News Broadcasting
Times Network appoints Ashit Kukian as President – Revenue
MUMBAI: Strengthening its senior management leadership, Times Network has announced the appointment of former president and COO of Radio City, Ashit Kukian as president – revenue.
Earlier he worked as president & chief operating officer with Radio City 91.1 FM. He had served Radio City for 10 years, lately focusing on driving revenues for the brand through traditional and non-traditional sources.
In his new role, Kukian will work closely with the content, distribution, marketing and other enabling functions to meet business objectives. The Ad sales and branded content teams of the Times Network will directly report to him and he will report to Times Network MD& CEO, MK Anand.
Speaking about the appointment Anand said, “It gives me great pleasure to welcome Ashit back into the Times Network fold as President – Revenue. His guidance, industry insights and operational expertise will help us achieve our aggressive growth targets and meet the business objectives through traditional and non – traditional revenue streams as we move into the future. I am sure his extensive background in media management and experience over two decades in the print, television & radio industry will add great value to the growth of Times Network.”
Commenting on his new role at Times Network, Kukian said, “I am extremely excited to take on the new role with Times Network. As an individual helming the revenue vertical of a network that is growing by leaps and bounds, I will try my level best in giving my inputs, industry insights and operational expertise in the best possible manner. Using my experience garnered across print, television and radio I am sure I can lead the team in adding value to the growth of the network channels and businesses.”
Kukian has had a 13 year stint with BCCL in the past where he managed several important roles, and over 15 years of experience in managing the business of media. He was a key member of the team that launched Zoom Television in 2004 and positioned it as premium Hindi entertainment channel for a high end urban audience within a year of its launch.
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.
