BARC Week 20: Shifts emerge in GEC viewership patterns

The Hindi General Entertainment Channel (GEC) landscape saw some interesting shifts in Week 20, as per the latest BARC ratings for the HSM (Urban + Rural) NCCS 2+ audience. While many channels maintained steady performance, a few standout changes have reshaped the rankings, particularly among the top players.

STAR Utsav emerged as the surprise leader, registering a significant surge in viewership from 114.96 impressions in Week 19 to 128.26 in Week 20. This leap pushed the channel to the number one position, overtaking STAR Plus, which slipped slightly from 112.56 to 111.05, now settling at the second spot. STAR Utsav’s rise reflects the growing appeal of its content among mass audiences, especially in rural and semi-urban markets.

Meanwhile, SONY SAB, which has consistently held a strong position in the top three, saw a sharp drop from 105.36 to 98.51, bringing it to third place. Similarly, Dangal experienced a noticeable fall in viewership, dropping from 85.84 to 78.48, suggesting a potential dip in its audience engagement or increased competition in its time slots.

Colors managed to maintain relative stability with a marginal increase from 76.47 to 76.98, holding steady in the mid-tier rankings. Sony Pal and Zee TV followed with viewership numbers of 73.05 and 64.38, respectively, both showing minimal fluctuations from the previous week.

Among the mid-performing channels, Colors Rishtey gained ground, climbing from 51.52 to 56.32, while Zee Anmol remained stable with a slight rise from 44.15 to 44.47. On the other hand, Manoranjan TV, Chumbak TV, and Shemaroo TV all saw dips, indicating a possible shift in audience preferences or time-band changes.

Lower-tier channels such as Unique TV, Dangal 2, and Manoranjan Grand maintained moderate growth. Notably, Ishara TV saw a considerable percentage increase, growing from 1.12 to 1.73, although it remains in the lower viewership bracket. The Q, however, dropped from 19.66 to 16.63, pointing to possible challenges in sustaining its recent momentum.

In the HD category, overall viewership continued to lag behind their SD counterparts. Colors HD, STAR Plus HD, and Zee TV HD all posted numbers under 8 impressions, highlighting that SD content continues to dominate mass-market consumption in India. Sony Entertainment Television HD, SONY SAB HD, and &TV HD also saw slight drops. &flix HD registered zero viewership in Week 20, unchanged from the previous week.

Public broadcaster DD National held its ground with 4.56, almost flat compared to 4.60 in Week 19, maintaining a small but loyal audience.

E4m accessed GEC performance across Pay, Free, and combined platforms for Week 20 (with comparisons to Weeks 17–19) in the Hindi Speaking Market in both Urban and Rural areas (HSM U+R), for the 15+ Male-Female audience. 

In the Pay category, STAR Plus dominated the top rankings, occupying five out of the ten spots in the chart. The top-rated show was “Advocate Anjali Awasthi”, maintaining its position with a slight dip in Week 20, scoring 1.46 compared to 1.54 in Week 19. Following this, “Jaadu Teri Nazar” saw a drop from 1.39 to 1.27, and “Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin” fell marginally from 1.11 to 1.07, indicating a small but steady decline.

Colors had a strong presence too, with shows like “Shiv Shakti Tap Tyaag Tandav”, “Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki”, and “Ram Bhavan” in the top ten. Notably, “Shiv Shakti…” slipped slightly from 1.09 to 0.97, while “Ram Bhavan” fell from 0.99 to 0.85, marking a visible decline in performance.

Zee TV managed to hold onto two slots with “Kumkum Bhagya” and “Jaane Anjaane Hum Mile”, both of which showed slight improvements or stability, with the latter remaining flat at 0.73.

The Free-to-air space was led convincingly by Dangal, which took a dominant share of the top ten. The most watched program by far was “Gehna Zevar Ya Zanjeer / Lekar Hum Deewana Dil 1 Ghante Ka Mahasangam”, which jumped significantly from 1.61 in Week 19 to 2.71 in Week 20. This massive spike indicates strong viewer interest, likely due to a special episode or programming event.

STAR Utsav featured prominently with “Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin” at the second spot, growing from 1.50 to 1.74. This is a major highlight for STAR Utsav, showing its continued traction in the FTA space.

Dangal’s other shows like “Mann Sundar”, “AE Dil Jee Le Zara”, and “Pati Brahmachari” all showed steady or slightly improved ratings. “Mann Atisundar”, after dipping in previous weeks, picked up slightly to 0.93 in Week 20.

When looking at the consolidated data, “Advocate Anjali Awasthi” on STAR Plus still claimed the top spot with 1.04 in Week 20, despite a minor drop from earlier weeks. However, it now closely competes with Dangal’s “Gehna Zevar Ya Zanjeer / Lekar Hum Deewana Dil”, which climbed from 1.10 to 0.93 in the combined rankings (note: the full Mahasangam impact may reflect more strongly in Free-only charts).

“Jaadu Teri Nazar” and “Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin” followed in third and fourth, with declining trends, moving to 0.91 and 0.76, respectively. This indicates that while these shows remain popular, viewership may be fragmenting or viewers are shifting to other offerings.

Colors continued to hold its ground with three shows in the top ten: “Shiv Shakti Tap Tyaag Tandav”, “Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki”, and “Ram Bhavan”, though all three saw slight declines.

STAR Utsav’s FTA version of “Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin” gained traction, rising from 0.56 to 0.63, reflecting strong mass appeal for the show across both Pay and Free platforms.

Zee TV rounded out the list with “Kumkum Bhagya”, which has remained stable with 0.59 in Week 20.