A near-decisive victory for the United Progessive Alliance (UPA) in the 15th Lok Sabha may have been unexpected for everyone, but not so the “viewer turnout” for television channels on May 16, the day the results were declared.

Initial data provided by overnight viewership ratings agency Audience Measurement and Analytics Ltd (aMap) showed a 130 per cent jump in the average gross rating points (GRPs) of the leading Hindi news channels compared to the average GRP of the same day of the previous week. Even the English news channels saw about an 80 per cent increase in their GRPs over the same day of the previous week, the aMap report said.

Hindi news channel Aaj Tak emerged the leader in its genre, generating a GRP of 20.2, followed by STAR News (GRP of 17.2) and India TV (13.1 GRP). The aMap data covers cable viewers in the 15 years-plus age group. On an average day, Hindi news channels tend to get GRPs of 3 to 5.

Among the English news channels, NDTV 24x7 had the highest GRP of 3.7 followed by Times Now (3.6) and CNN-IBN (2.7). English news channels usually get an average GRP of around 1 or less on an average day. aMap is likely to bring out a detailed report on the election coverage by news channels soon.

“GRP figures were expected to jump on May 16 and they did because people were keen to see the political drama unfold,” said a senior media planner working in a leading agency in Gurgaon.

GRP data is also used to measure the popularity of news channels vis-a-vis programme ratings on general entertainment channels or a cricket match on a sports channel.

On May 16, perhaps unsurprisingly, general entertainment channels emerged the biggest loser. GRPs saw a dip of up to 29 per cent compared to the data a week ago. Although STAR Plus saw a 13 per cent growth in its GRP on May 16, others, including Zee TV, Sony, Colors, and NDTV Imagine, saw GRPs drop over the same day of the previous week.

Comparable viewership data and GRP numbers are not available for the counting day for the 14th Lok Sabha elections in 2004 because aMap was not operational then. Data by TAM, however, also showed a five-fold increase in the viewership of Hindi news channels on May 13, 2004, the day the results were declared, which was significantly higher than previous news events that channels covered around that time, like the terrorist attack on Parliament in 2002 or the September 11 terror attacks in New York.

New Ipad Application :Business Standard's all new IPad App Click here to download for free Other Stories      - Markets open in red - Kingfisher Q3 loss widens by 75%, costs mount - Citigroup pays $158 mn in US mortgage fraud pact - Olympus ex-president, others arrested: media - Alibaba may take Hong Kong-listed unit private for $2.3 bn

Tags : upa | aMap | grps   Read Business news in  Advertisements -  Now property search gets more exciting than ever before! -  High Growth Business Opportunities in Africa - Register to explore -  Save over Rs.3000 with IndianOil Citibank Card -  We live for our family. have you secured them? -  India's No. 1 Property Site. Click here to know more.. -  Diseases earlier, Saving Costs, Extending Lives. Know More.. -  Get 5% cashback on telephone bills with Citi -  Enjoy the journey as much as the destination. click to know more.. -  Exim Bank Conclave on India - Africa Project Partnership. Know more.. -  Medium-sized businesses are the engines of a smarter planet. -  Be part of it The World's Largest Aircraft. -  Creating Wealth made simple the SIP way. Know more.. -  Only Developer to give a guarantee on time space & rate. -  Office 365 for professionals and small businesses. -  Buy Your Property with Our Triple Guarantee in India. -  Improve Patient Care & Experience. Click here to know more -  Win a Business Class Ticket to Europe..Know more.. -   Introduce a New Automotive Luxury Car.. know more -  Health is Wealth..... Insurance + Savings... Know More...