News Broadcasting
Certain films for festivals to be exempt from certification
New Delhi; Phalguna 22, 1927
March 13, 2006
The Government has taken a policy decision to support film festivals by according exemption from certification to certain categories of films. However, this is subject to a formal application to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and fulfillment of some pre-requisites.
A broad-based Committee comprising academicians, officials and members of the film industry was constituted to look into the matter regarding exemption from the process of certification of films entered into the various film festivals. The Committee’s report was accepted by the Government and it was decided that all films entered into various film festivals, including foreign and Indian films, would be considered for exemption from the process of certification under Section 9 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 provided they are confined to delegates and the festival is non-commercial in nature. This Ministry’s Officer memorandum dated 17th January, 2006 is available on the Ministry’s website www.mib.nic.in.
The foreign films being entered into the various film festivals in this country would not have to wait for being certified before entry into the festivals.
This Information was given by Minister of Information & Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri P. R. Dasmunsi in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
RS/NSK/AS
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.
