News Broadcasting
BBC closes deal with Siemens for technology unit sale
MUMBAI: The BBC has announced that it has completed the procurement for a 10-year Technology Framework Contract (TFC) with Siemens Business Services worth almost ?2 billion.
As per the deal Siemens Business Services has acquired BBC Technology
Led by Siemens Business Services MD Tom White, BBC Technology will be renamed Siemens Business Services Media Holdings, says a company release.
BBC COO John Smith added, “This deal marries both our legendary broadcasting experience in making great programmes with the resource and expertise of a global IT player – ensuring the BBC can achieve its Building Public Value vision to secure our digital future.
The value and substantial savings created from the sale of BBC Technology and this procurement of our technology services is a significant step for us in ensuring the BBC is fit for the future and continues to create innovative programmes.”
As part of the deal, Siemens Business Services will also provide the skills, expertise and investment to support the BBC’s technology vision. This vision aims to put creative tools on desktop computers in the BBC by the end of the decade, enabling a revolutionary approach to programme making in a digital Britain.
It was in July that the BBC had announced that subject to contract, Siemens Business Services had been selected as the single preferred bidder. The other bidders in the fray were Accenture and CSC, adds the release.
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.
