News Broadcasting
Hallmark hopes seven will hit the spot in new programme initiative
Seven seems to be a number with Hallmark Entertainment Network in its efforts to have a more significant presence in India.
Towards the end of last year the channel introduced a new signature – “Celebrate Life” – which was one of several key components behind the rebranding of Hallmark that included new on-air graphics. At the time there was also the repackaging of core programming into seven new primetime branded blocks for “all members of the family to enjoy together.”
The effort has not really succeeded for the channel, which was launched in June 1999 in India. Hallmark is now launching seven new programmes from next month which it hopes will impact favourably on its viewership.
The programmes will be targeting children, youth and daytime television viewers. The highlight of the new programming initiative is the Indian premiere of the popular children’s series Sesame Street which will start showing from 1 May.
May is also Women’s Month on Hallmark, with a week of specially-scheduled movies starting from May 7 that climaxes with the premiere of Jackie, Ethel and Joan: Women of Camelot on May 13 and 14 – the dramatic story of the women behind the legendary Kennedy political dynasty.
The new initiative follows an eight-month research study which covered six countries that the channel conducted. Hallmark claims a viewership of over 7.5 million in India and is aiming to reach a 12.5 million audience.
Hallmark Channel is owned and operated by Crown Media International, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Crown Media Holdings, Inc. cases.
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.
