News Broadcasting
News channels celebrate Independence Day with special shows
NEW DELHI: The country is marking its 74th Independence Day today and though the overall celebrations are a bit different this year because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, television news channels are trying to make sure the fervour and festivities remain intact with special programming line up prepared. Like each year, the TV channels will celebrate the diversity, history, and the spirit of India with insightful discussions, presentations, and engagements.
1.ABP News
ABP News will be paying a spectacular tribute to the brave hearts who got martyred during the Galwan Valley clash with China, earlier this year with its show Jhanda Uncha Rahe Hamara, presented by Mankind and health partner Badal Churan. The show has been a highlight for the channel for the past seven years and this time will come with a unique touch of celebrity engagements. Sonu Sood will also be seen paying tribute to the martyrs.
Watch the show on ABP News today, 1 pm onwards
2.CNN News 18
CNN News 18 will run non-stop programming through the day comprising in-depth news reports focused on capturing the true spirit of freedom, success stories of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, and also an analysis of PM Modi’s address to the nation from Red Fort.
Marya Shakil, Political Editor, CNN-News18, will host an exclusive panel discussion wherein experts and renowned newsmakers such as Tejaswi Surya, Tapsee Pannu and Sakshi Malik will share their idea of independence. The exclusive programming will also include a special segment with CNN-News18’s Entertainment Editor, Rajeev Masand who will host ‘The Bollywood Roundtable’ with Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi, Kay Kay Menon. Cyrus Broacha will be bringing in the special edition of his humorous show ‘The Week That Wasn’t.’
3. News 18 South
News18 Network South, in partnership with Action Aid is hosting a Musicathon across its channels, expressing gratitude to brave Corona warriors who are helping the nation in this pandemic. The shows will be aired at different times on different language channels. The channel is also urging people to donate to Act Against Covid-19, which is a News18 and Action Aid Association initiative.
4. News Nation
News Nation will be hosting exclusive programming through the day to mark the celebrations for 74th Independence Day with Jashn-e-Azadi, starting 8 am onwards. Powered by Vicco, the channel will air some other shows like Azadi Ke Tarane and Freedom Mange More, serving light-hearted entertainment content along including music, lively discussions and nationwide celebrations.
5. Times Network
Times Network will be airing a special documentary paying tribute to Galwan martyrs to mark the Independence Day celebrations this year. The documentary, Gallantry at Galwan will be aired 1 pm on Times Now, Mirror Now, and Times Now World.
The 45-minute-long succinct account of factual events that took place in the intervening night of June 15-16 in the Galwan Valley of eastern Ladakh, the documentary analyses the bloodiest engagement between Indian and Chinese troops in 45 years and aims to inform the viewers about the history of the ongoing border dispute between the countries and reflects on how tensions unfolded over the years. Accessing high technology tools like 3D graphics and Google Earth studio, the documentary brings a comprehensive narrative of the circumstances that led to the fatal face-off and how men of 16 Bihar Regiment crushed the Chinese aggression.
6. Zee News
Zee News is running special programming under ‘Bharat Bhagya Vidhata’ since Friday. The shows are discussing topics like Ram Mandir construction, Make In India Movement and Banning of Chinese apps and goods, hosted by its star anchors and reporters.
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.
