News Broadcasting
Aaj Tak claims top TV ratings slot during Bihar counting hours
MUMBAI: When the numbers began to tumble in Bihar, the real winner turned out to be the one counting them. Aaj Tak didn’t just report the vote, it swept the ratings ballot, claiming that it has emerged as India’s most-watched TV channel across all genres during the nail-biting four-hour counting window on 14 November.
BARC India’s Week 45 data (November 8–14), shows that between 8:00 am and 12:00 noon, Aaj Tak clocked a massive 1,847 AMA ‘000 alongside a Daily Average Reach of 12.59 million viewers. In plain speak: no GECs, no movie channels, no music stations, and no rival newsrooms could keep pace.
Even in an election season defined by tight races and tighter alliances, this was a landslide. With voters glued to every twist of the Bihar count, Aaj Tak became the nation’s preferred scoreboard turning the morning’s political suspense into a ratings masterclass.
Among news competitors, News18 India secured the second slot with 1,005 AMA ‘000 and a Daily Avg Reach of 10.53 million, a respectable number but still far behind Aaj Tak’s runaway lead.
Below is the list of the top 20 channels across genres during the Bihar counting band:
| Rank | Channel | AMA ‘000 | Daily Avg Reach ‘000 |
| 1 | Aaj Tak | 1,847 | 12,593 |
| 2 | Sony SAB | 1,436 | 10,344 |
| 3 | Sony Pal | 1,271 | 8,921 |
| 4 | Sun TV | 1,221 | 7,310 |
| 5 | B4U Music | 1,160 | 10,129 |
| 6 | Gemini TV | 1,079 | 9,035 |
| 7 | Star Maa | 1,057 | 10,103 |
| 8 | News18 India | 1,005 | 10,531 |
| 9 | NICK(v) | 971 | 7,160 |
| 10 | Star Utsav | 954 | 7,092 |
| 11 | ABP News | 878 | 9,702 |
| 12 | India TV | 860 | 7,630 |
| 13 | Goldmines | 836 | 9,593 |
| 14 | Zee News | 825 | 7,762 |
| 15 | Zee Telugu | 707 | 8,315 |
| 16 | TV9 Telugu | 664 | 6,567 |
| 17 | ETV Telugu | 655 | 7,181 |
| 18 | ShowBox | 605 | 8,452 |
| 19 | KTV | 595 | 6,727 |
| 20 | NTV Telugu | 540 | 6,665 |
BARC India data: Market – India; TG – Universe; Period – 14 November 2025; Time band – 08:00–12:00 hrs; Metrics – AMA ‘000, Daily Avg Reach ‘000.
Beyond news, only high-performing entertainment and regional channels managed to enter the overall leaderboard. Sony Sab, B4U Music, and Star Maa rounded out the top five in AMA terms underscoring just how unusual it is for a news channel to outshine primetime entertainment heavyweights in broad-category rankings.
But counting day has always been a genre of its own equal parts political thriller, sports final, and family drama. And on 14 November, Aaj Tak cracked the formula once again by combining pace, clarity and wall-to-wall access with the kind of viewing urgency only election arithmetic can deliver.
With the Bihar results reshaping political headlines, Aaj Tak’s dominance underscores a familiar truth: when India wants answers in real time, millions instinctively reach for the same remote button. And this time, the channel didn’t just win the ratings race, it won it by a margin any politician would envy.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Fury in the Gulf conclave on West Asia crisis
Three-hour summit to unpack geopolitical fallout and impact on India
MUMBAI: CNN-News18 is set to host a special three-hour broadcast, Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave, on April 7, aiming to decode the escalating West Asia crisis and its far-reaching implications for India.
Scheduled from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, the conclave comes at a time when tensions between Iran and the United States are reshaping global geopolitics and triggering economic uncertainty. With India’s deep energy ties, trade links and large diaspora in the Gulf, the developments carry significant domestic relevance.
Built around the theme ‘Conflict, Consequences, and The Future,’ the programme will feature six curated sessions combining one-on-one interviews and panel discussions. The focus is to cut through the clutter and offer viewers a clearer understanding of the fast-evolving situation.
Key sessions include ‘Diplomacy in Times of War’ featuring Shashi Tharoor, and ‘World After the Iran Conflict’ with voices such as Ram Madhav, Reuven Azar, representatives from the European Union and the Iranian Deputy Envoy. Another session titled ‘Another Dunkirk?’ will bring together K. J. S. Dhillon and Jitin Prasada among others.
CNN-News18 editorial affairs director Rahul Shivshankar said, “In times of war, clarity becomes the most powerful tool. Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave brings together credible voices to address the questions and confusion that arise amid an overwhelming influx of information.”
He added that the initiative is aimed at delivering “facts, perspective, and insight” at a time when misinformation can easily cloud public understanding.
Echoing the sentiment, CNN-News18 CEO– English and business news Smriti Mehra said the conflict marks a defining global moment, with consequences that extend well beyond the region. She noted that the conclave seeks to present the crisis with “depth, nuance and responsibility” so audiences can better grasp its real-world impact.
As geopolitical tensions continue to dominate headlines, the conclave positions itself as an attempt to bring order to the noise, offering viewers a structured, insight-led look at a complex and rapidly shifting global situation.
