News Broadcasting
Nicktoons Network to offer animated TV content on iTunes
MUMBAI: US broadcaster Nickelodeons aninmation network Nicktoons Network has launched a new line-up of content on the iTunes Store
Programming on offer includes Skyland, the new animated adventure series, which will be available on iTunes prior to its network debut on Saturday, November 18 at 9:00 p.m. (ET), and short-form content from The Nicktoons Network Animation Festival, the world’s only multiplatform animation festival which showcases the diversity of independent cartoon filmmaking by animators from around the globe.
Four episodes of Nicktoons Network’s upcoming animated adventure series, Skyland are being offered on iTunes for $1.99 each. iTunes will offer a free sneak-peek (available for four weeks) of the premiere episode. 28 compilations of approximately 180 short films from The Nicktoons Network Animation Festival will be available for purchase at launch which includes 13 compilations from the 2004 Animation Festival, eight from 2005, and seven from 2006.
Nicktoons Network VP, GM Keith Dawkins says, “The launch of Nicktoons Network on iTunes will allow our viewers the chance to watch many of our hit shows whenever they want and wherever they are. We strive to provide our audiences with the opportunity to connect with our content in many different ways, and this launch is another step in Nicktoons Network multiplatform programming strategy.”
For $1.99 per episode, consumers can download Nicktoons Network series from the iTunes(R) Store and view them on their iPods or computers. Skyland follows a heroic brother, Mahad, and his telekinetic younger sister, Lena, as they search for their parents in a new world order.
The year is 2251 and the Earth has been shattered into millions of blocks that now drift aimlessly in orbit around the Earth’s core known as Skyland. The Sphere, led by a power-mad ruler with telekinetic powers named Oslo, has installed a dictatorship that controls water distribution, now a precious resource. Skyland’s young heroes along
with the pirate resistance, try to free their mother from Oslo’s evil grasp and destroy the dreaded Sphere. Skyland Nick says uses the latest in animation techniques and technology such as motion-capture and CGI, to create a unique rich visual style and stunning imagery usually reserved for filmmaking.
— The Nicktoons Network Animation Festival, which celebrated its third year this summer, showcases the diversity of independent cartoon filmmaking by animators from around the globe. Animators were asked to submit animated shorts no longer than 10 minutes in length that combined a unique look, great character designs and overall appeal and originality.
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.
