News Broadcasting
Discovery Networks International appoints vice-president of new media
NEW DELHI: Discovery Networks International (DNI), a programming and distribution division of Discovery Communications, Inc. (DCI), today announced the appointment of Tanya Field to the newly created post of vice-president, new media, DNI.
Based in London, Field is responsible for the co-ordination of the company’s international interactive businesses, including websites, e-commerce, mobile, interactive TV and broadband. Field has served as director of new media for Discovery’s European operations since 2000. Rick Rodriguez, executive vice-president of content for Discovery Networks International, to whom Field will report, made the announcement.
“Discovery’s family of nonfiction brands represent a continually evolving universe of experiences that help connect people to the world around them, in multiple ways,” an official release quoted Rodriguez as saying. “Tanya’s wealth of experience with new media development will play an integral role in ensuring that our services are on the leading edge of innovation wherever our brands touch consumers lives.”
Field’s new media team based in Singapore, London and Miami are responsible for creative direction and implementation of new applications and services that support Discovery’s brands in the local market and around the world. Activities support key programming and the core genres of Discovery’s varied brands.
In her role as director of new media for Discovery Networks, Europe, Field was responsible for launching Discovery’s first international interactive application with Discovery Today in the UK. She also established Discovery’s current European websites and has subsequently overseen the launch of new websites in Asia and India. Prior to joining Discovery, Field was GM of BskyB Gaming, a full service interactive media division.
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.
