News Broadcasting
India Today to screen ‘Others’ by Pradeep Sarkar at transgender akhara in Ujjain Kumbh
MUMBAI: Pradeep Sarkar will screen his short film Others at the first Kinnar Akhara at the ongoing Ujjain Kumbh. The film will be screened among the transgender community present at a special event organised by India Today TV. The film is part of the initiative #indiatomorrow launched by the India Today Group.
The award winning Bollywood director and ad filmmaker made the film as his expression of #indiatomorrow where there is equality and inclusion for all. The film along with a few other short films by ace directors was premiered recently at the India Today Conclave to mark 40 years of India Today.
The director of hits like Parineeta and Mardaani, Sarkar hopes that India Tomorrow will bring about change for the better with the acceptability of all in society. He delves into this subject in his short film that is inspired by a life changing real story.
Speaking on the film, India Today group CEO Ashish Bagga said, “India Today is paving the way for a better #indiatomorrow and this film by Pradeep Sarkar is a radical step in this direction. The film has already created quite a stir and this initiative to screen it at the Kinnar Akhada is another step towards our vision”.
Sarkar added, “I am delighted to screen the film at the Ujjain Kumbh Mela and especially amongst the transgender pilgrims. I really hope that the film will bring about a movement towards a better tomorrow”’.
The launch of the film in the midst of the religious confluence of humanity is noteworthy as it is expected to send a message of hope and change. The unique storytelling style in this short mobile format film has already started a movement across mobile, digital and the television medium.
News Broadcasting
News TV viewership jumps 33 per cent as West Asia war draws audiences
BARC Week 8 data shows news share rising to 8 per cent despite T20 World Cup
NEW DELHI: Even as individual television news channel ratings remain under a temporary pause, the genre itself is seeing a clear surge in audience attention.
According to the latest data from Broadcast Audience Research Council India, television news recorded a 33 per cent jump in genre share in Week 8 of 2026, covering February 28 to March 6.
The news genre accounted for 8 per cent of total television viewership during the week, up from 6 per cent the previous week. The spike in attention coincided with escalating geopolitical tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which have kept global headlines firmly fixed on West Asia.
The rise is notable because it came at a time when cricket was dominating television screens. The high-stakes stages of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, including the Super 8 fixtures and semi-finals, were being broadcast during the same period.
Despite the cricket frenzy, viewers appeared to be toggling between sport and global affairs, boosting the overall share of news programming.
The surge in genre share comes even as the government has enforced a one-month pause on publishing ratings for individual news channels. The move followed regulatory scrutiny of the television ratings ecosystem.
While channel-level rankings remain temporarily out of sight, the genre-level data suggests that when global tensions escalate, audiences continue to turn to television news for real-time updates.
