News Broadcasting
SET is running online contests to promote new programme initiatives
In order to connect further with viewers Sony Entertainment Television has commenced online contests pertaining to Dhadkan and Hubahu.
Dhadkan launched on Monday and airs thrice a week through to Wednesday while Hubahu opens tomorrow airing Thursdays. The contests close on 21 February. Another feature is that surfers can download wallpapers, listen to the title track, watch promos and trailers.
Hubahu is a comedy about twins and mistaken identity. The channel has positioned it as a show that will break the monotony of the saas-bahu triangle stories. The channel looks at Hubahu as a truly fresh concept, with a storyline new to the tube. The twins have contrasting personalities. There are four questions for this with multiple options.
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.
