News Broadcasting
Al Jazeera strengthens coverage of Nepal earthquake
MUMBAI: Al Jazeera, which was one of the first news outlets to report live on the earthquake that devastated Nepal on 25 April, has further strengthened its coverage in the mountain country.
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake has been described as one of the worst to hit Nepal in decades, with the most recent death toll of over 4000 expected to rise significantly.
Al Jazeera English’s Nepal correspondent Subina Shrestha was live from Kathmandu minutes after the earthquake struck, feeding through immediate audio and visual reports as the situation unfolded. Initial reports were followed by updates from senior correspondent Andrew Simmons, who arrived in Nepal on 26 April.
Al Jazeera correspondents Faiz Jamil and So Rahman have since joined the network’s newsgathering team in Kathmandu. In the coming days, coverage will focus on the relief effort, the impact on remote areas of the country and reaction from the Nepalese community living abroad. A special half hour live broadcast scheduled for 0600GMT on 2 May will mark one week since the earthquake hit.
Al Jazeera English director of news Salah Negm said, “Nepal has experienced a shocking tragedy that has claimed the lives of thousands. Having a bureau in Kathmandu meant that Al Jazeera was well placed to report on the situation in the immediate aftermath of the quake. We will remain committed to telling Nepal’s human stories of survival, rescue and recovery in the weeks to follow, and will be there every step of the way as the country rebuilds itself.”
With five teams deployed across Nepal, Al Jazeera’s in-depth coverage of the earthquake aims to document all aspects of the disaster and provide viewers with constant updates.
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.
