings have led to change in ad rates too. “Channels that fell from the top ratings had a hard time holding on to the rates they sold inventory for before the blackout period and channels that climbed the chart obviously had new rates,” he said.

News18 widens lead over competition between Week 33-36

Note to readers: Media Mavens is a new Storyboard18 series featuring media investment firms and power players - the X-Women and X-Men who make the big calls on how and where to spend advertisers' money. This is a peek into their minds - how they work in a dynamic landscape, the next big trends they’re watching for, insights into what advertisers need today, the disruptions driving change and the factors driving their decisions. Watch this space for all that and more.

Media planning has a pre-pandemic and post-pandemic phase. The rules of planning and buying that were a hit two years back are redundant now. Brands are no longer following a yearbook with scheduled spends for particular seasons and planners are motivating them to be proactive and ready all year long.  

“Marketers have realized that there is no particular season for advertising,” says Jai Lala, chief executive officer, Zenith. According to Lala a lot has changed after the pandemic when it comes to advertising. And it's not just ad rates.

Read on

Festive season is round the corner and we can already see fresh campaigns from a lot of brands. What are your observations in terms of spending patterns?

It is safe to say that things are all getting back to normal in terms of the pandemic but there are certain other concerns that impact the overall business ecosystem globally. The Ukraine-Russia war and the existing condition of the global markets, which I wouldn’t call a recession, but the impact of the market movement is having repercussions in India.

While people say things like how the next decade belongs to India, there are certain pullbacks that are happening. The pull backs are happening on two points. There are certain inflationary trends which are happening with commodity prices going up and that is impacting the FMCG players who are seeing a ripple effect of that. This is holding them from spending the kind of money we expected they’d spend around the season. 

Secondly, a lot of VC funding has been restricted. Unlike the beginning of the year or the last year where we saw a lot of new companies putting in a lot of money on advertising and celebrities, we are seeing a little pullback. 

So, coming back to the festive season, there will definitely be growth in spending if we compare it to the previous months but my personal prediction is that we won't see a boom like last year. It will be a little restricted.

However, there is no denying that brands especially in some categories like automobiles who have launches lined up during the season will be spending on impact.



<blockquote>In pre-pandemic times, we were going as per a January to December plan where we’d advertise in the first quarter, go slow in the second and make a comeback and so on and so forth. This pattern in planning went for a complete toss.</blockquote>



There is a lot of cricket coinciding with the festive season. Is it a favorable situation to have the festive period and cricket which is, in a way, a festival in itself, overlapping?

It is definitely a plus. There are more brands that are ready to spend and our observation in the last seven to nine years is that this is a period where there is some sort of cricket going on. Be it a bilateral series or the World Cup or any other series. Mentally we'll have to be prepared that there will be cricket around the festive period and also the fact that there is an opportunity in that and it can be cashed on. So, brands have also started thinking on that line.

The last two years have changed a lot of rules in the marketing and advertising playbook. What are the changes that you think the industry will stick to?

From a marketing standpoint what has happened during the pandemic was that there was a period where everything was shut down followed by a time when things opened up suddenly. So marketers also went from sitting quietly in the lockdown to getting ready to advertise when things started opening. 
What we were doing in the pre-pandemic time was that we were going as per a January to December plan where we’d advertise in the first quarter then go slow in the second and then make a comeback and so on and so forth. 

This pattern in planning went for a complete toss. 

Last year, when the pandemic went low during June-July, a lot of categories came back because they saw an open window which was an opportunity for them. They thought they should be reaching out to their consumers in that period. The June-July period is otherwise a slow period especially for categories like auto. So what the pandemic has done is that it has all of us on our toes. 

We have to be ready all the time. Marketers have realized that there is no particular season for advertising and you can plan your campaigns at any given point of time. The ecosystem has now built itself up in a way that you can plan campaigns in a shorter span of time. Being ready and being proactive is something that has happened for marketers and the trend will stay on.

From a consumer standpoint a lot of viewership has shifted to digital viewership and that continues to remain because it's created a habit. So, there has been a shift from TV. There has been co-viewing which has gone up a lot and connected TV has become very popular. Next is the growth of e-commerce. The pandemic has amplified the expected growth. So all these three changes are here to stay and our planning is now based on these three facets.   



<blockquote>We have to be ready all the time. Marketers have realized that there is no particular season for advertising and you can plan your campaigns at any given point of time. The ecosystem has now built itself up in a way that you can plan campaigns in a shorter span of time.</blockquote>



Digital is growing at a fast pace and everything in the marketing ecosystem is changing around it. How have traditional marketers coped? And how has the role of the planner changed with the addition of digital on every brand’s marketing mandate over the years?

