News Broadcasting
CABSAT exhibitors optimistic about business opportunities in Middle East
The eighth edition of the Middle East International Cable, Satellite, Broadcast and Telecommunications Exhibition (CABSAT 2002) concluded at the Dubai World Trade Centre Exhibition Complex yesterday.
The event attracted around 4500 trade professionals, where four country pavilions representing UK, Korea, Taiwan and Bavaria were set up. Exhibitors who attended the event said that there was a regional boom in the cable, satellite, broadcast and telecommunications sectors in the Middle East. Companies struck an optimistic note regarding business opportunities in the region and exhibitors who have been displaying their wares regularly at the event noted an improvement in the quality of visitors this time round.
American Satellite major Intelsat has claimed that CABSAT visitors showed keen interest in broadband solutions and is confident that the visit will pay off though the company does not currently have a presence in the region. The company indicated that it would be back next year with more staff to field inquiries.
Procast, which participated in CABSAT for the first time this year said it was negotiating with Orbit to air 10 channels in Dubai. If this deal goes through, it would be one of the largest ever of its kind in the UAE. SMT Electronic Technology, a regular CABSAT exhibitor, anticipates to close deals valued at approximately US $1 million. The company wants to make a dent in the European markets and was able to meet potential clients from Turkey during the exhibition, according to a press release.
Global Interactive Technology (GIT) used the exhibition to launch
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.
