News Broadcasting
MAX debunks DD-Nimbus’ claims on cricket ratings
MUMBAI: MAX executive vice president and business head Rajat Jain has lashed out at the viewership claims made earlier this week by DD-Nimbus for the Champions Trophy tournament. Jain questioned the claims of the DD-Nimbus combine, stating that apples and oranges were being compared.
He made references to the earlier releases that MAX had sent out to the media on the conclusion of the Championship Trophy to prove his point, saying that more analysis was being done by his team to give the real picture.
The earlier MAX release in October had stated that the average rating of India matches on DD was 1.4, compared to MAX’s 8.6.
The average rating of the lone non-India match on DD was 1, compared to MAX’s 4.4 for the semi final involving Sri Lanka and Australia, it had claimed.
Jain also claimed that the extremely successful performance of MAX during the Champion’s Trophy had vindicated the ratings that had propelled MAX to the top of the channel viewership heap in the week ended 28 September 2002.
He added that the statistics pertaining to the finals of the Champions Trophy had broken several myths.
The release had then said that MAX had made inroads in all TV homes, where Doordarshan usually has the numbers. The match shown on DD garnered a TRP of 9.52 on 29 September while the next day’s play got the pubcaster a TRP of 8.75. MAX, on the other hand, managed a TRP of 8.42 in all TV homes for play on 29 September and a TRP of 7.56 for play the following day.
TAM analysis made at that time also showed that MAX had matched the pubcaster’s TVRs of 6.5 in SEC ABC 4+ (all India) related to the simulcast of the five matches.
The release had also added that the exciting India-England tie on 22 September helped MAX rank number one in the ratings stake with a TRP of 11.83, while Kyunkii…, the reigning number one, stayed stable at number two with a TRP of 10.2. Kahaani…, the next favourite, followed a close third with a TRP of 10.19.
MAX, in fact, had bagged four of the top ten spots in the all-India C&S 4+ category surveyed by TAM, a feat unachieved by the channel till then. The India-England match also figured at number five, while the India-South Africa match bagged the eighth and tenth spot, the release had added then.
Interestingly, the channel’s programming around cricket, Extraaa Innings, was at the 17th and 18th spot, proving that while a section of the media had trashed Ruby Bhatia and the “masala” that the channel had drawn up, the viewers were quite willing to lap it all up.
Master Blaster, Bajaj Boxer, Total Knockout and Super Fours, were the other cricket-based shows that registered their presence in the Top 100.
In all, the channel had managed to corner 13 of the top 100 spots for shows in cable and satellite households in the country. MAX also managed entry into all TV households in the country, with the India-England match debuting at number 18. Seven of MAX’s shows featured in the Top 100 of the all-TV households category.
The channel had also mentioned that MAX’s cumulative reach had ballooned to 90 million C&S household individuals during the tournament then.
MAX officials affirm that if the Champions Trophy is seen as a trial run for the World Cup in March 2003 and if the Indian team performs as well as it did then, the channel is likely do well once again.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
