News Broadcasting
Max manages decent ratings from U-19 cricket cup
MUMBAI: What had looked like a dead duck property —Sony Television’s broadcast rights for the recently concluded Under 19 World Cup in Dhaka, Bangladesh — has thrown up surprisingly good ratings for movies and events channel Max.
Expectedly, it was the semi-finals where India and Pakistan squared off that got people watching. The game, which aired on Sunday, 29 February, garnered TVRs of 2.13 (C&S TV Households, all-India All 4+) for the crucial second innings of the day-night match. The first innings also delivered a respectable 1.62 TVR.
Interestingly, even Sony did not expect the ratings to be so good. The Under-19 World Cup was seen to be a package still picking up and did not really have much of a viewership. The live feed on Set Max is believed to have been the critical success factor of this event. Also, a decent amount of promotional activities was lined up considering the fact, that the return the match was going to yield was ambiguous.
Max has been trying to build itself as a cricket platform apart from movies, and has bagged the Under 19 World Cup 2002 – 2007 package. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Max executive vice president Rajat Jain says, “The live factor makes all the difference, and we are the first channel to do so. Another factor lending itself is the current cricket fever with India’s tour of Pakistan which roped in more viewers. Lastly, the promotion campaign, which showcased the future faces of cricketers of India also lent to the ratings.”
Max used the Under 19 series to lure more viewers for their channel. This strategy definitely seems to have worked. The previous edition of the U-19 World Cup, which also aired on Max, got a negligible response – just an average of 0.5 TVRs.
The immediate returns that the channel got during the tournament was that the overall reach of Max went up to 61 GRPs from 53 GRPs before it. The gains made during the event has also been retained somewhat with the GRPs currently at 56. What this means is that some percentage of the new audience has been retained, according to the channel.
Across the country it was the metros and the A grade towns and the 1 million+ markets that got the series the most eyeballs. The South was a significant contributor after Kolkata, viewers ranging below the age group of 24 yrs for the day matches and below 34 years for the day and night matches.
The presenting sponsors for the series were Hero Honda and Samsung and the associate sponsors being Videocon and Siyaram.
The next big bet on Max’s platter is its big event for 2004, the ICC Champions Trophy 2004 in September in England.
Building on the U-19 ratings success, says Jain, “Now that people have understood that it delivers, developing the game and the ratings will not be such a task next time round.”
News Broadcasting
WITT Summit 2026 concludes in New Delhi
Babar Azam’s comical diving attempt goes viral as league introduces anti-dew measures.
MUMBAI: The WITT Summit just wrapped up with enough big ideas to fill a policy playbook because when India’s leaders, thinkers and icons gather under one roof, even the conversations hit sixes. The eighth edition of TV9 Network’s flagship What India Thinks Today (WITT) Summit 2026 concluded on Saturday after two days of dynamic discussions at its New Delhi venue. India’s largest multi-domain public policy and culture summit brought together political leaders, policymakers, sports icons, artists and technology innovators to examine the forces shaping contemporary India and its global standing.
Prime minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address on the theme “India and the World” for the third consecutive year. In a wide-ranging speech, he addressed the ongoing conflict in West Asia, calling for restraint and compassion while highlighting India’s continued development trajectory despite global turmoil.
The summit featured candid conversations with state leaders. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy articulated a people-first governance model and contrasted it with other development approaches. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav declared that Left-wing extremism had been effectively eliminated in his state and highlighted preparations for the upcoming Kumbh Mela. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann defended his government’s record, citing the closure of 19 toll plazas and creation of the Sadak Suraksha Force. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar expressed confidence in Congress prospects in Assam and addressed recent allegations against him.
On geopolitics and national security, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia outlined India’s ambition to become a builder of trusted digital infrastructure for the world, citing the rapid 5G rollout and village-level 4G connectivity.
Cricket received significant attention. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly praised player freedom and trust as hallmarks of great leadership and named MS Dhoni as the greatest captain due to his World Cup successes. India women’s team bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi credited the BCCI and Women’s Premier League for building a pipeline of world-class talent behind the team’s recent ODI World Cup triumph.
The summit also hosted the inaugural AI² Awards 2026, celebrating the convergence of human creativity and machine intelligence in storytelling and content creation. Poet and kathavachak Kumar Vishwas delivered a nuanced take on India’s concept of Dharma and criticised the recent arrest of an 80-year-old Shankaracharya. Veteran lyricist Sameer Anjaan and storyteller Neelesh Misra reflected on changing music trends and artistic responsibility in the wake of a recent controversy involving Nora Fatehi.
In a country where conversations often run as deep as the Ganges, the WITT Summit proved once again that when leaders, thinkers and storytellers come together, the real winner is public discourse lively, layered and refreshingly unafraid to tackle the big questions shaping India’s tomorrow.
