TV News Was India’s Go To Platform For Credible Breaking News During Operation Sindoor

The round the clock alertness of broadcast news media at a time when India faced its biggest security threat in a decade conclusively establishes TV news as India's first choice to gather credible inputs and breaking news at a national scale. The latest BARC data highlights this clearly: a record 507 million people watched TV news channels between May 3rd and May 9th, 2025 — the highest viewership seen in recent years.

Television remains the leading source for Indians seeking credible information and breaking news updates. The Television News Genre was what India turned to from Pahalgam and till after Operation Sindoor, triggering an upswing of 16% in TV Viewership during the three critical days (7th, 8th, 9th May 2025). 

Perhaps the most insightful sign of this was the huge surge in viewership for official Ministry of External Affairs- Ministry of Defence briefings. During these briefings, there was a particular dialling in from the viewer for live credible information as well as well-informed post-briefing analysis. Using a data point from BARC, the first briefing saw a 509% surge in viewership, with other briefings following suit and attracting hundreds of thousands more viewers, hungry for direct, reliable information.

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Hindi news television reached an all-time high, Gross Rating Points (GRPs) of 254, during Operation Sindoor, overtaking other major key events in GRPs. During last year's Lok Sabha elections, the GRP was at 235, and the Ram Temple consecration witnessed a GRP of 185.  

As millions of Indians actively looked for verified information in real time while a rapidly unfolding national event was taking place, viewers remained tuned in and engaged with the nature of live and breaking coverage, resulting in the average time spent (ATS) on Hindi news increasing to 60 minutes — a 67% rise from pre-operation weeks.

 

The data also points to the way minute to minute breaking news coverage in the TV medium during Operation Sindoor drew in new viewers—65 million individuals who hadn't viewed Hindi news in the previous month watched during the said week. This indicates that in moments that matter, television is the undisputed platform that brings together diverse people across the nation.

In spite of the rise of social and digital media, which in part became a hotbed for fake news and unverified information during the Operation Sindoor days, the position of TV as a source of credible information continues to be unparalleled in India.

Operation Sindoor was not just a military operation but also a moment of national unity in shared intent and resolve. At the centre of this shared moment was Indian news television providing instant, credible news that millions depended upon to remain aware and alert.