News Broadcasting
AXN to bring back the horror genre with ‘Kingdom Hospital’
MUMBAI: AXN has major plans up its sleeve in the coming months. A couple of days ago it rescheduled its primetime band which now starts at 8 pm instead of 10 pm.
Now it has also announced a slew of new shows. One of them Kingdom Hospital will see the channel bring back the horror genre.
Until last year the channel had a horror slot every Thursday night. So the show which premieres in September will pick up the thread. The drama series has been produced by the master of horror Stephen King. In fact the idea of airing the show in India has been on the channels drawing board plans for quite a while.
Based on the original series Kingdom by Danish filmmaker Lars Von Trier, the creepy tale deals with a hospital with hidden secrets. It stars Bruce Davison X-Xen, X-Men 2 and Andrew McCarthy Weekend at Bernies, St Elmos Fire.
The hospital was built over an ancient graveyard. The doctors have put all their faith into science and technology and are dismissive of any suggestion of mysticism or unseen powers until strange things go bump in the middle of the night as it were.
Fans of the reality genre will also get their kicks. This month the special seven episode Couples Fear Factor will air. Here couples face off against their worst fears and other conniving couples. The aim as is the case in The Amazing Race is to win the $1million prize. The channel will also have new seasons of Xena Warrior Princess which also airs in India on Star World. The channel will also showcase Canadas legal drama, The Associates
The fun continues in August which has been dubbed AXN Independence Month . Big thrills are in store every Sunday from 12 noon to 5 pm. The Thrills TV band will feature reality specials such as Worlds Most Shocking Moments Caught on Tape and When Animals Attack.
The channel is also looking to spice up its Hot N’ Wild belt. It will air the 2-part Worlds Sexiest Commercials in this block. This will feature zany commercials that like the other content in the slot promise to titilate and tantalise the senses.
Not satisfied? Then gouge on more late night escapism in the form of Bikini Destinations. This takes viewers on a weekly adventure to the hottest locations and greatest party destinations in the world. This too premieres in the Hot N Wild belt.
Next month AXN will also introduce a reality show with a fresh concept. Next Action Star from Hollywood producer Joel Silver The Matrix, searches for an action hero and heroine.
The casting call sees 14 finalists fighting to stay on in the show. As is the case with other shows like Survivor each week a contestant gets eliminated. The winners will star in the action movie Bet your Life with Billy Zane Titanic.
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.
