News Broadcasting
Carl D. Folta is Viacom executive VP, corporate communications
MUMBAI: US media conglomerate Viacom has appointed Carl D. Folta as executive VP, corporate communications.
Folta, who will serve as Viacom’s chief communications strategist and spokesperson, will report to Viacom senior executive VP and chief administrative officer Thomas E. Dooley. Folta, most recently served as executive vice president, office of the chairman.
In his new role, he will be responsible for Viacom’s overall communications activities, both internally and externally, as well as the coordination of communications at the Company’s operations, including MTV Networks, Bet Networks, the Paramount Motion Picture Group and Famous Music. Folta will have oversight for all financial communications, and will direct the Company’s media relations activities for industry issues and public affairs, including regulatory, legislative and legal matters.
Additionally, he will be responsible for managing corporate events and overseeing the Company’s philanthropy activities and public affairs programs, including Know HIV/Aids, the Peabody and Emmy Award-winning cross- platform public education partnership with CBS and Kaiser Family Foundation, which he initiated in 2003.
Viacom president and CEO Philippe Dauman said, “Carl is a consummate communications professional who understands the strategic and financial complexities of our businesses and the industry. I know he will make a big contribution to Viacom in the future as we continue to expand and embrace the opportunities of the digital age. I am also pleased that I will have the opportunity to continue to work with Carole and that Viacom will continue to benefit from her knowledge, experience and talent as she moves to her new role at MTV Networks.”
Dooley said, “Carl is a highly effective leader and a seasoned communications councelor with more than 25 years of experience in every aspect of the public relations field, including financial and investor communications. I couldn’t be more pleased to be teaming up with him again.”
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.
