News Broadcasting
‘Hasratein’ director ventures into film direction
After making a name for himself directing serials like Hasratein and Justujoo, Ajai Sinha is now ready to go 70 mm.
His first Bollywood directorial venture is titled The Bachelor. Produced by Mahendra Dhariwal (of Maa Tujhe Salaam fame) and written by Raghuveer Shekhawat and Sinha himself , the film is a romantic comedy, he says. As the name suggests, it’s the story of three bachelors- two collegians and one professor.
“It’s a story of youthful notoriety, fun, mischief and disguise,” says Ajai. Is the movie inspired by the success of Style? “No, not really. None of my projects even on TV have been inspired by other people’s work. Like my serials, this movie will be unique in its content and treatment.”
Has his decision to enter the movie arena got to do with his disillusionment with the TV scenario? “Yes and no. It is true that producers today have very little say as far as pushing their own stories/concepts are concerned and have no option but to do what the channels want them to. But none of my decisions in life have been taken out of compulsion. I had this story with me for the last five years. It’s just that with the small- budget movie scene looking up now, it was relatively easier for me to get a producer.
“But does that mean quits as far as his TV projects go?
“No way. Justujoo will go on for some time. So, TV will continue to be my bread and butter.”
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.
