News Broadcasting
BBC Worldwide teams up with 19 Entertainment for ‘Pop Goes English’
MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide and 19 Entertainment, whose pop act credentials include The Spice Girls, have announced a new joint venture – Pop Goes English. The aim, says the channel, is to revolutionise the international English language teaching market.
An official release informs that the partnership will create a series of television programmes and other learning materials to encourage children across the globe to learn to speak English. The first 19 Entertainment band to feature in Pop Goes English will be a pop group. Music from new bands and artists will follow as the Pop Goes English format develops.
19 Entertainment is a UK music and television company and is renowned for its global innovation and cross platform entertainment properties. Drawing on a universal fascination with the world of showbiz and pop music to teach English was originally the brainchild of 19s Simon Fuller, says the release.
Earlier in the year, BBC Worldwide launched its football-themed Goal TV programme and learning materials to coincide with the 2002 World Cup. For Pop Goes English, BBC Worldwide will develop a series of multi-media materials using the S Club brand, including mini television programmes, videos, books and CD-ROMs, all featuring a combination of lyrics, dance steps and karaoke graphics to make learning English simple and fun for children aged seven to 11.
The release states that young local music artists will host Pop Goes English, acting as interpreter and teacher alongside live S Club performances and songs, including international hits, Bring it all Back and Reach. The first development is already underway in China and Taiwan, with national pop artist e-Vonne, provided by Universal Music, Taiwan. Further developments of the concept with new and existing BBC Worldwide broadcasting and publishing partners around the world are anticipated shortly.
This project continues 19s partnership with BBC Worldwide, which has led to S Club programming being broadcast in over 100 countries around the world, the release adds.
BBC Worldwide has also developed a new S Club Challenge book with band photos, facts and figures, combined with games, quizzes and challenges to solve, and even a chance to develop musical composition skills using the tips on song writing all designed to make a lively, interactive challenge for S Club fans.
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.
