BARC report: TV news viewership nearly doubled during Covid lockdown TV viewership surged 18 percent during peak lockdown and overall was 9 percent higher in 2020 compared to the year before. 01 Mar, 2021 TV news channels benefited from the coronavirus lockdown, growing their viewership from 7.6 percent to 14.6 percent of viewership, according to the Broadcast Audience Research Councilâs annual report. The spike in viewership could be related to coronavirus coverage, prime minister Narendra Modiâs addresses, and the round-the-clock coverage of actor Sushant Singh Rajputâs death, LiveMint Overall, TV viewership surged 18 percent during peak lockdown, and was 9 percent higher in 2020 compared to 2019, as per the BARC report. General entertainment channels also saw a rise with viewership, growing by 9 percent. Children watching more television as they were forced to remain at home while schools remained shut could be a factor adding to the growth in the viewership of entertainment channels.