News Broadcasting
India blamed for lack of good scripts with universal appeal
MUMBAI: Indian film industry has failed to utilise strategic opportunities with the film industries of other Asian countries. There is lack of scripts which would appeal to a larger audience, unnecessary sosha is made about the look and grandeur behind a film- without any thought process going that there is a market of Indian films in other Asian countries.
These words by Asian Movie works MD Scott Rosenberg at the Ficci Frames 2004 seminar on “Strategic Opportunities between the film industries of India and Asia” set the tone for further discussion which kept hinging on the fact that the fault lay within India itself.
The session had eminent personalities like Quixotic president Mark Byers, Technicolor MD Les Mckenzie, C P Packaging assistant VP Pongsak Kantiratanawong and Take Aim Productions cinematographer Frank Biffone.
The following were some of the views expressed by the panelists who advocated the need for better ties in the entertainment industry between India and other Asian countries:
– Nobody in other Asian countries seem to know how film business is conducted in India.
– The growing menace of piracy should be wiped out.
– Co-production between India and other Asian countries should be encouraged and Indian filmmakers should not impose the subjects on their partners; there should be a constant dialogue between the two parties on what and why they are making.
– Quality of films need to be aimed at the festival circuit; this would inspire other nations to come forward for tie-ups.
– Government should give concession to all the co-productions that materialise in this regard.
– There is no need to fear that the films be in English; films can always be dubbed, Indian stars have lots of international value.
– Merchandising of films should be looked into.
– Need for schools to teach script and screenplay writing in India; however there is no dearth of stories per se. As many the people in India, that many the stories.
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.
