News Broadcasting
Aaj Tak sets a new record with breaking news
Mumbai : According to a recent Barc report, Aaj Tak saw a significant increase in viewers during the recent major events in the month of October ’22, most notably the solar eclipse, the opening of the Mahakal Temple Corridor, and the India vs. Pakistan T20 World Cup cricket match update.
It has been conclusively proven that viewers have always preferred the networks’ in-depth reporting over that of other channels based on the enormous growth in viewership during any important newsworthy event.
As seen on 25 October, right in the middle of the Diwali celebrations, the upward trend of soaring viewership and market share remained positive. Among other news channels, Aaj Tak held the highest market share of 19.5 per cent and received the most AMAs, topping No. 2 by a margin of 42 per cent. The audience once more relied solely on Aaj Tak to provide accurate information about the timings, effects, and spectacles of Suryagrahan.
Notably 93 per cent of growth registered in India beating Pakistan celebration special. The news coverage of the thrilling match between India and Pakistan on 23 October once again reached 1000 AMA (000’s) in HSM, 15+.
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.
