News Broadcasting
BBC, Microsoft sign digital curriculum contract
LONDON: Following a competitive tender, the BBC and software major Microsoft have signed a contract. As per this Bill Gates’ conglomerate will develop the technology to deliver the BBC’s Digital Curriculum. This will launch in 2006 after extensive research and piloting.
An official release informs that the two companies will work together to build the infrastructure that will deliver high quality video, audio and interactive content over the web. The decision to contract with Microsoft was reached following a competitive tender. The original tender was advertised in the Official Journal of the European Community (OJEC). Microsoft won the contract because it had the right mix of technological skills, value for money and committment to education.
The release adds that BBC’s Digital Curriculum will be free and accessible to all pupils, teachers and parents online in the classroom, at home and at venues throughout the UK. The Digital Curriculum will contribute to the Government’s Curriculum Online initiative and will assist in promoting e-learning inside and outside the classroom. Working with partners across the industry, the service will offer material on a range of subjects. Half of all the content will be commissioned from external producers.
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.