The attitude towards digital has changed dramatically. I would confidently say that there isn’t any advertiser who's looking at digital marketing spends as a complimentary spend. TV has its reach and is not dying but the investment on digital is on an upswing across all categories. A lot of TV heavy brands have now made digital as a key component of their plan.

Coming to the role of a planner, Indian is a complex market with so many different regions, languages, cultures. Planning in India is like planning for Europe. There is no 'one plan that fits all' kinds of shortcuts here. So we are constantly learning and we are trying because the knowledge that was relevant three years back might be completely redundant now. It is an ever evolving job that requires a lot of training. If you are living in a cocoon that you are a TV planner or a digital planner, you must come out of it. Everything is integrated. The planners who are on top of it are the best planners. 

Speaking about the News genre, it’s been six months since BARC ratings have returned. Do you see a change in investments in the genre with the return of ratings?

Investments in news never stopped. There are two schools of thought when it comes to clients. The first set are the ones who believe in GRPs and TRPs. It's a complete scientific way of planning. These channels go completely by the BARC data. So basically it is data-driven planning. The other school of thought believes in something we call perception planning where they also believe in the live data they collect on ground, from trade partners and others and that influences their decision and not just ratings. So we have a very frank discussion with our clients and we plan accordingly. Either way the good part is investments in news never went off the charts and it continues to be an important genre.

When the ratings returned we saw a lot of shuffling in rankings. How did that impact ad rates?

Just because ratings were not there doesn’t mean consumers were not watching. It’s just that there was no measurement. As for shuffling of rankings, obviously there have been changes in ad rates too. Channels that fell from the top ratings had a hard time holding on to the rates they sold inventory for before the blackout period and channels that climbed the chart obviously had new rates.

What would you say are the big trends to watch out for?

We keep pushing clients to spend money on connected TV because it’s definitely going to grow. There is so much good content on digital, people would want to watch it on a large screen. So that is one big change.

The other change is moving away from a planned calendar. Digital is the space to watch out for. The last two years have been very difficult for the industry and now is the time of stabilization. Overall as a medium digital is on a growth trajectory but we will not see any drastic changes in the next two years where digital will become 70 percent of an ad plan. It will hover around the existing 35-40 percent for the next couple of years till we see the next bout of growth.

Media Mavens: ‘No season for advertising, have to be ready all-year,’ says Zenith’s Jai Lala

News18 India is leading the charts in the Hindi TV News space once again. As per the latest BARC data, with a clear majority of 14 percent market share (24 hrs, TG:15+HSM, Week 35’ 2022, All days), the channel has left behind its competitors Aaj Tak that is at 11.8 percent, TV9 Bharatvarsh at 11.4 percent, India TV at 11.1 percent and Republic Bharat at 10.8 percent.

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The channel’s market share has risen from 13.7 percent in week 34 to 14 percent in week 35, as per BARC data.

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During a part of the prime time slot between 21:00 hrs and 22:00 hrs the channel had an even higher market share of 15.8 percent in week 35. The others in the race after News18 India in the top five channels included Republic Bharat at 15.5 percent, India TV at 14.5 percent, Aaj Tak at 13.1 percent and TV 9 Bharatvarsh at 9.9 percent.

<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/u1.png" alt="" width="956" height="477" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1917" />

In the English General News category too, the network’s English offering CNN News18 has seen steady growth. As per BARC data, between week 31 and 34, in the all India(U+R), AB15+ market, CNN News18 was at a market share of 29.7 percent followed by a 31.2 percent market share in the following period between week 32 and week 35.

The return of BARC ratings in the news genre after a period of close to two years led to a change in pecking order when it comes to the channels fighting for the top five spots. News18 India has been consistently leading the charts ever since.

In separate interviews with Storyboard18 as part of our Media Mavens series, media investments firms' chiefs spoke about the return of BARC ratings and the importance of ratings in decision-making. 

Amol Dighe, CEO, Investments and Business Development, Madison Media, said, "This (BARC ratings' return) has been a big relief. It always helps to have the measurement mechanism for decision making... performance of the channel in terms of ratings forms the basis on which decisions on channel selection and spends are made. Then there is reach and affinity which is also critical."

He added that other factors like "what is the kind of value the channel offers to the brands in terms of special deals, integrations, activation etc, also determine the share of investment the channel gets."

BARC ratings are "the singular source of TV measurement right now," said Niti Kumar, COO, Starcom India, in an interview last week. "There is no other way to get the kind of data that BARC gives you and it’s not just for news."  

