News18 Network’s Counting Day TV viewership leaves IPL finale behind


According to the latest data released by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), News18 network has achieved an unprecedented reach of 16.20 crore on Counting Day, surpassing the television reach of 2024 IPL Finale, which was 10.90 crore.

The total reach of Counting Day was calculated by aggregating the reach of Network18's 20 channels across various languages, while IPL Finale's total reach was derived from 13 Star Sports channels. (Counting Day Unrolled Data | Source: BARC | Channel: Network18 (20 channels) | Metric: Reach TG: 2+|Period: 04th June 24, 24 Hrs I Market: All India) (IPL Finale | Source: BARC | Channel: Star Sports (13 channels) Metric: Reach TG: 2+| Period: 26th May'24, 24 Hrs | Market: All India)

CNN-News18 also emerged as the undisputed leader in the English news genre on the counting day of 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The channel amassed 41.1% market share on the crucial Counting Day, whereas Republic TV stayed behind with 24% market share. In comparison, Times Now was at a distant 21.2% market share, followed by India Today TV at 9%. The market share of CNN-News18 is almost 100% more than that of Times Now and four times more than India Today. (Source: BARC | Metric: Market Share% | TG: 15+ AB | Period: 04th June'24, 24 Hrs | Market: India |7 Channels considered) (Source: BARC | Metric: Market Share% | TG: 15+ AB | Period: Wk 23'24, 24 Hrs | Market: India |7 Channels considered)

News18 India recorded a whopping 7.69 crore (unrolled)* reach on the Counting Day. The number one Hindi news channel was at 3.74 crore reach, followed by Aaj Tak on the second spot with a reach of 3.40 crore. Similarly, the Counting Week data shows News18 India’s remarkable cumulative reach of 11.15 crore, followed by Aaj Tak at a distant 9.13 crore. (Source: BARC | Metric: Reach TG: 2+ | Period: 04th June'24,24 Hrs | Market: HSM | *As per BARC CER) (Source: BARC | Metric: Cume Reach| TG: 2+ | Period: Wk 23'24, 24 Hrs | Market: HSM)

To highlight its unparalleled viewership on the Counting Day, News18 Network launched a media campaign on Friday. The news network released a front-page ad in all editions of The Economic Times, showcasing comprehensive dominance over competitors on the Counting Day of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

News18’s programming on Counting Day started at 6AM, bringing the most accurate trends throughout the day. Combined with live on-ground reportage, the Counting Day coverage stayed on top of all key developments and reactions as they came in.

Bolstered by top anchors such as Zakka Jacob, Kishore Ajwani, Anand Narasimhan, Rubika Liyaquat, Amish Devgan, Rahul Shivshankar, Aman Chopra, Shivani Gupta and Prateek Trivedi, News18 Network not only aims to expand its market share but also enhance brand image and establish stronger ties with advertisers with growing visibility.