News18 India sees boost in ratings, races ahead of Aaj Tak in major HSM megacities

Hindi TV news channel, News18 India took over Aaj Tak in all major HSM megacities of India, data from the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), a television rating agency has suggested.

The Hindi news channel, which is part of the Network 18 group, recorded average impressions of 3,643 (in thousands) during the 13-16 weeks of 2017, data from BARC showed.

During the same period, Aaj Tak, which is owned by the India Today group, recorded 3,296 impressions (in thousands).

However, it’s not just rating which showed a jump in the News18 India channel. According to BARC data, which involved audience aged 15 and above, News18 India controlled a market share of 14.6 percent as compared to the 13.2 percent of Aaj Tak during the same period.

A relatively young player in the Hindi news industry, the rise in popularity of News18 India was recorded between the 13-16 weeks of 2017 in all HSM megacities. HSM megacities include cities with a population in the range of 10-75 lakhs.

According to BARC, the Indian news industry (both vernacular and English) has witnessed a substantial rise in terms of average impressions during the period.

(Firstpost is owned by Network 18, which also owns News18 India)