News Broadcasting
BBC Worldwide global channels appoints Anne Howarth as SVP
MUMBAI: Anne Howarth is BBC Worldwide global channels senior vice president. She is the first senior management appointment for this division.
Anne joins Worldwide from the BBC and will be responsible for the strategic direction of BBC Worldwide’s international television channels business, as well as the development and growth of its portfolio of channels, currently 18 wholly owned and joint venture television channels, available in 324 million homes around the world.
She has already begun working with BBC Worldwide global channels MD Darren Childs, on a new strategy for BBC Worldwide’s TV channels business. The strategy will roll out in 2006 and will gradually develop BBC Worldwide’s portfolio of TV channels in both existing and new markets.
Childs said, “Anne brings to this role a wealth of expertise. She has played key roles in transforming business into focused, robust operations as well as successfully closing major deals. We are embarking on an unprecedented period of growth around the world and Anne will be instrumental in delivering this growth.”
Howarth said, “The BBC brand is one of the most respected around the world, and in the UK, its name is synonymous with high-quality, engaging programming. Our new strategy will engender the same feeling with our international audiences, building a strong portfolio of channels that engage and entertain audiences worldwide and it is tremendously exciting to be joining BBC Worldwide TV channels at this time.”
Prior to this, Howarth had been with the BBC where she most recently played a leading role in the sale of BBC Broadcast now known as Red Bee Ltd, to Macquarie Bank. The sale won Acquisition Monthly’s award for the best mid-market corporate deal of 2005.
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.
