News Broadcasting
CNBC Asia Pacific and MBN’s joint channel launching in South Korea today
Maeil Business TV News (MBN) and CNBC Asia Pacific are today launching a new joint television news service, ‘MBN-CNBC’, which will beam into more than 4.5 million households broadcasting predominantly Korean-language programming.
MBN-CNBC will blend MBN’s Korean-focussed news and business programming with CNBC’s international business and financial programming. MBN-CNBC will also incorporate a live customised ticker from the Korean Stock Exchange. CNBC’s English-language cable channel will continue to be distributed to 2.2 million households in Korea, with MBN’s assistance, an official release states. Maeil Business News Group claims to be South Korea’s leading media conglomerate.
President and publisher of Maeil Business News Group Dr Dae-whan Chang said: “The launch of MBN-CNBC represents an important milestone for MBN. At a time when the global economy continues to face vigorous market changes, our audience is looking for the most up-to-date and continuous coverage of the Korean and international markets with in-depth analysis and expert commentary. The joining together of three major business news services in the region – MBN, CNBC and Dow Jones – means that we will be able to offer the most reliable and influential 24-hour news channel in South Korea.
Acting CEO of CNBC Asia Pacific Shawn Galey said: “MBN-CNBC represents an important step in realising CNBC’s goal of further increasing its reach and relevance through strategic relationships with leading regional business media companies.
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.
