News Broadcasting
Crest promoter Dr Raja Ramanna passes away
MUMBAI: Eminent nuclear scientist and former Crest Communications chairman Dr Raja Ramanna passed away early this morning (3:15 am) following a cardiac arrest in a city hospital. He was 79.
Dr Ramanna was admitted to hospital on Monday after he complained of giddiness and sweating.
Also known as the father of India’s nuclear bomb programme Dr Ramanna was held in high regard by the country’s scientific and academic community. Dignitaries from across the globe, including India’s Prime Minister and President have condoled his death.
Dr Ramanna, who was also the chairman of Indian animation major Crest Communication (now renamed as Crest Animation Studios) is survived by by his wife, two daughters and his son Shyam Ramanna.
Coincidentally, it was only on Monday that Dr Ramanna handed over the chairmanship of the company to Shyam during the Crest AGM. It was also at this AGM that the change in name of the company became effective. It was on 30 July the Crest’s board had recommended that the company’s name be changed so as to properly reflect the fact that today it is focussed purely on the animation business.
Dr Ramanna’s last rites are expected to be performed sometime after 2 pm when Shyam, who is based out of Bangkok, arrives.
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.
