News Broadcasting
Prasar Bharati launches 2 channels to telecast live Parliament proceedings
MUMBAI: National broadcaster Doordarshan may continue to drain the public exchequer but the launch of new channels “in the public interest” continues unabated. Speaker Somnath Chatterjees prescription to cure one of Indian Parliament’s major ailments the lack of civil behaviour among its members took shape today with the official launch of two channels, one each for the Lok Sabha (Lower House) and Rajya Sabha (Upper House).
Chatterjee and Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat did the honours today flagging off the two satellite channels that will telecast live the proceedings of both Houses of Parliament. Chatterjee’s idea of exposing the honourable members to live telecasts of their actions in Parliament in the hope that it will improve their behaviour will cost the tax payer a reported Rs 1.2 billion annually for each of the channels (this is assuming that that ISRO waives transponder fees).
The function to mark the launch of the two channels was held in the in the Central Hall of Parliament and was attended by, among others, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, information and broadcasting Minister Jaipal Reddy, Leader of the Opposition LK Advani, and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
The Press Trust of India quoted Reddy as saying the launch of the two channels was both a challenge and opportunity for members as they will now be functioning on camera and not in camera.
The regular and daily telecast of the proceedings would enable millions of people abroad to observe “Indian democracy at work and in action,” PTI quoted the Prime Minister as saying.
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.
