New Delhi: Bihar election results day on November 14 delivered a dramatic reshaping of morning TV news viewership, with Aaj Tak firmly consolidating its leadership in the Hindi news genre. The high-stakes 8 AM to 12 PM counting window — when early trends, constituency swings and vote-share changes drove national curiosity — saw the channel open a sizeable lead over all competitors.
According to BARC data for Week 45’25, Aaj Tak posted the highest Average Minute Audience (AMA 000s) at 1,847 in the morning band, far ahead of its peers. Its reach during the same slot touched 12.6 million, reflecting both deep engagement and wide audience pull as vote patterns began to crystallise.
Competitors Trail Behind
News18 India secured a distant second position with 1,005 AMA 000s and a reach of 10.5 million. India TV (860 AMA 000s) and Zee News (825 AMA 000s) were locked in a close contest for the next two spots, marking a tighter mid-tier race.
ABP News recorded 878 AMA 000s and 9.7 million reach, maintaining steady traction but falling short of the top two broadcasters. Republic Bharat did not feature among the leading channels in this time block.
Broader Election-Week Momentum
The counting-day spike was consistent with the week-long surge in Hindi news consumption driven by the Bihar polls. Aaj Tak’s upswing began as early as November 10 and culminated on November 14, when it captured an 18.8% full-day genre share — the sharpest rise recorded through the election cycle. Its morning market share stood at 23.1%, underscoring its dominance at the critical moment when the narrative began to take shape.
News18 India held steady across the period, posting a 13.8% share on November 13 and 11.5% on November 14. India TV also registered a strong presence on the counting day with a 10.9% full-day share, buoyed by interest in results-led programming.
Bihar Polls Drive Week 45 Viewership Surge
Between November 12 and 14, election-driven content acted as the single biggest viewership magnet for major Hindi news broadcasters. While non-news Hindi channels appeared prominently in all-India rankings due to their broader reach, pure news networks — especially Aaj Tak, News18 India, India TV, ABP News and Zee News — accounted for most of the surge associated with counting-day coverage.