Kumar shared, "When media planners are evaluating options they need to evaluate a holistic level of growth, across channels, across audiences, markets and so on. Those kinds of cuts don't come from any other source. It's a choice between having no ratings and no data source to help drive your investment versus what BARC gives you. I would always pick sides where you at least have the data available."

News18 India leads 15+HSM market with 14 percent market share in week 35

Note to readers: Media Mavens is a new Storyboard18 series featuring media investment firms and power players - the X-Women and X-Men who make the big calls on how and where to spend advertisers' money. This is a peek into their minds - how they work in a dynamic landscape, the next big trends they’re watching for, insights into what advertisers need today, the disruptions driving change and the factors driving their decisions. Watch this space for all that and more.

It’s been two quarters since ratings are back, which has spelt good news for media planners and buyers especially as we get into the great Indian festive season or the Golden Quarter, as it is known in the marketing world. Overall there is a lot of media buying happening in the television ecosystem where planners are looking at a long list of factors such as reach, affinity, engagements and integrations before spending any ad money. But that’s not all. The media landscape is fast-changing and through our new series - Media Mavens, we decode the shifts that matter. 

Amol Dighe is CEO, Investments and Business Development at one homegrown media investments company Madison Media. In an interaction with Storyboard18, Dighe talks about how planning and buying is quickly becoming media neutral and tells us how the return of ratings has helped in decision-making. 

Read on

Are you happy with the return of BARC ratings?

This has been a big relief. It always helps to have the measurement mechanism for decision making. Ratings form the basis on which decisions on channel selection and spends are made. However, factors like affinity and reach cannot be ignored. 

BARC ratings are back but there has been a change in measurement methodology. Do you think that has impacted ratings?

When the ratings were back, we saw a change in the pecking order of News channels. Some channels dropped in ratings while some channels saw an increase in their ratings. We are still seeing a fluctuation where the final pecking order does not seem to be settled as of now. We will have to continuously monitor the trends and performance of the category. So yes, managing the flux will be challenging.

We understand ratings are important but what are the other factors that help you choose one channel over the other? 

As I said, performance of the channel in terms of ratings forms the basis on which decisions on channel selection and spends are made. Then there is reach and affinity which is also critical. Other factors like what is the kind of value the channel offers to the brands in terms of special deals, integrations, activation etc, which also determine the share of investment the channel gets. For example, if the brand associates with the channel for an Impact property with content integration etc, then naturally the share of spend on that particular channel will be higher. So, spending on a channel will depend on what role the channel plays for the Brand, in addition to the ratings it garners.

Secondly, trade feedback also becomes important for channel selection. Feedback from various market or consumer surveys in a particular geography are also considered while selecting a channel.

After the ratings returned there was a lot of shuffling in terms of rankings. What about rates? 

When the ratings were back, we saw a change in the pecking order of news channels. Some channels dropped in ratings while some channels saw an increase in their ratings. We are still seeing a fluctuation. As buyers, this needs to be keenly watched and deals will be dynamic till this settles down.

Everyone is always talking about reach but are ad rates and reach directly proportional?

As we have seen, News Channels are not major reach builders. They add some reach in some brand TG’s but the role is largely for building frequency. Combination of factors like frequency, trade pull, affinity, network strength etc., determine the final rates for the news category.

With the festive season round the corner what are the factors you are considering while doing business with a broadcaster? Any genre that is leading the charts?

News Channels should focus more on reach and increasing share of ‘organic content’ and reduce the share of sensational content. They should make the environment more conducive to get more brands on board. They should also try to make News genre attractive for the female by marketing news as an all adult category

News channels could well focus on reach by increasing share of organic content and focusing on monetizing their marquee anchor shows and non FCT elements especially during festivals.

Demand and supply estimation especially during the festive season is critical. Many of the channels have impact properties to leverage the festive demand and the demand for regular inventory is also high. As smart buyers, we have to navigate these challenges to ensure visibility for brands. 

What are the big trends in GEC, especially with the festive season just around the corner? Between GEC and Sports, who has an upper hand during the festive season and why?

There is a lot of action happening in the festive season especially in the GEC and the sports genre. Marquee shows like KBC, Jhalak have already started with Big Boss etc, slated to launch shortly. These shows are big opportunities for brands to build saliency, awareness and launch new communication etc., during the festive season. Also, there are big blockbusters planned during the festivals which help. Brands can ride on the heavy promotion and leverage these properties by product integration, etc.

Ditto with Sports. A packed cricket calendar during the festive season is good news for brands which are heavy on sports. The Asia Cup, Bilateral Series followed by the World Cup is ample enough opportunity for brands.

Are there any big pandemic trends that have continued? With the stay-at-home crowd now out of home, what are the differences in spending patterns that you’ve seen?

