News Broadcasting
65 per cent of US net homes ready to switch to bundled services
MUMBAI: Over 60 per cent of Internet households in the US would be willing to consolidate their services under a single provider if that would save $20 per month.
The report Bundled Services: Analysis and Forecasts, has been published by Parks Associates. The report notes that the prospect of cost savings far outweighs convenience as an influencing factor. Only 43 per cent of the survey’s respondents would switch to a video, telephone, and Internet bundle without a savings incentive.
Parks Associates analyst William Cheek added, “Cost is important to subscribers, and at least some savings must be a central theme of any successful campaign for bundled services.
“The challenge for service providers will be not to simply underprice their service packages in a shortsighted attempt to stem churn and attract new customers.
“Instead, they will need to define value to their customers that includes such variables as the convenience of all services on one bill, one point of contact for service issues, and value-added features and applications that can be layered upon basic services.”
Over 4,000 US households were surveyed. The study also found that 74 per cent of households likely to upgrade to broadband Internet in the next 12 months would subscribe to a bundled service package that could save them $20 per month for data, voice, and video services.
“This is encouraging for service providers. As more households switch from narrowband to broadband, the number of households with bundled services could increase almost in tandem, provided that providers offer and adequately demonstrate the value — above and beyond cost savings — of these options,” Cheek added.
Parks Associates is a market research and consulting firm focussed on all product and service segments that are “digital” or provide connectivity within the home. The company’s expertise includes home networks, digital entertainment, consumer electronics, broadband and Internet services, and home systems.
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.
