MUMBAI: After the new tariff order implementation, television viewership in India has dipped due to ongoing disruption in the cable and broadcasting ecosystem. Zee News reported that as per CLSA the viewership of the top five broadcasters reduced to 78 per cent from almost 90 per cent earlier.

Leading broadcaster Star India has seen a one per cent decline in viewership share to 30 per cent from 31 per cent in April. It also added that Viacom18 and Sony’s viewership shares have also reduced by 480-540bps YoY to 10 per cent and 8 per cent respectively due to share loss in Hindi GEC and movie segment. Moreover, South India’s leading broadcaster Sun TV has seen a 140bps decline in viewership share to 10 per cent.

However, despite the temporary problems, CLSA also added that the implementation of the new regime will be beneficial for top broadcasters in the long run. The dip in viewership is mainly because of widespread blackouts and also the removal of key channels.

Recently, TV audience measurement body BARC resumed publishing TV ratings data. Total TV impressions, which were in the range of 27-29 billion per week, fell to 15 billion. Moreover, the decline was majorly seen in the Hindi viewership, especially in the rural areas while regional viewership was less impacted. Many free-to-air (FTA) channels like Dangal TV benefitted highly from the new regulatory framework.