News Broadcasting
Bertelsmann launches intl VC fund focussed on digital media
MUMBAI: Global media firm Bertelsmann has established a venture capital fund called Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI) and a Luxembourg company to execute and house the BDMI investments.
The fund is designed to ensure direct access to emerging technologies and businesses. With an initial funding of €50 million, BDMI’s mission is to tap into new technologies and digital media innovations to support the continued leadership of Bertelsmann’s divisions across the media landscape.
Richard Sarnoff, who has been President of Random House’s corporate development group and its venture arm, Random House Ventures LLC, additionally has been named President of BDMI, and will report to Bertelsmann CFO Thomas Rabe in this capacity.
BDMI’s international team based in the US and Germany will concentrate on digital media opportunities that can enhance or extend Bertelsmann’s existing strengths in broadcast television, book and magazine publishing, music, media services, and direct marketing. Investments will primarily be minority stakes in early-stage companies, but can also include majority stakes and external fund investments where appropriate.
Bertelsmann chairman and CEO Gunter Thielen says, “Bertelsmann has a keen focus on new technologies and fosters expertise within each of its divisions. We are committed to further extending our innovative spirit and media leadership by creating a fund dedicated to emerging technology opportunities.
“Richard Sarnoff is the ideal candidate for this assignment, since he has excellent experience in funding such opportunities, strong connections in the venture capital industry, and broad familiarity with all of Bertelsmann’s businesses above and beyond his responsibilities at Random House”.
Sarnoff said, “Technology continues to play an increasing role in all Bertelsmann divisions as digital media, the Web, and mobile access continue to converge on a global scale. This new fund will allow us to supplement the existing in-house knowledge base and support ongoing divisional technology initiatives through investments in pioneering companies”.
BDMI will operate in partnership with each Bertelsmann business division, taking investment cues from new business models and digital media trends identified by the divisions as strategic to future growth. It will work with the appropriate Bertelsmann division on each investment for initial evaluation, due diligence and ongoing oversight of portfolio companies.
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: 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.
