News Broadcasting
CNN in mobile initiative in Hong Kong
MUMBAI: CNN International has been made available for the first time as a live stream 24 hours a day to Hong Kong mobile phone users. Tapping strategic partner PCCW’s new service “now on mobile”, subscribers can access CNN’s breaking news as it happens directly on their phones or other handheld devices.
Turner International Asia Pacific VP wireless development Ringo Chan says, “This exciting extension of our partnership with PCCW represents the latest Turner initiative to roll out innovative wireless services in Asia Pacific. We continue to pioneer interactive products across the region and this launch further cements Turner Broadcasting’s corporate alliance with PCCW, one that now encompasses mobile and IPTV services”.
In addition to the live CNN stream, four hours of Cartoon Network’s original programming block will be looped to provide service 24 hours a day via “now on mobile” to PCCW mobile subscribers. CNN International’s live stream made an inaugural launch in Asia in July through a deal with Korea’s largest telecommunication company SK Telecom, while other Asian markets are to be targeted in the coming months.
CNN Mobile is CNN International’s service for mobile devices. Launched in 1999, it was the first mobile telephone news and information service available globally with targeted regional content. The service delivers CNN news content to mobile phones in a wide of formats.
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: 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.
