News Broadcasting
TVU Networks levels up Kumbh Mela coverage with game-changing tech!
MUMBAI: Imagine a sea of 450 million devotees, converging at the sacred confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers, all seeking spiritual awakening—and now, imagine broadcasting that spectacle live, without a hitch. TVU Networks has done just that.
This year’s Maha Kumbh Mela, held in Prayagraj, India, from 13 January to 26 February 2025, posed an Everest-sized challenge to broadcasters. The sheer scale of the event—hordes of pilgrims, signal-clogging mobile devices, and unpredictable terrain—demanded a broadcasting solution as powerful as the festival itself. TVU Networks delivered, deploying a trifecta of game-changing technologies that ensured seamless live coverage despite massive network congestion and rugged conditions.
Three powerhouse solutions
1. TVU One backpacks – Mobile Mastery TVU’s field teams wielded TVU One backpacks, transforming even the busiest bathing ghats into makeshift studios. Featuring TVU’s patented Inverse StatMux Plus (IS+) transmission technology, HEVC format smart VBR encoding, and Forward Error Correction (FEC), these power-packed units enabled reporters to transmit crystal-clear video—even in the heart of the most crowded ritual sites.
2. TVU MLink transmitters – The Network Workhorses Broadcasting from a moving sea of people? No problem. TVU MLink transmitters, housed in strategically positioned broadcast vehicles, flexed their multi-network muscles, seamlessly aggregating 5G, 4G, Wifi, and ethernet. These high-tech hubs ensured rock-solid signal stability, even when millions of mobile devices strained the airwaves.
3. TVU Rack router 5G – The Ultimate Command Centre Temporary studios at Kumbh Mela ran on TVU Rack Router 5G, a six-network behemoth supporting speeds up to one gbps. By integrating satellite, microwave, Wifi, and ethernet into one rock-solid connection, it provided reliable internet access, keeping production teams fully equipped and on-air.
“We are incredibly proud to provide the technological backbone for broadcasting this historic spiritual gathering,” said TVU Networks general manager for south Asia, Subodh Aggarwal. “Our solutions were specifically designed to tackle the unique challenges of the Kumbh Mela—from massive network congestion to the need for both mobile and fixed broadcasting positions. The successful implementation showcases our commitment to delivering reliable, cutting-edge broadcasting solutions even in the most demanding environments.”
This achievement cements TVU Networks’ position as an industry leader in live broadcasting. The Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 was not just a test of faith for the devotees—it was a trial by fire for media technology, and TVU Networks emerged victorious, setting a new gold standard for large-scale event coverage in India and beyond.
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.
