News Broadcasting
Aaj Tak goes ‘100/100’ for poll climax
MUMBAI: Aaj Tak has launched Sau Ghante, Sau Reporters (100 hours, 100 reporters), to cover the grand finale of the election coverage and the run-up to the formation of thegovernment at the Centre.
SaSau Ghante, Sau Reporters (100 hours, 100 reporters) is what Aaj Tak calls its latest programming initiative that will mark the run-up to the formation of the government at the Centre.
It will involve 100 hours of live, uninterrupted and up-to-the-minute election coverage handled by 100 reporters across the length and breadth of India.
The live telecast will begin on the last day of voting (10 May) at 6 am and continue till the complete results of the elections are available on 14th May The programme will comprise live programming focusing on the trends that have emerged based on the final exit poll, as well as the results on the counting day.
The live programming will also carry interviews of politicians and the electorate, the assembly results as well and trivia regarding the politicians daily routine while they are awaiting the results.
To add variation and a distinct flavour to this offering, Aaj Tak has roped in veteran astrologer Maa Prem Usha to forecast the results pertaining to the various politicians and parties.
There are also plans to offer a SMS based contest to the viewers wherein they can partake in the excitement of the electoral results and also win great prizes for it.
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:Â 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.
