Television banks on Ayodhya news to keep viewers glued

The grand consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on 22 January promises to set off a year of big gains for television news channels, many of which have been running exhaustive coverage leading up to the inauguration, and even plan to set up studios in the ancient town for the historic day.

The news category commanded nearly a fifth of overall TV viewership at the beginning of the covid 19 lockdown, thanks to a lack of fresh entertainment content and viewers’ hunger for pandemic related information. However, it fell to nearly 4% as the economy opened up, before rising back to 7.1% recently ahead of the general election.

The Ram temple , or consecration ceremony, is being seen as yet another tentpole event that could lead to a near fivefold jump in viewership compared to a regular day. “The Ram temple inauguration stands as a key attraction for the Hindi belt audience, making it increasingly significant for Hindi news channels to cover updates on the happenings in Ayodhya.

Hindi news channels are airing two to three hours of news relating to Lord Ram’s life and times, the upcoming Ayodhya temple and other related events," Rajat Sharma, chairman and editor in chief, India TV, said. India TV’s own coverage is running under the tagline ‘ ’. “When the Supreme Court gave the judgement (for the disputed land to be handed over to a trust to build the temple) in 2019, the Hindi news genre viewership increased by 150%, even though it was not a planned event.

The on 22 January is a planned event and has evoked curiosity and enthusiasm among people not only in India, but also in Thailand, Korea, Cambodia, Indonesia and other South East Asian countries where Lord Ram is venerated. On that day, the viewership of the Hindi News genre is anticipated to take a quantum jump—nearly threefold—from the current scenario," Sharma added.

There is unprecedented interest in the inauguration, since it is an article of deep faith for many across the country, Karan Abhishek Singh, chief executive officer (CEO), Hindi news cluster, Network18, said. “As a result, there is tremendous curiosity around each aspect of the temple and its construction; people genuinely want to know every little detail.

It is thus expected that viewership of news platforms will most certainly spike—this is something that one sees with most high value news events," he added. The company’s Hindi news channel News18 India has been running a daily bulletin for the past few weeks under the umbrella branding of ‘ ’, bringing updates on different aspects of the preparation, and the status of the construction of the temple itself, Singh said.

News18 India, which broadcast a ground report from the banks of the Sarayu river outlining the journey of the Ram mandir movement, also has several special programmes planned, including some features on stories around Lord Ram in Ayodhya and on how the city is transforming as the temple rises. Apart from the coverage of the actual inauguration, a , or assembly of poets, is also in the works.

Media industry experts expect 2024 to yield huge gains for news channels, as the interim budget on 1 February would be followed by months long electioneering for the Lok Sabha polls. Although the temple inauguration is a one off event, not typically part of calendars, enough advertising is expected to follow eyeballs.

Mass market fast moving consumer goods brands, particularly those hawking items used in rituals and worship, banking and financial services companies, retail, telecom and automotive brands. are likely to advertise the most during the event. Amit Tripathi, chief revenue officer, TV9 Network, said that while the company’s pre coverage focuses on facts and stories related to Ayodhya and documentaries based on historical research, it is also building a makeshift studio in Ayodhya so that on the big day, coverage transitions to real time reporting.

“Overall, our commitment spans approximately 25 days of reporting on Ayodhya, complemented by coverage of other news stories," he said. “We perceive the event as a major news occurrence comparable to a (vote) counting day, and anticipate the channel experiencing a four to five times increase in normal viewership and revenue during this significant event," Tripathi added.

A studio set in Ayodhya is also on the cards for ABP Network, which had launched Ayodhya Utsav, a celebratory event ahead of the inauguration, in December itself. While its umbrella programming titled ‘ will air from 13 to 22 January, CEO Avinash Pandey said the company’s daily programming, such as ‘ ’, ‘ ’ and ‘ ’, is already underway, along with weekly shows like ‘ ’ and ‘ ’.

“This year holds great promise for news channels, given the upcoming elections and key events such as the Ram mandir inauguration. Brands are capitalizing on these opportunities through exclusive marketing campaigns to enhance their reach," a Times Network spokesperson said. Under the tagline Ram Mandir Utsav, Times Now will follow the event with a team of more than 10 reporters in Ayodhya and a documentary style show planned to provide an understanding of the significance and journey leading to the inauguration, the spokesperson said..