News Broadcasting
Bihar votes, viewers float to CNN News18 as channel wins the ratings race
MUMBAI: When Bihar counted its ballots, India counted on one channel. As results rolled in on 14 November, CNN-News18 didn’t just cover the political drama, it became the story, sweeping the English news ratings with a margin that left rivals playing catch-up all day.
According to BARC India’s week 45 data, CNN-News18 clinched a commanding 41.9 per cent market share on result day, almost doubling the reach of its two closest competitors, NDTV 24×7 at 23.7 per cent and Times Now at 23.6 per cent.
(Source: BARC India | Mkt: India | TG: 2+ | Period: Wk 45’25 Market Share per cent 14 Nov (24hrs) | 8 channels considered).
But the real landslide came during the high-stakes counting window. Between 08:00 and 12:00, when Bihar’s political fate was being sealed, viewers chose their mandate with even greater clarity:
CNN-News18 surged to a massive 53 per cent share, dwarfing NDTV 24×7 at 18.6 per cent and Times Now at 15.1 per cent.
(Source: BARC India | Mkt: India | TG: 2+ | Period: Wk 45’25 Market Share per cent 14 Nov (08:00–12:00) | 8 channels considered)
For a state known for its nail-biting elections, audiences sought speed, accuracy and on-ground authority and overwhelmingly tuned into the channel they believed delivered all three. From reporters stationed across Bihar’s hotspots to a line-up of political heavyweights decoding every twist, CNN-News18 turned result day into a masterclass in live news.
The numbers underline a deeper truth: in moments when the nation leans in, trust becomes the ballot. And CNN-News18 has been stacking up those votes for a while. For over three consecutive years, the channel has held its position as India’s No. 1 English news network, powered by sharp analysis, fast fact-checking, and prime-time anchors such as Zakka Jacob, Anand Narasimhan, Rahul Shivshankar, and Shivani Gupta, names that have become shorthand for credible reportage.
As Bihar watched its political script unfold, viewers cast their silent mandate for the channel they believed would sift clarity from chaos. And on a day when numbers mattered, CNN-News18’s lead wasn’t just decisive, it was definitive.
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.
