News Broadcasting
US TV networks in spat over Emmies telecast
LOS ANGELES:The US telecast rights for the prestigious Emmy Awards hang in the balance.
The problem stems from the fact that the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences wants the four major broadcasters of American television to cough up more money which they are refusing to do.
According to a Reuters report, officials of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences have said that HBO had agreed to pay $10 million a year for exclusive rights to carry the Primetime Emmy Awards for the next five years.
If the deal gets the nod at a meeting of the Academy board of governors tonight, the organisation would get more than triple the $3 million paid to the Academy annually for the past four years under a licensing “wheel” by which the networks namely CBS, ABC, Fox and NBC took turns airing the Emmys. A network executive however indicated that an offer in the six to seven million dollar range could be considered.
So far, Academy officials have expressed dissatisfaction at the offer the networks put on the table and this could lead to a situation where the awards could shift to cable television. CBS has already threatened to withdraw support to the ATAS if the deal with HBO comes into effect.
Another possibility, says the Reuters report, is that the four spurned broadcasters could organise an awards show of their own, excluding cable, if the Academy moved the Emmys to HBO. Networks could also refuse to submit nominations for the awards and insist that their stars not pay attention. However, both parties have stated that they want to avoid an ugly skirmish which could have a long term adverse effect on the industry.
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.
