Broadcast Audience Research Council has revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address extending the lockdown by 19 days was watched by a record 203 million television viewers across the country.

The Prime Minister has had four telecasts to the nation since the pandemic began in India and the previous record on viewership was 193 million for the second address when he declared the 21-day lockdown.

The council reported that the overall TV consumption in the week ending 12th April has gone up by 38 percent when compared to the pre-COVID period.

BARC’s chief executive Sunil Lulla has hinted that the enhanced viewership is primarily driven by national broadcaster Doordarshan, which has outsmarted the private sector channels by launching its classic shows like Ramayan and Mahabharat. He added that the general entertainment channels as a category grew only because of Doordarshan.