News Broadcasting
Nearly four million viewers go interactive for BBC’s Winter Olympics
MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC has anounced that the Winter Olympics is one of BBC Sport’s most watched interactive television applications.
BBC states that 3.99 million digital satellite viewers have accessed the service making it the fourth most used application from BBC Sport compared to Summer Olympics 2004 – 9.0 million, Wimbledon 2005 – 4.4 million and the football World Cup 2002 – 4.0 million.
The Olympics are doing well on BBC Two, with coverage contributing an average audience of 2.2 million, 14.2 per cent share to the channel. Peak audiences so far have been 4.9 million for ice skating on 20 February, 4.5 million for the men’s skeleton, 4.4 million for the figure skating pairs, 4.2 million for the men’s luge, and 4 million for the opening ceremony.
Shelley Rudman’s silver medal for the UK in the women’s skeleton peaked at 3.4 million on 16 February and was the most watched channel at the time for the five minutes of the last few runs.
So far, the audience profile for the Winters is skewing slightly towards females (53 per cent), although share of viewing is slightly higher amongst men. The broadband AV streaming at bbc.co.uk/winterolympics is proving popular with an average of 150,000 page views each weekday.
There were almost as many page views accessed of the AV highlights of Rudman winning skeleton silver the day after it happened as the day itself. The value of on-demand highlights for those that missed it live is further demonstrated by the women’s snowboard cross, with 33,000 page views on Saturday – three times the number from the previous day.
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.
