News Broadcasting
CBS to air miniseries on the late Pope John Paul II
MUMBAI: US media conglomerate Viacom’s broadcast network CBS will present a distinct mixture of star-studded and high concept movies and miniseries in the 2005-2006 season, as well as three new presentations from Hallmark Hall of Fame.
One mini series in the pipeline is Pope John Paul II. It looks at the Pontiff’s 26 year reign and his papal odyssey that covered more than 120 countries and earned him the reputation of an international fighter for freedom. The script was supervised by historians at the Vatican, and exclusive footage has been filmed for the mini-series on St. Peter’s Square and surrounding areas
It will begin with Karol Wojtyla’s journey from his youth in Poland through his late days on the chair of St. Peter. It will also explore the 264th Pope’s fascinating life behind the scenes: how he managed to touch the hearts of millions of people and change the face of the church and the world; how he defended the dignity of mankind against all kinds of Totalitarianism from Nazism to Communism to consumerism; and who successfully related to people of all ages.
One film that will air is Time Bomb (working title and not be confused with Zee’s show). This is a thriller about a threat received by Homeland Security during a big football game, claiming the stadium in Washington, D.C. is rigged to explode during the fourth quarter.
Another film that will air is Mayday and is based on the bestseller by Nelson DeMille. This is a thriller in which chaos and death engulf an airliner traveling from the US to Tokyo when it is accidentally hit by a US Navy test missile. Because of the sudden change in cabin pressure from a gaping hole in the fuselage, many passengers are lost and a weekend pilot is forced to take control of the plane and try to navigate it to safety.
The three Hallmark Hall of Fame presentations include The Water Is Wide. Alfre Woodard and Frank Langella star in a drama about an idealistic young teacher of poor black children who lives on a small isolated island off the coast of South Carolina in 1969
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.
