News Broadcasting
Govt blocks several social media handles circulating fake/inciting content
Mumbai: The government has blocked several social media handles for allegedly circulating “fake and inciting” content, said minister of state for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
“Taskforce on safe and trusted internet at @GoI_MeitY at work. Handles that tried to push fake/inciting content on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, have been blocked,” tweeted Chandrasekhar on Saturday.
The minister said owners of such accounts are also being identified as per law, and the action taken by the platforms will also be scrutinised. According to media reports, the government has suspended as many as 73 Twitter handles, and four YouTube video posts.
Last year in February, the government had notified Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT rules 2021) which came into effect on 26 May. The stringent rules were designed to make social media platforms accountable to end-users, and take down any offensive content following a complaint, and assist in investigations.
The rules also recommend a three-tier mechanism for the regulation of all online media portals and publishers, over-the-top (OTT) platforms, and social media intermediaries. According to them, each significant social media company with over 50 lakh users is required to appoint a chief compliance officer, a nodal contact person for 24×7 coordination with law enforcement agencies, and a resident grievance officer. All three should be resident Indians and their details be put on the company’s website.
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.
