News Broadcasting
Australian broadcaster SBS to produce local version of BBC’s ‘Top Gear’
MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide has concluded a deal with Australian free-to-air network SBS to license the rights to a local version of Top Gear. This is the first such a deal is done globally.
Freehand Productions, BBC Worldwide’s Australasian partner, will produce the local version, which will transmit on SBS next year. Eight episodes are planned.
BBC Worldwide has identified Top Gear as one of its top priority brands across all platforms.
Top Gear MD at BBC Worldwide Adam Waddell said, “This is an incredible step forward for the brand in one of our most important territories. With the UK series viewed in more than 100 countries worldwide, and BBC Top Gear magazine licensed in 19 countries, our focus is very much about expanding the brand through areas such as local production and localised online content.”
SBS has also extended its commitment to the UK version. Top Gear has aired on the network since 2005, and is its highest-rating non-sport show.
BBC Worldwide Australasia’s head of sales Julie Dowding sales, “It is very exciting for us to have done this deal with SBS. We are very proud that the first global deal for a local version of Top Gear has been done here in Australia.”
UK Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson says, “I’m delighted that Top Gear is going to Australia. Maybe the first guest could be Jonny Wilkinson.”
BBC Top Gear magazine is licensed in many countries including India, Italy, Netherlands, Greece, Dubai, Syria, New Zealand and Singapore.
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:Â 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.
