News Broadcasting
Ravina Raj Kohli to head new Star news channel
The divorce rumours have been buzzing like bees for some time now. That Star India and news content provider the Prannoy Roy-headed New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) are parting ways is clear and all that remains is for this week’s official announcement of the same.
Firming up the news of this breakup is the confirmation of gossip that Star India has zoomed in on a head honcho for Star News, an operation that will be run inhouse, with assistance from other news providers. She is none other than former Sony Entertainment programming boss and Channel Nine CEO Ravina Raj Kohli.
Talks between the Kohli and the Star India management have been on for some time now. Kohli has also been involved in setting up her own company Sundial Communications, a company she is keen on developing into a media powerhouse.
How and where Kohli takes the Star news channel only time will tell, but there is no denying the lady has chutzpah. It is more than a coincidence that hardballed Australian media tycoons of the likes of Kerry Packer (in her Channel Nine Gold days) and now Rupert Murdoch are more than convinced of her credentials.
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.
