MUMBAI: During this lockdown period, many classic shows have returned to television to entertain viewers.  

Yes, the Coronavirus lockdown has taken us back into the 'good old days.' While we are yearning to see the fresh episodes of our favourite shows, popular old dramas are keeping us entertained. Yes, just like we know many old shows have returned to our small-screen, and it is only helping us drive away from our boredom. Though we have a mix of all, comedy, thriller, and action, the most talked about are the mythological shows. Yes, the re-run of the epic mythological shows has garnered the most attention.  

The recent data released by BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council) India reveals that mythological shows have become the prime source of entertainment in India amidst the COVID-2019 pandemic. Yes, shows like Ramayan, Mahabharat, and others have contributed to 43 percent of the viewership to the Hindi GEC genre. They have been watched enormously all across the country, with a total of 466 hours of content. The report also states that mythological shows have garnered 109 billion viewing minutes and were watched by 353 million viewers in the fifth week of COVID-2019. 

The re-telecast of mythological shows such as Ramayan and Mahabharat has propelled public service broadcaster Prasar Bharti backed Doordarshan (DD) into the limelight. Moreover, Hindi General Entertainment Channel's (GECs) have gained attained an all-time viewership high in HSM (Hindi News viewership) in week 15 with a huge 8.5 billion impressions.  

Many 80-90s shows have made a comeback on TV. From Shah Rukh khan's Circus and Byomkesh Bakshi have also been re-run on Doordarshan taking fans down their memory lanes. Shaktimaan, Shriman Shrimati, Chanakya, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Buniyaad, Alif Laila and Upanishad Ganga, are some other old daily soap operas being re-telecast in the absence of fresh episodes. 

Credits: BARC, Pinkvilla