News Broadcasting
Network18’s special initiative Corona Control Room on News18 India
MUMBAI: Network18 has introduced corona control room, which will provide viewers an opportunity to address any queries that they may have on coronavirus.
Under a special programming on the COVID-19, the channel has come up with the corona control room initiative, which enables people to call up and ask questions.
Misinformation through social media is posing significant challenge in the current global crisis.
As one of the leading Hindi news channels, News18 India has enabled access to this helpline to offer viewers reliable information from renowned healthcare experts.
Throughout the day, viewers can call on the helpline and register their queries on COVID-19, which are later answered by medical professionals on the channel.
In these unprecedented times, News18 India, part of Network18, informed that it is committed to using all its resources to help keep the nation informed and safe.
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.
