With general elections round the corner, competition among news channels is increasing.

According to the data released by Television Audience Measure for March 28 to April 3, NDTV 24X7 has retained the top slot with a 43.8 per cent market share among English news channels, followed by CNBC with a market share of 31.3 per cent, BBC with 12.5 per cent, Headlines Today with 9.4 per cent and CNN with a 5.1 per cent market share in the northern region.

In the Hindi news channel category, Aaj Tak has retained the number one slot with a 29.2 per cent share followed by NDTV India with a 18.2 per cent market share.

In the region comprising Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh, NDTV stands at number one with a market share of 28.4 per cent. Aaj Tak who had been the leader in the Hindi news category has become a distant third with a share of 19.8 per cent whereas ZEE News has taken the second slot with a 21.9 per cent share.

Star News clocked 12.1 per cent followed by Sahara Samay with 10 a per cent and DD News with 7.8 per cent market share in the region.

In the Hindi speaking belt, NDTV India now enjoys an overall market share of 18.7 per cent while Aaj Tak's share is down to 29.9 per cent. Nearly a year after launching two channels simultaneously, NDTV has gained significant market share in Hindi (NDTV India), while maintaining its leadership position in English (NDTV 24x7).

The outlook for cable & satellite channels continue to be positive and with the Indian economy on a strong footing, the macro environment for channels remains good.

According to a Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci)-KPMG report, the revenue from television broadcasters is likely to register a compounded annual growth rate of 24 per cent from Rs 4,800 crore (Rs 48 billion) in 2002 to Rs 13,900 crore (Rs 139 billion) by 2007.

This will be driven by both an increase in advertising spend to Rs 5,500 crore (Rs 55 billion) by 2007 and an increase in subscription revenues to Rs 7,200 crore (Rs 72 billion) by 2007.

Average time spent on viewing news has also increased from three minutes a day in 2001 to six minutes a day in 2003, and is expected to rise further (more so with elections round the corner) in the next few years.

News programs tend to be sticky with individuals likely to see news programs for over 15 minutes at a stretch making it attractive for advertisers.