News Broadcasting
DD seeks legal recourse against ‘illegal telecaast’
NEW DELHI: India’s pubcaster Prasar Bharati has threatened to take legal action against unauthorised use of its sports-related software by private satellite channels. Most satellite channels however today defended themselves, saying they were acting well within their rights of telecast.
Delivering the keynote address at a round-table here on ‘Intellectual Property Rights for Broadcasters and Performers’ Prasar Bharati CEO K S Sarma had earlier said the case would be filed in the courts within next two-three days. He stressed the need for a change in mindset about copyright in India, where it enjoys a scant regard.
Prasar Bharati’s latest move assumes significance in the light of several private TV channels making unauthorised use of the India- Australia-New Zealand tri-series cricket footage, for which Doordarshan has exclusive terrestrial and satellite rights.
Sarma’s contended that it has been observed that several news and current affairs channels are using the DD footage, exceeding the normal 45 seconds to one-minute limit, in their programmes, and earning money through sponsorship.
Doordarshan has rights to all Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) organised cricket matches in India upto September 2003. Prasar Bharati has already released caution notice advertisements in leading newspapers across India, against pirating of its cricket software.
When indiantelevision.com team contacted some private satellite channels, the response was cautiously defensive.
According to a spokesperson for ESPN, “We have the rights for (airing) the highlights of the tri-series. We understand the value of acquisition of software and don’t breach any copyright laws on the sports channels.”
Sahara Samay and Aaj Tak, however, were not available for comments. “We don’t have the rights for airing the highlights, but we show the clippings during our bulletins, taking care to keep well within the 45 seconds time limit,” says Star News brand manager Keertan Adyanthaya.
A spokesperson for Zee News on the other hand said that “every footage of the triseries we use is paid for.”
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.
