News Broadcasting
Bangalore cable tragedy: CEIG report finds fault with Bescom
BANGALORE: As the search for a scapegoat for the Bangalore cable tragedy continues, Bangalore Electric Supply Company (Bescom) has found itself at the receiving end yet again. An inquiry report by the chief electrical inspector to the government (CEIG) has placed the blame squarely on Bescom.
The inquiry report of the CEIG primarily blames negligence on the part of Bescom for the tragedy that took seven-year-old city boy Anish’s life last week when he came in contact with a loosely hanging ‘Live’ wire on his way back from an errand. It says, “Bescom cannot shirk its responsibility of monitoring safety of cables. This is acute negligence. BCC was partially responsible for the incident and like most cases this pole too did not have a proper fuse or switch. There was a loose connection and the joint too was left open.”
The report holds Bescom responsible for looking into the safety aspect of the cable operators and MSOs’ cables, since they were paying the company. “If Bescom had checked the open joint and taped it, this accident would not have happened,” it says.
The investigation revealed the un-insulated part of the streetlight cable touched the messenger wire supporting the TV cable wires causing the accident.” The origin of the wire couldn’t be determined as it was cut in several places, hence the question remains unanswered whether it was a TV cable or internet cable wire. The police are still looking into the matter.
The first inquiry conducted by the Bescom had found both the company staff and the Bangalore City Corporation (BCC) responsible for the mishap.
Reacting to the inquiry report that put the blame on BCC, executive engineer east zone C Sivanna is quoted in media reports as saying, “It is no fault of BCC. The distribution box installed by the local cable network had come in contact with a live Bescom wire. And a wire had fallen down from its bearing and the boy unfortunately came in contact it. Streetlights are switched on only during the evenings. How can we be blamed when the street lights were off when the incident occurred?”
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.
