News Broadcasting
BVITV inks multiple deals at Los Angeles Screenings
MUMBAI: Buena Vista International Television (BVITV) has concluded multiple deals at the Los Angeles screenings. The first one was inked between BVITV Japan and Jupiter Entertainment, which is the provider of the Movie Plus channel, for distribution of visual entertainment consisting mainly of live action and animated movies.
The closure of this contract guarantees the provision of hit releases as Six Days, Seven Nights, Snake Eyes and The Crimson Tide. It also means that popular Disney animated productions like The Nightmare Before Christmas will be available for view over the Movie Plus channel.
BVITV Japan has also inked a new agreement with Pay-Per-View Japan, Inc. for distribution of visual entertainment consisting mainly of cinema-release movies and TV series.
With this deal, movies such as The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Cinderella Man and Flight Plan will be availabe for Pay-Per-View Japan.
It also means that the successful TV series Lost, along with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest will be available for view over the Pay-Per-View Japan platform.
BVITV has also announced multi-genre deals with Pop TV to bring a range of new and returning series, features and TV movies to viewers across Slovenia.
This was announced by BVITV EMEA executive vice president and managing director Tom Toumazis and Pro Plus general manager Marijan Jurenec.
With these agreements, Pop TV has licensed the second series of Lost and Desperate Housewives as well as Grey’s Anatomy, the drama Criminal Minds and the family comedy According to Jim.
Pop TV has also picked up the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical. A contemporary “break into song” production, the comedic movie tells the story of two teens who must learn to believe in themselves despite the polarization of high school cliques. The US premiere of High School Musical delivered the highest ever household ratings for Disney Channel original programming.
Pop TV’s selected first run features include M Night Shyamalan’s movies Signs and The Village. Other features include the classic movies Pretty Woman, starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere and Con Air.
In a separate agreement introduced by BVITV, Pop TV has licensed a selection of action-packed Jetix Europe programming. Younger viewers will be able to enjoy a selection of popular series including W.I.T.C.H. and Power Rangers: Dino Thunder.
Toumazis said, “Following the continued success of our programming on Pop TV, including Lost and Desperate Housewives, we are delighted to be working with the channel to bring this broad selection of new, schedule-driving entertainment to its viewers.”
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.
