BENGALURU: The combined ratings of the Top 5 English news channels for weeks 40, 41 and 42 of 2019 was 1.092 million, 1,878 million and 1.888 million impressions respectively according to Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) data. The channels in the list during all the three weeks were the same, albeit with a small tweak in ranks. As has become a norm, the Arnab Goswami-led Republic TV has topped the ranks for the last twenty weeks in a row between week 23 of 2019 and week 42 of 2019 – the latest week for which BARC’s ratings data is available at the time of writing of this report. During this 20-week period, Times Now has been ranked second for 16 weeks, while pubcaster DD India was ranked second for four weeks. Ranks four and five have been the domains of Network18’s CNN News18 and the India Today Group’s India Today Television. Please refer to the chart below for combined weekly impressions of the Top 5 English news Channels in thousands of impressions followed by the chart of Ranks of Top English news channels.

Ratings in Week 42 (Saturday, 12 October 2019 to Friday, 18 October 2019)

The combined weekly ratings of the top 5 English news channels in week 42 of 2019 increased slightly to 1.888 million weekly impressions from 1.878 million weekly impressions in week 41. Three channels – Republic TV, CNN News18 and India Today Television gained viewership while DD India and Times Now saw viewership decline during week 42 of 2019. The biggest gainer in viewership was CNN News18, while DD India saw the steepest decline during the week under review.

Please refer to the chart below.

At rank one, Republic TV saw a small increase in viewership to 0.581 million weekly impressions in week 42 of 2019 as compared to rank one and 0.579 million weekly impressions in week 41. Times Now climbed back to second rank during the week under review with slightly lower ratings of 0.409 million weekly impressions as compared to third rank and 0.416 million weekly impressions in the previous week. Dropping a place in week 42 of 2019 to third rank was DD India with 0.403 million weekly impressions as compared to second rank and 0.433 million weekly impressions in week 41.

Also climbing up a place to fourth rank was CNN News 18 in week 42 of 2019 with 0.252 million weekly impressions as compared to fifth rank and 0.219 million weekly impressions in week 41. Completing the quintet was India Today Television in week 42 of 2019 with 0.243 million weekly impressions as compared to fourth rank and 0.231 million weekly impressions in the previous week.