News Broadcasting
News18 network announces second edition of BYJU’S ‘Young Genius’
Mumbai: Building on the success of the first edition of BYJU’S “Young Genius – Umar Choti, Kaam Bade” which aired between January and March 2021, news network News18 has announced the launch of the second edition of the show with a new promo. The registrations for the second edition beginning January 2022 are open now.
Hosted by senior Network18 editor and anchor Anand Narasimhan, “Young Genius” comprises 11 episodes, honouring around 20 young geniuses in the age group of six to fifteen. The show features and recognises the inspiring journeys and achievements of child prodigies with exceptional talent in academics, arts, science, sports, music and other creative fields. The kids will be joined by some of India’s most celebrated personalities who will be seen sharing their experiences with them, said the broadcast network in a statement.
“The success of BYJU’S Young Genius demonstrates the acceptability of inspiring and entertaining stories and refreshing show formats on Indian television,” said News18 Network CEO – Hindi news, Karan Abhishek Singh. “The first edition received massive viewership, 98.4 per cent positive sentiment on social platforms and consistent demand for new episodes week-on-week from viewers across the country. The phenomenal response has led us to announce the second season of BYJU’S Young Genius which promises an even more enthralling line-up of stories of child prodigies.”
“The first season of Young Genius felicitated and featured extraordinary talent across the country and we are back again with the second season to feature India’s young geniuses. Our country is filled with exceptional talent, and a platform like this aims to recognise and celebrate such hidden gems,” added BYJU’s marketing head, Atit Mehta.
In order to cater to a diverse audience base, the show will be aired on 18 network channels including News18 India, CNN-News18, History TV18, History TV18 HD, News18 Rajasthan, News18 Bihar/Jharkhand, News18 Madhya Pradesh/Chhattisgarh, News18 Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand, News18 Bangla, News18 Lokmat, News18 Urdu, News18 Kannada, News18 Gujarati, News18 Odia, News18/Punjab/Haryana/Himachal, News18 Kerala, News18 Tamil Nadu and News18 Assam/Northeast.
Children intending to participate can register on https://www.news18.com/younggenius/ or download the BYJU’S app and register under the BYJU’S Young Genius section.
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.
