News Broadcasting
BBC World Service Trust releases music album on AIDS awareness
MUMBAI: BBC World Service Trust, National AIDS Control Organisation (Naco) and national network Doordarshan have joined hands to spread awareness about AIDS through a music album Haath Se Haath Milaa (HSHM) or let’s join hands.
The music video and album, released yesterday, is also being supported by multiplex major PVR Cinemas, which will screen it in all its 68 screens across India.
Though the association of PVR Cinemas with BBC World Service Trust is only for three months, the multiplex company CEO (digital) Sunil Patil is optimistic to maintain the relationship for a longer period of time.
According to the director of the video Anu Malhotra, “All the stars have generously contributed to the cause by filming for this video completely pro bono.”
The album, produced by Music Today and consisting of eight soundtracks, will be available in music stores and sold commercially across the country.
In an official statement, all profits from sales will be donated to non-governmental organization Salaam Baalak Trust and Committed Communities Development Trust (CCDT).
BBC World Service Trust director general Andrew Whitehead said, “The selections of songs were done from the Music Today catalogue.”
The launch ceremony was graced by Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty who said that the video would appeal to all and help combating AIDS and the stigma attached to it.
BBC World Service Trust supports a reality television series on DD, titled Jasoos Vijay where the central theme revolves around spreading awareness about AIDS.
The third series of Jasoos Vijay will finish its run by end September and HSHM will end by February 2007.
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.