Largely, things have settled down. Things are back to pre-pandemic levels in terms of planning. However, dip ratings across genres is a worrisome trend as that’s impacting deliveries.

With digital and an ever-evolving ecosystem how has the role of the media planner and buyer evolved over the years? 

We have seen how digital has evolved so quickly and has become a strong medium for advertisers according to all the media reports. It’s no longer a support medium and has become one of the leading mediums. It’s challenging and at the same time exciting for planners and buyers to build plans now. A lot of creativity and out of box thinking is put in when plans are made now. Bundled deals, integrated deals are in the offering and Networks also have realized that integrated deals are the need of the hour now. Planning and buying is becoming media neutral, which is the right direction.

What are the big trends to watch out for?

With more and more cricket being telecast, it will be critical to monitor the impact on viewership on other genres. Also, it will be interesting to see how the digital medium leverages sport in tandem with TV.

Media Mavens: The return of ratings has been a big relief, says Madison Media’s Amol Dighe

Note to readers: Media Mavens is a new Storyboard18 series featuring media investment firms and power players - the X-Women and X-Men who make the big calls on how and where to spend advertisers' money. This is a peek into their minds - how they work in a dynamic landscape, the next big trends they’re watching for, insights into what advertisers need today, the disruptions driving change and the factors driving their decisions. Watch this space for all that and more.

The fact that BARC ratings are the only currency that the TV ecosystem has, is not up for any debate anymore. The absence of ratings in the news genre made it clear how difficult it is for the advertisers, the media agencies and the broadcasters to do business.

Why exactly?

“News is probably the best frequency builder for advertisers today, given the coverage it can provide in a country like India with so many regional languages and nuances and ratings just helps in validating the decisions that we as planners take and the choice of channels,” says Sanchita Roy, Havas Media Group India.

Read on

It’s been close to six months that BARC ratings are back for the news genre. How has it helped in decision making, especially since the last two years had no rating system in place for the genre?

We have seen an exponential growth in News as a genre on the back of the pandemic and other global crises. There will always be a demand for News, the platform for consumption however may change. 
Intuitively, all of us would agree that the genre works/delivers even with no ratings. Ratings just help in validating the decisions that we as planners take and the choice of channels. Not only that, ratings also allow one to rationalize the cost, thereby bringing in more efficiencies for advertisers/clients.

How important are ratings when it comes to media investments and spending ad money? What are the other factors you consider?

What drives ratings today is engagement, the quality of audience and the audience experience with content on the platform. Today audiences are exposed to a plethora of content that is easily accessible across multiple platforms. Therefore, it becomes so much more important to ensure that you not only have the right reach and distribution but also the right content, which in turn would lead to higher time spent/engagement on the platforms. That determines the ratings. So, the more time audiences spend watching a channel/program, the higher its ratings will be. This is true for all genres, including news. 

Currently, BARC is the only currency that is there in the industry basis which millions are being spent. Any consumer connect will obviously throw some light on what is working on-ground in terms of channels/programs but to arrive at efficiencies you need a proper metric on which to base your decisions. The reality is BARC throws light only on TV viewership data. However, there is a lot of news consumption that is also happening on digital platforms today which unfortunately is not getting captured anywhere. This, I think, is the biggest challenge facing our industry today but in the absence of any other data source, the only option is to look at BARC. 

How critical is reach for a news broadcaster? Are ad rates and reach directly proportional?

Reach is the number of people who watch a particular channel within a specified period of time. The first requirement for any channel is to ensure sufficient distribution/coverage so as to ensure maximum exposure to the potential audience base. News is probably the best frequency builder for advertisers today, given the coverage it can provide in a country like India with so many regional languages and nuances.

Talking of reach, how do you think having a strong digital presence helps in amplification? Do you give more preference to networks that offer bundled deals?

Today, there is a lot of media consumption that is happening across multiple digital channels through the smartphone. Therefore, having a strong digital presence not only helps in amplification but also ensures that one is reaching out to the potential audience set no matter where the consumption is happening.

Secondly, campaign objectives determine the deals that we buy on behalf of our clients. So if a client brief demands that we look at offline plus online presence on news as a genre we will go ahead and do it. Finally, it’s about understanding the consumer decision journey that will form the base of all recommendations.

With the festive season around the corner, what are the factors you are considering while doing business with a broadcaster? Any genre that is leading the charts?

Again, it’s a very fragmented media ecosystem today, you need to be present across genres to ensure maximum visibility, especially during the festive season which is otherwise very cluttered. Hence, depending on what the end goals are we would be looking at options with broadcasters to better deliver on our client’s business objectives.

NEWS