News Broadcasting
BBC Interactive looking for writers to create new sitcom ‘Cleaners’
BBCi has announced that aspiring writers can apply to become a part of a six member team that will create Cleaners, a sitcom to be developed exclusively over the internet, through BBCi.
An official release says that for the first time the whole process – from the initial plot outline to the final draft – will be available for public viewing. The format has been developed by the BBC’s television comedy development unit and the storyline will rotate around a group of late-night office cleaners.
The six writers selected will work at a virtual writers’ table, viewable by everyone but accessible only to the writers. As the writers discuss characterisations, storylines and make decisions on their individual roles within the group, BBCi users can log on to www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom and tune in to the conversations.
Users can even be part of the process by adding their comments and ideas and on a weekly basis chat with one of the writers. The release states that the British broadcaster views the initiative as an opportunity to see something evolve as well as providing educational value and an insight into how an idea is turned into a fully fledged project.
Under the guidance of the BBC development staff, the writers will produce an episode of Cleaners, which when completed, will be read out and streamed via BBCi by actors, therefore completing the process. The successful writers will be announced on 2 August and the scheme is due to end in mid-November.
BBCi is the name for the BBC’s interactive services working across the web, digital television and hand held mobile devices, providing a single signpost and easier way of getting to the BBC’s great information, entertainment and education services.
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.
