~ BARC India & Nielsen Media Explain ‘Impact Of COVID-19 On TV Viewership And Smartphone Behaviour Across India – Edition 10’ ~
9th July, 2020 Mumbai:
This is the tenth edition of the report on ‘Crisis Consumption on TV and Smartphones’ jointly released by BARC India and Nielsen Media.
BARC India is the official currency on Television Measurement in India and Nielsen Media runs a 12,000 strong smartphone panel in India passively capturing smartphone behaviour.

Considerations:

BARC India
Nielsen Smartphone Panel

Coverage
All India (Urban + Rural)
All India (Urban 1 Lakh plus)

TG
ALL NCCS 2+ years
1.          NCCS ABC 15-44 years

2.         Android Smartphone Users

Time Period
PRE COVID – 11th Jan 2020- 31st Jan 2020
PRE COVID – 13th Jan 2020 – 2nd Feb 2020


Some of the Key Highlights of TV and Smartphone consumption are as follows: –

Total TV viewership in H1 2020 is 9% higher than 2019.

Total number of advertisers on TV in H1 2020 is 10% lower than H1 2019
With the onset of ‘unlock’ in June 2020, there is revival of Advertising on TV – significant increase in the presence of ‘top 10’ and ‘next 40’ in June 2020
TV viewership share for Movies, News & Kids have increased in H1 2020 vs. H1 2019 – share of GEC declined from 49% to 46% due to no original programming during lockdown period
In week 26 Total TV viewership recorded 1 trillion viewing minutes (15% higher than pre-COVID). Smartphone consumption, after a peak during Lockdown Phase 2, has gradually dipped to 17.2 Bn minutes but is still 7% higher as compared to Pre-COVID.
On TV, recent weeks show growth in primetime viewership – more pronounced in South than HSM (return of original programming) – however, levels still lower than pre-COVID
On Smartphones, Social N/W and Gaming show higher consumption than Pre-COVID levels, whereas VOD mirrors the pre-lockdown levels.
With the country opening up gradually, categories like Shopping and Mobile Payments see revival, especially amongst 25+ yrs.
Cab aggregators in Metros, and Travel Planners in Tier I towns show a good revival post Unlock 1.
Chinese Apps saw a drop in usage post the Galwan attack with the ban acting as the last nail in the coffin.

About BARC India
Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India is a Joint Industry Company founded by stakeholder bodies that represent Broadcasters, Advertisers, and Advertising and Media Agencies. Built upon a robust and future-ready technology backbone, BARC India owns and manages a transparent, accurate, and inclusive TV audience measurement system. Apart from the currency products to the TV industry, BARC India also provides a suite of Insight products designed for Broadcasters, Advertisers and Agencies. The Big Data and Insights generated by BARC India powers efficient media spends and content decisions in a highly dynamic and growing television sector. Winner of numerous awards for its technology, innovation and Human Resource practices, the company has grown substantially since its inception.
Web: www.barcindia.co.in
Twitter: @BARCIndia
For further queries please contact:
Mr. Suraj Ramnath, Sr. Manager-Communications, BARC India
([email protected]), +91- 9833530659

ABOUT NIELSEN
Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE: NLSN) is a global measurement and data analytics company that provides the most complete and trusted view available of consumers and markets worldwide. Nielsen is divided into two business units. Nielsen Global Media, the arbiter of truth for media markets, provides media and advertising industries with unbiased and reliable metrics that create a shared understanding of the industry required for markets to function. Nielsen Global Connect provides consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers with accurate, actionable information and insights and a complete picture of the complex and changing marketplace that companies need to innovate and grow.


Our approach marries proprietary Nielsen data with other data sources to help clients around the world understand what’s happening now, what’s happening next, and how to best act on this knowledge. An S&P 500 company, Nielsen has operations in over 100 countries, covering more than 90% of the world’s population.