News Broadcasting
News Corp revenue up 20 per cent for the year
MUMBAI: The Rupert Murdoch-owned media conglomerate News Corporation has reported full year revenues of $21 billion.
This marks an increase of 20 per cent over the $17.5 billion reported a year ago.
Revenues for the fourth quarter- – – ended 30 June 2004- – – also increased by 20 per cent to $5.5 billion. Television segment operating income went up by 12 per cent to $957 million for the year.
Star’s fourth quarter operating income increased by 52 per cent. It was bolstered by an 18 per cent revenue growth versus the same quarter a year ago. Full year operating income grew substantially on advertising growth of 21 per cent.
Revenue gains for both the quarter and the year were driven primarily in India, where Star Plus comfortably maintained its leadership position as the top cable entertainment channel. Additionally, the full year benefited from higher subscription revenues at Star Plus and continued expansion in China from increased penetration of the Xing Kong channel, which has become the number one national/ regional channel in the Guangdong cable market.
In the US, the Fox News Channel (FNC) reported operating income growth of over 40 per cent for both the fourth quarter and full year as higher advertising pricing drove strong double-digit revenue gains over a year ago.
FNC has maintained its leadership position as the number one cable news channel for over two and a half years and during the fourth quarter and full year exceeded the viewership of its nearest competitor by more than
50 per cent in primetime and more than 60 per cent on a 24-hour basis.
In the motion pictures section, the operating income went up by 38 per cent on the continued strength of home entertainment sales of film and television titles and string of theatrical hits. For the full year, film results were primarily driven by the worldwide home entertainment and pay-TV performances of X-2: X-Men United, 28 Days Later, Daredevil, Drumline, Just Married, Phone Booth and various catalogue titles combined with several successful theatrical releases during the year, including The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Cheaper By the Dozen.
News Corp chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch added, “2004 was another outstanding year for News Corporation, punctuated by fourth quarter operating income growth of 31 per cent. We delivered our third consecutive year of record operating profits on double digit revenue and operating income gains.
“Our success was once again achieved across our uniquely balanced collection of assets with record profits generated at nearly every established business segment from our film to our television to our print assets.
“It was a year in which we enjoyed the success achieved through expanded distribution of our content, such as our films and television product in home entertainment and our growing ratings and subscribers at our array of cable channels.
“And it was a year in which we translated market leadership positions into increased advertising revenues, beginning with our broadcast and cable upfront and including record market share and profits at our station group and sustained strength at our various print assets.
“It was also a year in which we further expanded our distinctive global distribution reach with the rapid development of our direct-to-home television investments. Sky Italia quickly ramped up its subscriber base, as well as its average revenue per subscriber, connecting with nearly 2.7 million subscribers by fiscal year-end.”
“DirecTV mirrored this success, adding over 915,000 subscribers since our acquisition at the end of the calendar year. The brisk subscriber growth at these dynamic platforms is a testament to their tremendous long-term growth potential.”
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.
