News Broadcasting
News18 India announces special programming for Tokyo Olympics
Mumbai: Amidst the global pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics will be like no other with sombre celebrations and no spectators. Committed to bringing all the major world events for their viewers, News18 India has announced ‘Jeeto India’, special programming capturing all the action and updates right from ground zero.
On 23 July, News18 India will telecast a live preview show with eminent sportspersons, journalists, and experts who will share insights on the events featuring Indian athletes and their chances of winning at the Games. Hosted by News18 India’s top anchors Anand Narasimhan and Amrit Anand, the show will also feature renowned personalities such as Sakshi Malik, Yogeshwer Dutt, Malay Nirav to name a few.
From 24 July onwards, each day through the course of the competition, the programming will bring news on the performance of the athletes, their journey, and other records being created at the biggest sporting event in the world.
The programming aims to build up excitement and cheer the country’s athletes as they compete at the biggest global stage. Incidentally, India has sent its largest contingent ever to the Olympics this time.
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.
