News Broadcasting
News Broadcasters Association expresses concern over NDTV raids
MUMBAI: The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has expressed its concern over the recent raids conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the residences of the promoters and office of NDTV, which is a long-standing member of the NBA.
While the NBA maintained that no individual or institution is above the law, it condemns any attempt to muzzle the media and causing any interference in the free functioning of news operations. Such a move also undermines the basic tenets of free speech enshrined in the Constitution of India, an NBA statement issued NBA secretary-general Annie Joseph added.
NBA hoped that CBI will not venture into concerted harassment of NDTV/its promoters, and must ensure fair and just investigation by adhering to equity, justice and good conscience.
The Editors Guild of India had earlier expressed deep concern over the raids conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the offices of NDTV and its promoters on Monday. Entry of police and other agencies into the media offices is a serious matter, it added.
NDTV had denied any wrongdoing and termed the raids as “stepping up the concerted harassment” of the news channel and an attempt to “undermine democracy and free speech” and “silence the media,” the release stated. While the Editors Guild maintains that no individual or institution is above the law, the Guild condemns any attempt to muzzle the media and calls upon the CBI to follow the due process of law and ensure there is no interference in the free functioning of news operations, the Guild release signed by office-bearers Raj Chengappa, Prakash Dube and Kalyani Shankar stated.
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.
