News Broadcasting
AXN will weave fear, fright and magic next month
Action channel AXN is keeping the thrill seekers firmly in its sights. Ready to roll are three new series – Fear Factor, Scariest Places on Earth and David Blaine.
A thorough screening of all episodes on the three shows has been conducted to ensure and edit any objectionable scenes which may hurt viewer sensibilities.
Fear Factor premieres on 6 February at 9:00 PM People’s most primal fears are pushed to the limit in a game format. In each episode three women and three men must perform challenging and life threatening stunts demanding co-ordination of mind and body. If they complete their tasks, they advance. Succumbing to fear means elimination. The contestant who wins the final challenge takes home $50,000. Stunts could include jumping from one moving train to another, climbing from a moving boat to a helicopter.
Next in line is The Scariest Places on Earth premiering on Thursday Feb 7 at 9:00 PM The aim is to make viewers jump out of their seats with fright. Hosted by actress Linda Blair (of The Exorcist fame), the show dares brave families to spend an evening alone in legendary sites known for their hauntingly disturbing histories. One family will be challenged to stay the night at a creepy ancient monastery in Italy, where monks reportedly committed horrible deeds in the adjoining town. Another family will stay in New Orlean’s historic Magnolia Lane plantation believed to be haunted by ghosts from the American Civil War. Strategically placed cameras capture each family’s terrifying and very real experiences. The challenge is whether or not families have what it takes to last the night.
On 3, 10, 17 February at 9:00 pm magician David Blaine astounds people on the street with his own brand of magic. Blaine claims to be a master of the art of illusions. He uses the art of sorcery in street corners like injecting card tricks, coin feints or levitation stunts. A highlight is David Blaine – Frozen in Time on 17 Feb at 9 pm, when Blaine performs his death-defying encapsulation in a block of ice. Defying hypothermia and proving that mind is power over matter, he braves the paralyzing cold for three days.
Speaking on this senior marketing manager, Sony Entertainment Rohit Bhandari said: “This year is going to be an action-packed one where AXN viewers in India can expect something different and exciting every month. Fear Factor, David Blaine and Scariest Places on Earth have the right mix of action and adventure to continue our successful and popular programming formula, giving viewers in India, and region-wide, more opportunities to get the buzz from AXN.”
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.
