In a historic moment on January 22, as India witnessed the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Aaj Tak, the country’s leading news channel, soared to unprecedented heights, setting new records for news viewership during the consecration ceremony.

According to BARC India’s Thursday Television ratings for January 22, Aaj Tak emerged as the most-watched news channel, solidifying its dominance beyond digital platforms. The data showcased Aaj Tak’s remarkable performance both on YouTube and linear TV, where it outperformed competitors by a significant margin.

On YouTube, Aaj Tak achieved a peak concurrence of over 1.8 million, three times higher than its closest competitor. The BARC Customised Event Report (CER) further confirmed Aaj Tak’s supremacy in linear TV viewership during the historic event.

While specific event data for news channels remains unavailable, Aaj Tak‘s dominance in the crucial Hindi-speaking market was evident. During the consecration ceremony (12:00 PM – 1:30 PM), Aaj Tak garnered 4,266 AMA (000s) among viewers aged 15+, surpassing even the leading Hindi entertainment channel, Star Plus, by 1.5 times (2,718 AMA (000s)).

Aaj Tak’s total viewership for the day surpassed its previous peak, achieved on March 10, 2022, during the vote counting for five state legislative assemblies. The CER data highlights Aaj Tak’s exceptional performance, with its single-day Gross Rating Points (GRP) on January 22 exceeding the five-day gross viewership of several news channels in a typical week.

An internal prediction algorithm developed by the group suggests that this was the largest single-day GRP ever recorded by any news channel since data release resumed for news channels. Aaj Tak’s dominance in news viewership during the Ram Temple inauguration cements its position as a leader in the Indian news landscape.