MUMBAI: The erstwhile monarch of its terrain, Aaj Tak now has again claimed the top slot among the slew of new news channels on air.

Quoting TAM ratings for the week ended 12 July, the channel claims to have a full-day channel share of 41 per cent in the all-India market. This figure goes up to 43 per cent during prime time in the Hindi speaking market, says the channel. The closest in full day channel shares is Star News with a 20 per cent share and Zee News following at 15 per cent. 
Citing a Cybermedia Research report on channel viewership released recently, Aaj Tak says it has been named the most sought-after news channel. A NFO MBL research on viewers' preferences has also placed Aaj Tak at the top, with most of the viewers claiming it as their favourite channel, says the Living Media backed broadcaster. 

While fledgling sister channel Headlines Today is yet to make headlines in the news channel sphere, Aaj Tak says rival channels' claim that they are taking a lead over it are baseless and are a misrepresentation of facts. Aaj Tak is the only news channel that has a full advertisement inventory, a reinforcement of the advertisers' faith in the brand as the only channel in its category that provides a serious and dedicated viewership, it says.

In terms of time spent by viewers on news channels, Aaj Tak again leads the pack, with a 38 minute share as against 21 minutes spent on Star News. The channel reach too is ahead of rivals, but the revamped Star News is catching up, while Zee News, Sahara Samay and NDTV India still lag behind. 
The channel that bagged three best news channel awards in less than two years of its existence now features not just hard-core news bulletins but soft news items too like health, cinema, metro news and features on international news. The strategy has reaped a loyal advertising clientele as also a quality audience base, says Aaj Tak.