News Broadcasting
Hallmark signs deal with ACNielsen for Asia Pacific
Crown Media International, which operates the Hallmark Channel outside America, has announced the signing of a three-year regional contract with ACNielsen Media International.
AC Nielsen claims to be the world’s leading provider of people meter-based TV ratings. The agreement, effective 17 January 2002, will cover television ratings in India, Australia, Singapore and Taiwan.
This is the first regional TV ratings contract that Hallmark Channel has signed with ACNielsen Media International in Asia. Previously, Hallmark had purchased TV ratings information from the company on a limited basis in Taiwan, Australia and Singapore.
Hallmark programming consists of movies, mini-series, series and children’s programming. The channel claims that its audience numbers have grown in the Asia Pacific region by more than 50 per cent over the past year to 18 million homes. The channel also claims in an official release that in the region viewers are able to watch the service on seven different feeds and branded blocks.
Managing director, advertising sales of Crown Media International Barry Frey said: “Our strong distribution and enhanced programme schedules in Asia Pacific, coupled with our significant viewership and ad sales growth over the last two years, have led us to make this decision. It is important that we have accurate and timely data about ratings for the benefit of our advertisers.”
V-P ad sales Asia, Gregory Ang, said: “This agreement with ACNielsen provides the insight and information needed by clients who would like to target their products at the market segments that Hallmark Channel caters to.”
Forrest Didier, MD, ACNielsen Media International, Asia Pacific said: “We are very pleased to welcome Hallmark Channel as our newest regional client for TV ratings in Asia Pacific. Hallmark Channel is recognized as one of the most popular entertainment channels in the region and is fast expanding into many markets. We are confident our service will provide Hallmark Channel with the in-depth analysis and insights they need to further increase their presence in Asia Pacific.”
ACNielsen Media International’s television audience measurement service claims to have over 18,000 people meter homes in 12 Asia Pacific markets: Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.
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.
