News Broadcasting
JumpTV commercially launches Punjab Today and Balle Balle
MUMBAI: Online television network JumpTV has commercially launched Punjab Today, India’s first, regional 24-hour news channel, and the music channel Balle Balle.
For a monthly subscription of $9.95 each, all news and entertainment reports from India can now be accessed to both stations on the internet- enabled device of their choice. JumpTV subscribers worldwide can now watch around-the-clock news coverage on Punjab Today. Some of the station’s top-rated programs include: Khabran Bollywood Diyan, a weekly show discussing the major happenings in Bollywood; the political program Siyasi Halcha and Sohna Punjab, focusing on Punjab’s heritage and culture.
Additionally, with the commercial launch of Balle Balle, the latest Punjabi and Hindi music videos are now available to JumpTV’s subscribers. The channel features interviews with Bollywood personalities, sneak previews and an excellent mix of entertainment shows including, Inbox, Hafta Vasool, Non Stop Hits and Hip Hop.
“By partnering with JumpTV, Balle Balle and Punjab Today are now able to reach a global audience, allowing people living outside of India the opportunity to stay on top of the country’s latest news and music. The decision to work with JumpTV was a simple one, based on their proven track record of being a valued Internet-broadcast partner for hundreds of television stations like ours. We are confident that this partnership will help our channels bridge the gap between the millions of fans living away from home, craving Punjabi news and Indian music television programming,” said STV Enterprises Ltd president and CEO Upinder Nayar.
“Partnering with both Punjab Today and Balle Balle made perfect sense. Each station exemplifies the quality regional and national programming JumpTV is committed to broadcasting. Now, Punjabis outside of India can enjoy news and music from home on a real-time basis, providing a direct connection to their culture and language,” said JumpTV International president and CEO Kaleil Isaza Tuzman.
Jump TV’s global internet-television network streams live, high-quality international television signals via its website from stations in more than 65 countries. Subscribers can access channels through any internet-enabled device including home computers, laptops, internet-enabled televisions, mobile phones and video game consoles.
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.
