News Broadcasting
CNBC-TV18 to premiere ‘The Lounge’
MUMBAI: Of late, CNBC TV-18 has been exploring its softer side. The latest launch to join the business channels lifestyle segment is The Lounge.
An engaging new series, as the channel calls it, will discover a different facet of the most interesting and talked about personalities and cruise to the elite parties in the town. Hosted by actor Simone Singh, the show will premiere on 5 June 2004 at 10:30 pm.
The presenting sponsors of The Lounge are Liberty and associate sponsors are Bacardi Blast cassettes and CDs.
A weekly show, the lifestyle special will feature a Focus Interview. Singh will engage in an exclusive tete-e-tete with interesting, intelligent, multidimensional individuals from the corporate and celebrity world. The up, close and personal interviews will showcase the guest’s unknown facets as they speak about their real-world experiences and inspirations.
The show will highlight the fact that in spite of being in a corporate 9-to-5 job or profession, an individual can still do the things that he / she enjoys and is passionate about, thereby breaking the stereotypical image most of us have of people in the corporate / celebrity world, says the release.
The next segment on the show is christened Hip & Happening. It is touted as the perfect guide to the most “in” party places in town- Filmi parties/ birthday and anniversary bashes/ launch parties et al.
Speaking on the occasion, CNBC-TV18 spokesperson said, ” The Lounge is a show conceptualised to add to its repertoire of newer and distinct programmes catering to its discerning audiences. The other feature shows include Auto Show, Goodlife show, Storyboard, Trendmill and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, which provide for innovative and intelligent viewing.”
In its inaugural week, Singh will meet up with first time MP, Milind Deora and perky filmstar Perizaad Zorabian, as they discuss politics, films, heartaches, and heartbreaks, adds the release.
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.
