News Broadcasting
SET India acquires slate of Bollywood titles from Eros
MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television has acquired the global satellite rights for a package of films, including blockbuster hit Lage Raho Munnabhai, from leading Bollywood media and entertainment major Eros International.
The deal gives Sony retain exclusive broadcasting rights to the original version of a slate of titles for five years and includes recent films like Salaam-e-Ishq as well as upcoming releases like Namastey London.
Sunil Lulla, the director and president for India at Eros International, was quoted in an official statement as saying: “We have a strong relationship with all the leading Indian television networks and are delighted that Eros’ content will now be showcased on Sony Entertainment Television. It is one of the leading channels in India with a global footprint. We also regularly partner with Sony to market and promote our films through its extensive television network.”
Said Set India CEO Kunal Dasgupta, “Eros is a major player within the Indian film sector and Bollywood films are a critical part of our programming mix. We are delighted to have secured this deal with Eros with whom we have enjoyed a great working relationship for several years.”
Queried as to the number of titles in the package, Set India COO NP Singh said they comprised some 15-16 movies.
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.
