News Broadcasting
Jay Kushner is Viacom VP, general tax counsel
MUMBAI: Media conglomerate Viaocm has announced that Jay Kushner has been appointed VP and general tax counsel. The announcement was made by Viacom executive VP and CFO Michael J. Dolan. Kushner, who reports to Dolan, will be responsible for the worldwide tax affairs of Viacom and its subsidiaries.
Before joining Viacom Kushner was the Young & Rubicam executive VP and CFOBefore that, he served as Senior Vice President of Treasury and Tax at Y&R. In this position Kushner assisted Dolan and his executive team in the initial public offering and ultimate sale of the company. Prior to his time there, Mr. Kushner led the International Tax operations at PepsiCo and was an executive with Cooper & Lybrand.
Doland said, Having worked with Jay at both PepsiCo and Young & Rubicam, I know the impact of his extensive expertise in domestic and international tax matters will be felt immediately at Viacom. And, as we navigate the intricacies of creating two new businesses at Viacom, his leadership and past experience will be invaluable. Hes the perfect addition to our already best-in-class Tax team and a critical asset to Viacom as we move into our next phase.
Kushner said, I couldnt be more thrilled to join this exciting company at such an extraordinary time. I look forward to applying all the skills Ive developed over the last 24 years, and to helping Mike and his dedicated team through this history-making transition.
Kushners appointment follows the unexpected death of Jack Carpenter in March 2005. Carpenter had held the position of VP and General Tax Counsel since May 2000.
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.
