News Broadcasting
CNBC-TV18 launches budget bonanza contest
MUMBAI: As part of its budget programming, CNBC-TV18 will air a Budget Bonanza Contest on the channel on 27 February.
CNBC-TV18 viewers can win Rs 1,50, 000 every hour by watching the budget live on 8 February 28 on CNBC-TV18 and answering simple questions pertaining to the budget that will be announced, informs an official release.
Viewers can participate in the contest by sending their answer by SMS to 2622. Every hour, one winner will be announced and each winner will be entitled to Rs 1,50, 000.
The winners will be decided on the basis of maximum questions answered correctly in the hour. In case of a tie, a draw of lots will be done, the release adds.
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.
