News Broadcasting
BBC to teach English by radio in Saudi Arabia
MUMBAI: BBC Learning English, a division of the international radio and online broadcaster BBC World Service, has signed a deal with Radio Riyadh to provide tailored bi-lingual programmes for learners of English across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Minister of Information, Iyad al Madani, played a role in the advisory stages of the deal. The teaching programmes are now broadcast for the first time on FM on the European Service of Radio Riyadh in Arabic and English and can be heard in key cities across the country.
The programmes are designed specifically for young people and feature bi-lingual presenters. The lessons teach listening and comprehension and explain points of the English language through topical and human interest stories. UK lifestyle and culture is also included.
BBC Learning English head Andrew Thompson said, “We are very excited by this opportunity to reach audiences on FM for the first time in Saudi Arabia. I am also confident that this new partnership with Radio Riyadh is just the beginning of future collaborations.”
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.
