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AaJ Tak and
Zee News have attracted more audiences than CNN and BBC following
the September 11 incident, indicating a clear preference for Hindi
news channels, even for coverage of global events. The proportionate
increase in viewership is higher in the case of Aaj Tak and Zee
News than BBC and CNN, though overall consumption of news in all
the channels has gone up.
The first week
of September 11, however, showed a different trend, as the channel-share
of Aaj Tak slipped even as Zee News held on. BBC scored over CNN
as its share shot up from 6 per cent to 14 per cent. CNN saw a rise
from 6 per cent to 13 per cent, according to INTAM data for 15+
SEC ABC viewers in cable and satellite homes of eight major cities.
Aaj Tak fell from a channel-share of 39 per cent pre-September 11
to 33 per cent in the week of September 11, while Zee News remained
stagnant at 22 per cent.
Star News’
audience share fell steeply from 22 per cent to 14 per cent. CNBC’s
share slipped from 6 per cent to 4 per cent, despite the channel’s
shift of coverage from business news to the plane crash in World
Trade Centre. "Star News has an audience profile similar to
BBC and CNN. Its viewers probably migrated to the international
news channels. Being a business channel, CNBC also saw a fall in
its share," said Madison Communications senior media planner
Anish Rajgopal.
The Hindi news
channels, however, recovered ground as the events unfolded. In the
four weeks post-September 11, Zee News’ channel share actually
improved from its pre-September 11 position, going up to 29 per
cent. Aaj Tak, which had lost share in the week of the incident,
recovered ground to enjoy a channel share of 36 per cent. This,
however, was lower than its pre-September 11 share. "Zee News
used footage from CNN, while Aaj Tak took feed from Fox News, which
might not have been so popular. On the whole, Hindi viewers did
not feel the need to tune in to the global news channels,"
said media analysts.BBC and CNN lost channel-share to be at 9 per
cent each, while CNBC and Star News fell further by one per cent
to have a share of 3 per cent and 13 per cent respectively. The
appetite for global and business news channels was obviously not
as high as the Hindi channels. Even as the US bombing on Afghanistan
intensified, Aaj Tak grew its audience share to 41 per cent in the
week-ended November 11. The channel’s decision to send its
own reporters t cover the event had a positive impact.
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