News Broadcasting
Channel7 news channel renamed IBN7
NEW DELHI: What had been earlier put off has finally happened. Channel7 has been rechristened IBN7 and has been sporting the new name from India’s Independence Day, 15 August.
This has been done to integrate the synergies between English language CNN IBN and the Hindi Channel7, in which the Television Eighteen Group bought controlling stake earlier this year.
The on-air look of IBN7, including the channel ID, programme stings, on-air graphics, will give the channel a contemporary look and feel. The logo of IBN 7 in red, black and white reflects the brand identity and corporate philosophy of Global Broadcast Network (GBN), which is in sync with CNN IBN, an official statement said.
Eight months ago, the Television Eighteen-controlled GBN had presented CNN IBN, which over the period has become a leading English news channel, driven by the spirit of Whatever it Takes.
Now this spirit extends to IBN 7, which would embark on the principle of delivering khabar, har keemat par or Whatever it Takes, the statement added.
Highlighting the philosophy behind this move CNN IBN and IBN7 chief editor Rajdeep Sardesai was quoted in the statement as saying, “We are delighted to launch IBN 7, our 24-hour Hindi news channel for the benefit of the Hindi news viewers. With the introduction of IBN 7, GBN attempts to expand its reach in India.”
He added: “We are confident that CNN-IBN and IBN 7 together will bring to the discerning viewers a holistic approach to news delivery.”
According to IBN 7 managing editor Ashutosh, the channel will present multi-genre news programming package for the Hindi news viewers and the focus will be on building a channel that broadcasts news as it happens, when it happens, wherever it happens.
It was 19 January 2006 that Indiantelevision.com first broke the news that GBN, owners of English news channel CNN IBN, were in talks with Jagran TV, parent company of Channel7, aimed at making the Hindi news channel a part of the GBN stable through a joint venture.
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.
