News Broadcasting
Rigel to distribute TV documentary on ‘Cinderella Man’ globally
MUMBAI: One of the most critically acclaimed films of the year is the boxing drama Cinderella Man. The film reteams Russell Crowe with his A Beautiful Mind director Ron Howard and has already started generating Oscar buzz.
Looking to capitallse on the momentum is American television production company Rigel Entertainment. It has come out with a television documentary Cinderella Man: The Real Jim Braddock Story.
In the US parts of the documentary aired on NBC a few days ago. Now Rigel is looking to distribute the documentary globally. It claims to have signed deals in 12 territories. The one hour documentary covers the life of Depression Era boxer, Jim Braddock, whos come-from-behind victories and rags to riches to rags to riches life inspired the nickname The Cinderella Man.
An average man out of New Yorks Hells Kitchen, this improbable fighter rose to fame by becoming the most unlikely world heavyweight champ ever. This feat not only rocked the world of boxing, but inspired millions of Americans to rise out of poverty during the hard years of the Depression.
Rigel Entertainment president John Laing said, We are extremely excited to team with Nick Krantz to bring the story of Jim Braddock the real-life Rocky to television. Braddock is a true sports icon, and his story is immeasurably inspiring. Cinderella Man: The Real Jim Braddock Story is certain to capture the imaginations and hearts of viewers worldwide.
In addition to profiling Braddocks dedication to his family by working back-to-back double shifts, the documentary chronicles his historically significant fights against Art Lasky, Tommy Loughran and of course the battle against Max Baer that gave Jim Braddock the World Heavyweight Championship title, and drove Max to retire from the sport.
Established in 1993, Rigel Entertainment claims to have emerged as a significant independent force in the worldwide production and worldwide distribution of top quality prime-time television programming. Rigel Entertainment has spearheaded the production of over 250 hours of prime-time television, accounting for more than $350 million in production
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.
