The advent of COVID-19 has created huge ripples of
change across all frontiers of daily life. Besides the imposed lockdown, there
are many noticeable trends and patterns that have come into existence. This is
fairly evident in the sphere of television. One side effect of the pandemic has
been the rise of TV viewership on a national level. While television is
generally geared towards entertainment, this role has seemed to evolve during
this time.
In fact, state governments and the central government
have harnessed the medium for social advertising on TV related to coronavirus
awareness. Accounting for 58% and 42% respectively, the effectiveness of the
medium is clearly brought out. While TV ads were often seen as intrusive, this
tense situation has compelled people to stay glued to their TVs for timely
information and updates along with advertisements.
The role of television seems to have evolved during
this period. Whether an informer, entertainer or an electronic nanny, TV stands
to do more for the economy than ever before.
Here are 5 vital reasons to advertise on TV while in lockdown.
Captive Audiences Due to Lockdown
March 29th recorded 51 million viewers for
Ramayana and became the most-watched Hindi serial during this time. While the
content and demand influenced its popularity, the conditions of being stuck at
home only paved the way for its tremendous success. Even while Live TV and
fresh content is low, TV viewership has increased by 11% while TSV is up by
23%. Hence, it is truly an opportunity for advertisers.
Higher Engagement and Reach of TV
According to BARC, there are currently 622 million
viewers watching TV regularly for 4 hrs 40 mins. As per these same reports,
March 21 – 27 recorded a viewership surge of 11% compared to mid-January. The
average daily reach grew from 560 million to 622 million, which implies a
growth of 62 million. Hence, this period of time is a window of opportunity for
marketers for strategic brand messaging
Captures a Larger Variety of Audiences
Whether voluntarily or reluctantly, people have
switched on the TV as a primary source of information and entertainment. As per
the findings of BARC, here is the channel-wise statistics in growth.
●
Movies – 56%
●
News – 298%
●
Kids – 39%
●
Youth – 30%
●
Business news – 180%
●
Infotainment – 63%
●
Lifestyle – 20%
Hence, you could reach out to a diverse and larger
audience with careful use of channels and time bands during this period of
time.
News Channels Gain Significantly
Owing to the circumstances we find ourselves in, news
channels have come out on top with a 298% rise in viewership. With a jump from
7% to 21% in the share of news to total TV, the ABP news
channel and the India Today news
channel are faring well in numbers.
Whether one releases a Zee News
advertisement or an Aaj Tak
advertisement, advertisers can hence, be assured of tremendous benefits.
Serves a Greater Purpose Today
Besides the basic push given to products and services,
advertising is currently more about social awareness and personal well-being.
Advertising also serves to remind people of normalcy while boosting confidence
as viewers are confined at home. As a result, the biggest jump in ad volume was
seen in the category of social advertisements with a growth of 147% as per BARC
reports in week 11.
It’s no surprise that television has always been an
effective medium to communicate with audiences. Be it at a local, regional or
national level, its audio-visual impact is second to none. Its strength is
clearly pointed out through the rise in viewership numbers during this time. However,
this period of uncertainty calls for socially responsible advertising since it
is indeed the need of the hour.
That’s one step towards climbing out of this immediate
crisis together.
