News Broadcasting
India TV in midst of major editorial overhaul
MUMBAI: After slightly over nine months of existence, the Rajat Sharma-promoted India TV has effected a major restructuring plan in the editorial domain. The spin-offs from this exercise will be visible across various content genres.
Executive editor Hemant Sharma will now move to the output function. As a top-level editorial resource, he will give strength and editorial might to the morning band, as also give a charge to big-time investigative and political stories and stings carried out by India TV in public interest. Under Sharma, some programming innovations are expected.
Executive editor Sudhir Chaudhry will move to the input function. He will deliver and modernize the assignment function and introduce innovation in news procurement. The proactive nature of his job profile is expected to give teeth to the inflow of stories and optimize the use of India TV’s unparalleled network of reporters across the country. Sudhir will also head news events and forward planning.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com India TV chairman Rajat Sharma points out, ” It is an exercise to revamp the news functioning and make it more vibrant. Like every channel, we are also looking at infusing efficiency in the team.”
Editor (Business) Rohit Bansal will work on primetime evening band shows: Evening News, Aaj Ki Baat, Showtime, Al Jazeera, India Live and Speed News. Head of News Ramesh Parida will oversee all news operations, take up the challenge of driving new audiences into news viewing and consolidate India TV’s equity among influential publics.
Rakesh Tripathi will be chief of the New Delhi bureau, while Sachin Sahay will look after all copy and story production teams. KK Dutta will head the merged assignment and transport operations as well as trouble shooting, while Anuranjan Jha will juggle between morning and evening bands as also special events.
India TV’s popular Showtime programme will have a new avatar and new programmes like Agla Daur and Chat Masala will be unveiled shortly.
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.
