News Broadcasting
Times Now launches ‘Power of Shunya’- Quest for Zero-Season 2
MUMBAI: After the stupendous success of season 1, the award winning series, The Power of Shunya: Quest for Zero is back with its second season on Times Now. Season 2 will continue to examine the critical challenges facing emerging India and the effective and exciting solution based approach that can address these challenges.
The 16 part series will be premiered on August 23rd and will feature discussions among industry stalwarts around crucial issues being faced by India including pollution, shortage of water, need of green infrastructure, renewable energy, agricultural production, nutrition and climate management.
Last year, TIMES NOW, India’s No.1 English news channel, in association with DuPont, the world’s leading science and innovation company launched ‘The Power of Shunya™: Quest for Zero’ series which showcased individuals & companies who are addressing key issues facing India by unlocking the power of zero to deliver maximum growth and sustainable solutions at zero negative impact -– zero hunger, zero wastage, zero carbon footprints, zero workplace hazards. The series was inspired from the Indian Mathematician, Aryabhatta’s invention of Shunya (zero); an idea so powerful that it changed the world. The series has won 10 prestigious awards, including a Silver Abby for the Best Non Fiction Program Series at Goa Fest 2014 and four golds at DMAi Echo Awards 2014.
Balvinder Singh Kalsi, President – South Asia & ASEAN, DuPont said, “The Power of Shunya™ reflects our belief that science-powered solutions and innovations play a vital role in addressing the challenges and aspirations of our growing nation. After a successful launch last year, we continue to strengthen our efforts to reach out to our customers and other stakeholders that share our belief in science-based problem solving. We are happy to partner with Times Now for season 2 to showcase companies and individuals that epitomize the spirit of Indian Ingenuity and commitment to science-powered innovations in pursuit of shunya or zero to build an India with zero hunger, zero malnutrition, zero darkness, zero diseases, zero lives lost, zero environmental impact.”
The series will be anchored by Manvi Dhillon, well known for her deep insights in market analysis and business journalism. The show will air on TIMES NOW every Saturday at 5:30 pm & Sunday at 9:30 am and 6:30pm.
Speaking on the launch of the series, Hemant Arora, Business Head, Branded Content- TIMES TELEVISION NETWORK said “Season 1 was truly a path-breaking series. The augmented viewership enjoyed by Season 1 also won critical acclaim & awards- 5 metals at DMAi & Goa Fest amongst others. With the objective of striving to achieve the goal of Zero with sustainable solutions we are extremely excited about the second season. ‘Power of Shunya- Quest for Zero’ with Manvi Dhillon on board this season, we have taken the series to a whole new level. The series gives an opportunity to corporates to help the country tackle its most pressing issues with the aid of modern technology & science. There’s a whole new and diversified view the series will offer to our audiences with our appealing format.”
Join Manvi as she travels the length & breadth of India to uncover the companies and people who are innovating to reduce our problems to Shunya. Joining Manvi in each episode will be experts across sectors who will outline challenges facing India and discuss the impact of the innovations showcased.
Commenting on the launch of show, Anchor Manvi Dhillon said; “I am proud to be associated with ‘Power for Shunya- Quest for Zero’ as it gives me a reason to explore first hand and highlight the key issues plaguing our country. The corporate involvement in the social responsibility sphere will showcase the intensity of delivering maximum growth at zero impact. I am very pleased to be a part of this series and look forward to its success.”
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.
