Reflections: Why News channels ratings space has turned into a war zone?

The News channels ratings space has always been a very competitive space, but for some time now it has become a war zone. Turf’s are zealously protected and the weekly BARC data is sliced and diced in different ways to claim the numero uno spot. Often times we have multiple news channels claiming the No. 1 spot at the same time.

It’s not surprising that there is a battle fought every week for the top spot, after all it in directly linked to the advertising monies. Unlike other genres, news channels don’t have daily soaps to draw in appointment viewing. Viewer loyalty is more towards some news anchors, should the anchor join another channel, the audience moves with him/her.

News being a dynamic space, changes constantly. Any major development is covered by all news channels simultaneously. Viewers don’t stick to one channel during such developments. They channel surf and get the desired info, as there is not much content differentiation here.

This very reason also makes advertisers put their monies on the top rung channels. But the leadership position is not a constant, as the leader keeps changing. Advertisers on various interactions with Adgully have said that they go for “consistency” at the top spot. Hence, a one off positioning as the numero uno channel, regardless of how much noise is created around it, won’t exactly attract much ad monies. Most advertisers look for a continuous stay of 10-12 weeks at the top to bring that news channel into their consideration set.

This was seen during the over one and a half year period in 2020-21 when BARC had suspended news channel ratings over the TRP scam. Despite no fresh ratings data available, advertisers went by the previous data and consistency maintained by the news channels.

Yet, any claim and coverage of news channels’ top spot is met with vitriolic response from certain quarters. Isn’t it a level playing field for all? How much of channel loyalty amongst viewers is actually there? Viewership is a fluctuating number, but can loyalty be really measured?

With not much differentiation in hard news content and debates often reduced to toxic cacophony, viewers move to other platforms as the options are many. What they are basically looking for in these time-crunched times are well-packaged news bulletins where all the necessary information is given, along with a brief analysis.

Probably time has come for news channels to move away from the fierce fight for the top spot and instead invest in building a loyal viewer base with some marquee programmes and talented news anchors.

After all, the top spot is not reserved for a select few players.