News Broadcasting
News18 India plans five-days of programming from Varanasi
Mumbai: News 18 India, a Hindi news channel, has lined up extensive programming including on-ground events, mega debates, exclusive interviews and interactive shows from Varanasi to cover PM Modi’s visit to the city for filing his Lok Sabha nomination. The mega coverage – Loktantra Ka Mahaparv – is lined up from 10 to 14 May.
Commencing on 10 May, News18 India will have its team of seasoned reporters and anchors stationed at ground zero, poised to provide viewers with real-time updates. Channel’s popular evening shows like “Goonj” anchored by Rubika Liyaquat and “Desh Nahi Jhukne Denge” anchored by Aman Chopra will also telecast from Varanasi.
The reporters will conduct multiple interviews, and will gather public opinion on the on-going election. The channel will also be doing a special on-ground event on 11 May.
As excitement mounts for Prime Minister Narender Modi’s “Big Road Show” on 13 May, News18 India will cover every moment of this much anticipated event. This will be followed by the coverage of the PM filling his nomination papers from the Varanasi lok sabha seat on 14 May. The channel will also telecast a special edition of its immensely popular show “Lapete Mein Netaji” anchored by Kishore Ajwani, direct from Varanasi.
Keep watching Sabse Bada Dangal – Loktantra Ka Mahaparv through the day on News18 India from 10 to 14 May.
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.
