News Broadcasting
Nielsen Media Research launches Arianna Software in US
MUMBAI: Nielsen Media Research has released Arianna, a software tool used to analyse ratings data in local markets in the US.
The software will enable local clients to go beyond the reporting capabilities of existing software, and move into the arena of desktop data analysis. The version of Arianna can analyse metered market overnight ratings data for a single market.
The product will first be rolled out to Local People Meter markets – the ten markets that are currently metered by this technology and the three markets scheduled for 2007. Arianna will then be rolled out to the set meter markets during the first quarter of the year. A version for agency, rep firm, national broadcast and cable clients which includes a multi-market report, will be released later this year.
Arianna is the AGB Nielsen Media Research proprietary analysis software tool that is used by Nielsen Media Research under license. The AGB Group and Nielsen Media Research International formed a joint venture in August 2005 to offer television ratings in 30 countries under the AGB Nielsen Media Research brand name.
It is through an agreement with the JV that Nielsen Media Research can market Arianna, which was initially developed by AGB and modified jointly by the JV and Nielsen Media Research for the US market. Arianna is currently in use in 30 countries across four continents.
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.
