News Broadcasting
Discovery Communication ties up CTV to launch Discovery HD theatre
MUMBAI: CTV Specialty Television Inc, along with US-based Discovery Communications, has filed an application with the CRTC for a new High Definition television specialty service called Discovery HD Theatre.
Pending CRTC approval, Discovery HD Theatre will launch before the end of 2005.
The applicants will collaborate with the country’s DTH and cable service providers to include a free-view period for Canadian high-definition audiences to sample the service.
Discovery HD Theatre will be categorised as category 2 digital specialty channel and is poised to become Canada’s first 24-hour High-Definition Specialty service.
The partners say the programming line-up will present a dynamic mix of Discovery channel’s most popular programmes, original Canadian productions, live programming events and content from HD producers and broadcasters from around the world that has never been available to Canadian audiences. The programming will be presented in a 16:9 aspect ratio at 1080i.
“Today’s announcement represents a uniquely Canadian solution to feeding an ever-growing consumer appetite for HD content in Canada,” said CTV Inc president Rick Brace.
The company said, Discovery HD plays to the strengths of the high definition format – from scaling the heights of Mount Everest to the majestic beauty of an undersea world, the detail captured in high definition production reveals the science of our world in an engaging new way.
The popularity for the Discovery Channel means Discovery HD Theatre Discovery should be well received by Canadian HDTV viewers.
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.
