News Broadcasting
IBC makes a ‘famous’ deal with A&E Networks in US & UK
CANNES: US independent distribution company International Broadcast Communications (IBC) has sold its “Famous” series to A&E Network’s Biography channel in the US and the UK. The announcement was made today at the Mip-TV 2004 market by IBC founder and president Jon Helmrich.
Helmrich also announced a firm production commitment for a second season of “Famous,” which features in-depth celebrity profiles that explores the careers of superstars in their own words and in the words of their collaborators. Popular Arts Entertainment will produce a second season of 26 half-hour episodes to feature such superstars as Halle Berry, Kurt Russell, Morgan Freeman, Tim Robbins and Meg Ryan.
In the deal concluded at Mip-TV, A&E Network’s Biography Channel in the US and the UK have picked up both seasons of “Famous” or a total of 52 half-hour episodes. “Famous” is about the careers of numerous celebrities including Julia Roberts, Mel Gibson and Sandra Bullock and the choices made that influenced them.
“Famous” is produced by Popular Arts Entertainment, which continues to operate the only independent entertainment news and feature business in the television industry. It is also a part of the Entertainment News output, which was created 14 years ago as a division of Popular Arts.
Addressing business at this year’s Mip-TV, Helmrich says, “Channels are starting to buy programming again. It’s like everyone took off the last year, but now they are back and ready to fill their schedules with fresh programming. This has been a very good market for us.”
International Broadcast Communications, Inc. (IBC) was formed in January 2002 by former E! Entertainment executive Jon Helmrich as a company dedicated to global programming distribution and channel development. Representing the programming of Entertainment News Service (ENS), The Tennis Channel, CHUM Television International, KCW Productions, and others, IBC offers international broadcast, cable and satellite services the latest in Hollywood news, features, profiles, interviews and celebrity gossip.
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.
