News Broadcasting
RPG signs on to new Star rates in Kolkata
The Star Network made a big step forward in convincing cable operators in the country to accept its new subscription regime after RPG Netcom in Kolkatta signed on.
RPG Netcom has a virtual monopoly on cable homes in Kolkatta and getting it on board represents a major coup for Star. This is especially significant because both in 2000 and last year Star was off air in Kolkatta for a good while at the time of rate revisions.
Star claims that most operators in New Delhi have also signed on to the new rates.
Confirming the development, A Jawed, Sr V-P, Star Distribution, said: “We are happy to announce that RPG Netcom in Kolkatta has accepted and signed the subscription contracts, so did AsiaNet servicing, in Kerala, where the new pricing and subscription contract will soon be finalised”. In Bhubaneshwar, Ortel Communication Ltd, also confirmed the new contract. Among others, the large Multi-Systems Operators (MSOs) like Siti Cable JVs in Delhi has accepted the new rates. The response from the consumers and the cable networks across the country has thus been very encouraging.
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.
