News Broadcasting
Broadband beats broadcast in network TV revolution: report
MUMBAI: A major new strategic management report warns that broadband video services will eventually displace broadcast distribution, but telecommunications providers may not be the ultimate winners of the network television revolution.
IPTV — internet protocol television — the delivery of digital television and other audio and video services over broadband data networks using the same basic protocols that support the internet, will transform both television and the web.
Telecommunications companies around the world are rushing to roll out television services, while online providers are ramping up their video offering, but broadcasters appear to be largely oblivious to this significant threat and opportunity.
The report, IPTV: Broadband meets broadcast — The network television revolution, concludes:
— Within a decade, video services delivered over broadband networks will be firmly established as an alternative platform to digital satellite, terrestrial and cable transmission.
— The real competition will come not between operators of rival platforms, but between closed and open networks.
— Television will become more like the web, as scheduled broadcast channels are displaced by a choice of millions of download and on-demand programs.
— ‘Telco TV’ services will be challenged by an ‘Open Source TV’ distribution model, offering a much more diverse choice of free and pay programming over the open internet.
“New players will exploit the disruptive power of the internet and change the form and function of television forever,” says Dr William Cooper, co-author of the report. “Broadband television will ultimately adopt the attributes of the web, providing access to an almost limitless selection of programs.”
Co-author Graham Lovelace explains: “The ‘pull’ of broadband network television will replace the ‘push’ of traditional broadcast television. In this new and massively fragmented environment, control will flow from the supplier to the consumer, as viewers construct their personalized schedules from a vast array of international providers, and watch programs whenever and wherever they want.”
The 200-page report includes 25 case studies and provides a comprehensive assessment of the fast-emerging and intensely competitive landscape. It explains the ways in which services can be delivered over both closed networks and the open internet through multicast and unicast distribution using internet protocols. The report details the challenges ahead for those seeking to launch IPTV services, and explores likely successful business models.
IPTV: Broadband meets broadcast–The network television revolution is published by informitv, and is available online from http://iptv-report.com.
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.
