News Broadcasting
Al Jazeera’s Correspondent series explores our modern day obsessions
MUMBAI: Bringing a diverse range of stories from across the globe from the perspective of a journalist, the Correspondent series is returning back on Al Jazeera English on 6 November at 8:00 pm GMT (4:00 pm Toronto, 8:00 pm London and 11:00 pm Nairobi).
Travelling from India to America and from Bosnia to Doha, Al Jazeera’s correspondents explore subjects that touch on a diverse range of modern obsessions; digital technology, architecture and photography, yoga, the American dream, fertility, and the universal love of comedy.
In the premiere episode on 6 November, ‘My Digital Addiction’, Al Jazeera’s Phil Lavelle (@phillavelle) looks at the modern phenomenon of digital addiction. Along with following Lavelle’s personal addiction story, the episode also explores wider issues and problems associated with it. The episode also follow him checking in to a digital detox camp then follow his progress to see if he has been able to stay off his devices.
‘Metropolis’ on 13 November is a film that looks at the relationship people have with modern cities. Like many people, Richard Bentley (@R1chardBentley) has a fascination with architecture and uses time lapse photography to take a closer look at some very special buildings that reveal so much of the past, present and future, in a unique and artistic manner.
On 20 November Bhanu Bhatnagar (@bhanu_b) asks ‘Who Owns Yoga?’, and what impact the modern day popularity of yoga has on the world’s most ancient physical and spiritual practices. Packaged and commercialised in a myriad of different ways over the past decades, yoga has reached millions of people but its commercialization also brought with it all the pitfalls of operating in a modern capitalist world.
‘A Tale of two Migrations: Chasing the American Dream’ on 27 November features the story of Al Jazeera’s correspondent Adam Raney’s (@adamraney) family. The Mississippi Delta has been through very dramatic demographic changes since the US Civil War, with the ethnic make-up and attitudes towards minorities forced to change with the developing migration patterns the episode explores how US immigration policy is impacting the lives of millions.
On 4 December the film ‘Motherhood On Ice’ explores the personal journey of correspondent Amanda Burrell, who at 42, may still want to have children and is exploring her options, including oocyte cryopreservation – freezing her eggs. The film explores the medical and social issues surrounding the procedure as well as the personal struggle for women who try to decide whether or not to freeze their eggs.
And finally, on 11 December, in ‘Bosnian Humour’, Senior Correspondent Jackie Rowland (@jackyaljaz) tries to reunites the three members of the immensely popular comedy team The Surrealist Top Ten (Topliste Nadrealiste). The Bosnian comedy troupe split acrimoniously in the height of the war. Often described as the Balkans answer to Monty Python, the members of the team were from the three main communities in Sarajevo. Nele – the Serbian , Zenit – Bosnian-Muslim and Suco – the Croat. The film reveals how the Bosnian war has left scars that may never heal for.
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.
