News Broadcasting
Gaza conflict – Asianet News reporting directly from ground zero
Mumbai: India’s leading media-tech platform, Asianet News Media, has sent a dedicated news team to report live from Israel amid the ongoing Gaza conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Known for its commitment to Straight, Bold and Relentless reporting, Asianet News Media has deputed Asianet Suvarna News editor of news & programs Ajit Hanamakkanavar to Israel to cover breaking stories live from the war-zone.
This strategic decision demonstrates Asianet News Media’s unwavering commitment to providing its viewers with unparalleled access to the latest developments and firsthand accounts from one of the most complex and volatile regions in the world. The conflict has garnered global attention due to its geo-political significance and human impact.
Commenting on this initiative, Asianet News Network CEO Neeraj Kohli said, “It needed a lot of courage and commitment to send a team to the highly volatile war-zone. But our commitment to our audiences meant we didn’t think twice before taking the decision. Our viewers deserve first-hand, credible information they can trust. And nothing better than our own team to capture the stories, emotions, and events, as they unfold.”
With a legacy spanning over 25 years, Asianet News Media has consistently demonstrated fearlessness in covering sensitive and vital global events from ground zero, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and others.
As a media tech platform, Asianet News Media is at the forefront of technological advancements in the industry offering content in 7+ languages and ensuring that its diverse audiences across India and Middle-East receives news through innovative and accessible means across its platforms.
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.
