News Broadcasting
News18 India tops BARC ratings in Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha coverage
Mumbai: During the coverage of the historic inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, News18 India continued to be the viewer’s top choice. It garnered the highest viewership in the week of the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha – a testimony to the superlative quality of coverage and content that it brought to the viewers.
During the crucial week of coverage of the consecration, News18 India secured 9.48 crore AMAs, claiming for itself the top spot in the category. Source: BARC |Metric: AMA’s | TG: NCCS All 15+ | Period: Wk 04’24, All Days, 24 Hrs |Market:HSM | 14 channels considered
The channel’s endeavour was to bring truly diverse content that allowed viewers to experience the grandeur of the occasion. News18 India had the biggest and the most high-profile line-up of anchors on ground in Ayodhya including Kishore Ajwani, Amish Devgan, Prateek Trivedi, Aman Chopra, Rubika Liyaquat and Pankaj Bhargav. Multiple locations were used including a grand set that was built on the banks of the Saryu to capture the true essence of the festivities happening all around Ayodhya.
From a Kavi Sammelan and on-ground events to documentaries, different formats were used to create really riveting programming. Innovative production techniques and graphics were used to deliver an enhanced viewer experience. Staying true to its legacy of bringing a fresh and clutter-breaking approach to high news-value event, News18 India’s compelling coverage of this momentous occasion ensured that channel continued to remain the most watched channel in the genre.
News Broadcasting
News TV viewership jumps 33 per cent as West Asia war draws audiences
BARC Week 8 data shows news share rising to 8 per cent despite T20 World Cup
NEW DELHI: Even as individual television news channel ratings remain under a temporary pause, the genre itself is seeing a clear surge in audience attention.
According to the latest data from Broadcast Audience Research Council India, television news recorded a 33 per cent jump in genre share in Week 8 of 2026, covering February 28 to March 6.
The news genre accounted for 8 per cent of total television viewership during the week, up from 6 per cent the previous week. The spike in attention coincided with escalating geopolitical tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which have kept global headlines firmly fixed on West Asia.
The rise is notable because it came at a time when cricket was dominating television screens. The high-stakes stages of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, including the Super 8 fixtures and semi-finals, were being broadcast during the same period.
Despite the cricket frenzy, viewers appeared to be toggling between sport and global affairs, boosting the overall share of news programming.
The surge in genre share comes even as the government has enforced a one-month pause on publishing ratings for individual news channels. The move followed regulatory scrutiny of the television ratings ecosystem.
While channel-level rankings remain temporarily out of sight, the genre-level data suggests that when global tensions escalate, audiences continue to turn to television news for real-time updates.
