News Broadcasting
Sahara rings in 2003 with host of new shows, lineup revamp
MUMBAI: The Hindi general entertainment scene will see serious action at the start of 2003. First, Star unperturbed by the upcoming World Cup hoopla announced that it planned to air six shows. Not to be left behind, rival Sahara has announced shows which promise to change the way viewers perceive the channel. The shows run the gamut from comedy to drama to music. The channel has also rescheduled the timings of some the shows currently running.
One of the major offerings is a weekly serial based on Indian war heroes Mission Fateh — which will be covering actual missions undertaken by brave officers of the Indian Army during wars and counter – insurgency operations. Extensively shot in border areas, the serial also highlights the emotional side of soldiers on the front. The show starts 24 January and will air Fridays at 9.30 pm.
The musically inclined can tune into the countdown show Hello . Hosted by the VJ Ruby Bhatia, of MAX’s Extraaa Innings fame, it will start from 2 January. This will be aired Thursday to Sunday at 7 pm. An official release informs that the show has been produced by Prime Media Max who has earlier made successful shows such as Tu Tu Main Main, Hum Saath Aath Hain, Gharwali Uparwali.
The channel has also decided to convert the weekly serial Zindagi Teri Meri Kahani, to a daily. From 6 January the family drama will air Monday-Friday at 9 pm. Sahara has also siad that it has made the timing and frequency of some dailies more convenient to provide a week-round entertainment offering a variety to its viewers at prime time.
Shubh Mangal Savadhan becomes a four-day daily comedy from 6 Jan. Featuring Dilip Joshi and Sumit Raghavan, it will air Monday to Thursday at 7.30 pm. The same day Kagaz Ki Kashtti becomes a five-day daily serial. Featuring Bhagyashree and Govind Namdeo it airs Monday to Friday at 8.30 pm. Parchhaiyan with Milind Gunaji, Reena Wadhwa will aiir Monday to Thursday at 9.30 pm.
Woh Kaun? with Nirmal Pandey, Niki Aneja will now air Monday to Thursday at 10.30 pm. Virasaat becomes a four day serial from 20 January. It precedes Woh Kaun? at 10 pm
The channel has also revamped its film timings based on feedback from the Bollywood buff. It has changed its timings for its evening Hindi blockbuster movies. These would now be aired at 7.30 pm on Saturday and Sunday. The channel also has plans to air serials with major Bollywood stars like Karisma Kapoor, Sridevi.
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.
