News Broadcasting
Intelsat to withdraw planned IPO of shares
BERMUDA: Intelsat has announced that it has withdrawn its plan to launch an initial public offering. The communication company also declared its intention to explore strategic alternatives.
The company reportedly came up with the decision after they signed on an amendment to the Orbit Act on 18 May 2004. The act changes the date by which Intelsats IPO must be conducted from 30 June 2004 to as late as 31 December 2005.
Earlier yesterday, Intelsat filed a Form RW with the securities and exchange commission to withdraw its registration statement, says a company release.
According to Intelsat CEO Conny Kullman, “The current mix of market and regulatory developments makes it clear that withdrawal of the IPO is in the best interest of our company. In light of the extension of the Orbit Act deadline, and the interest we received regarding a possible investment in or acquisition of our company in connection with our previous process, we now intend to resume the exploration of this possibility. In the meantime, we will continue to engage with the Federal Communications Commission with regard to the regulatory treatment of certain direct-to-home services in North America.”
Intelsat has announced that it has engaged Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch to explore the potential of another partys investment in or acquisition of the company, although there can be no assurance that any transaction would be pursued or consummated, adds the release.
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.
