News Broadcasting
NBA denies violation of rules as ICC threatens to sue
NEW DELHI: Though relieved at being allowed World Cup coverage of the final contest between India and Sri Lanka, the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) reiterated that its members had scrupulously adhered to the NBA News Access Guidelines and the dispensation available to them under Indian laws which clearly must prevail over ICC’s unilateral actions.
Rejecting the ICC position that its Members had violated any Guidelines, NBA said its members had acted in consonance with the invariable practices followed in the past (including for ICC events), in the face of ICC’s attempt to deviate from standard accepted business practices prevalent in India.
Noting that the ICC had seen reason and understood the true nature of the India – Sri Lanka final match and restored accreditation to its Member Channels, NBA said this was “in large measure due to the constructive intervention of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, including the personal interest shown by Minister Ambika Soni, who has truly appreciated the sensitivities and rights of the Indian viewers”.
NBA said its members are responsible broadcasters and are conscious of the rights and obligations of the parties, including those of the ICC, broadcasters and the Indian public.
By restoring accreditation, ICC has also recognised that it must subject itself to the prevalent laws governing ‘fair use’ in the host country.
The members will continue to strive to bring to their large number of viewers a most enjoyable coverage of the event which has always been the principle driving force of the news broadcasters, NBA said.
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: 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.
