News Broadcasting
Granada International looking at IPTV, Vod opportunities in India
MUMBAI: Television and film distributor Granada International is looking topwards building its presence in Asia.
It has appointed Ting Wai Ho as senior sales executive based in its new Hong Kong office. The announcement was made by Granada International MD Nadine Nohr.
He will also work closely with regional director in Asia James Ross on the media opportunities offered by the way of VOD and IPTV in India.
Ho will also be responsible for sales of Granada International programming into South East Asian countries including Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.
Ting Wai Ho was formerly BBC Worldwide senior sales executive, South East Asia. Based in Hong Kong he was in charge of TV programme distribution in Asian countries.
Ross says, “I am very pleased to have Ting on board at the new Granada International office in Asia. As we continue to expand Granada International and ITV Worldwide’s presence in Asia, I am sure his wealth of experience in selling programming to the Asia region will be a great asset to us.”
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.
