News Broadcasting
Fox on top in Feb; NBC languishing at the bottom
MUMBAI: Buoyed by the success of American Idol US broadcaster Fox has come out on top in February. This is the broadcaster’s first-ever sweeps month victory among all viewers.
Meanwhile NBC which is struggling to plug the gap left by the exit of Friends, Frasier has been relegated to fourth spot.
An AP report states that sweeps are held four months a year, when Nielsen Media Research ratings are closely watched to set local advertising rates. The rankings are set even though the current sweeps period runs through today. Fox is also expected to win among the 18-to-49-year-old age demographic that advertisers pay a premium to reach.
NBC’s pride has taken a severe drubbing. Nielsen ratings for the primetime block for the week 21-27 February 2005 clearly show just how hard a struggle it is having. The broadcaster does not have a single show in the top 10. The hospital drama ER enters at number 12. Joey which is the Friends spinoff has singularly failed to make a mark. ABC has enjoyed tremendous momentum with Desperate Housewives which recently completed its first run. ABC is in third spot.
As had earlier been reported by Indiantelevision.com the Oscars on ABC saw a decline in viewership to the tune of two million. However the 42.1 million figure that ABC achieved took it to the top. American Idol is a distant second with 28.3 million viewers. CBS’ show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation attracted 28.1 million viewers. In India the show airs on AXN. More Oscar pull comes courtesy ABC’s Oscar Countdown special which attracted 27.7 million viewers.
Fox Entertainment president Gail Berman was quoted in another media report saying, “Our goal is to win the season, and that will be reflected for our advertisers. I hesitate to make a prediction about the season, but we are excited about being competitive.”
At the same time it must be pointed out that Fox’s first sweeps month win since the network began prime-time broadcasting in 1987 is slightly deceptive. Take the Super Bowl out of the equation, and Fox would finish third behind CBS and ABC.
Media planner Geoff Robison lamented the failure of NBC to replace the earlier mentioned departed sitcoms. He feels that NBC is in desperate need of a Housewife. It also needs to get Lost.. Joey is ranked way down at number 31.
NBC needs to do something and fast. The General Electric owned broadcaster will negotiate ad rates in May. Meanwhile besides American Idol Fox has also had success especially in the 18-49 demographic with shows like the drama The O.C. The big question though is what will happen to Fox once American Idol’ s current season comes to a close.
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.
