News Broadcasting
Shruti Bhargava returns to Republic Media Network as national branded content head
MUMBAI: Shruti Bhargava has officially commenced her new role as the national head of branded content and associations at Republic Media Network. In her announcement on LinkedIn, she expressed her gratitude, stating, “Thank you Hersh Bhandari for your unwavering support and for the opportunities to help me grow in the professional journey.”
With over 15 years of extensive experience in the media industry, Shruti Bhargava’s career reflects remarkable growth and versatility.
She has held significant leadership roles, including general manager – north at Republic World since January 2024, overseeing operations and advertising revenue across platforms. Prior to this, she served as regional head – north & east India at Goldmines Telefilms, managing advertising revenue for diverse television channels. Between April and December 2022, she was general manager at Republic World, spearheading branded content initiatives and campaigns.
Earlier, as deputy general manager at Republic Media Network Sales, she led the North India business for Republic TV from June 2021 to March 2022.
Bhargava’s career also includes senior manager positions at TV Today and HT Media Ltd, where she managed advertising sales and marketing strategies across radio, television, digital, and print media, cementing her reputation as a well-rounded leader in the industry.
Bhargava’s academic background includes a Bachelor of Technology in computer science from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, and a master’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Additionally, she has participated in significant initiatives such as the International Antarctic Expedition as a Climate Force Ambassador.
As Bhargava steps into this new chapter at Republic Media Network, her vision is set on strengthening brand partnerships and creating impactful content that resonates with audiences across the nation.
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: 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.
