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Soprano’s fifth season debut ratings down from fourth season
MUMBAI: It has been over a year since The Sopranos were seen in the US. That could explain why the ratings for the first episode of the fifth season fell short of what the fourth season accomplished.
A report in the Washington Post indicated that household ratings for last Sunday’s fifth-season debut fell by as much as 25 per cent in the metered markets, compared with the fourth-season debut on 15 September 2002. The metered markets cover about 70 per cent of the US.
The debut episode was seen by 12.1 million people stated another report in Eonline. Nielsen Media Research data indicated that the mafia drama outdrew the other broadcast network offerings except for NBC’s Law & Order: Criminal Intent . That had 15 million viewers. In India The Sopranos has for some time now been a staple of Zee English.
The 2002 season opener was seen by 13.4 million people. However HBO was quoted in an AP report saying that it had been informed that Nielsen’s 2002 figures also included people watching its spinoff networks, such as HBO Signature and HBO2. Therefore the above mentioned figure could be inaccurate.
The report added that while Law & Order beat The Sopranos one needed to remember the fact that HBO is only available in about 30 per cent of the US’ television homes. The report adds that for the week 1-7 March Fox’s American Idol on Tuesday topped the charts with 25.5 million viewers. This is followed by two CBS shows. Survivor All-Stars was seen by 23.3 million people while CSI atracted 22.7 million viewers. In India this show airs on AXN.
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WITT Summit 2026 concludes in New Delhi
Babar Azam’s comical diving attempt goes viral as league introduces anti-dew measures.
MUMBAI: The WITT Summit just wrapped up with enough big ideas to fill a policy playbook because when India’s leaders, thinkers and icons gather under one roof, even the conversations hit sixes. The eighth edition of TV9 Network’s flagship What India Thinks Today (WITT) Summit 2026 concluded on Saturday after two days of dynamic discussions at its New Delhi venue. India’s largest multi-domain public policy and culture summit brought together political leaders, policymakers, sports icons, artists and technology innovators to examine the forces shaping contemporary India and its global standing.
Prime minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address on the theme “India and the World” for the third consecutive year. In a wide-ranging speech, he addressed the ongoing conflict in West Asia, calling for restraint and compassion while highlighting India’s continued development trajectory despite global turmoil.
The summit featured candid conversations with state leaders. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy articulated a people-first governance model and contrasted it with other development approaches. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav declared that Left-wing extremism had been effectively eliminated in his state and highlighted preparations for the upcoming Kumbh Mela. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann defended his government’s record, citing the closure of 19 toll plazas and creation of the Sadak Suraksha Force. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar expressed confidence in Congress prospects in Assam and addressed recent allegations against him.
On geopolitics and national security, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia outlined India’s ambition to become a builder of trusted digital infrastructure for the world, citing the rapid 5G rollout and village-level 4G connectivity.
Cricket received significant attention. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly praised player freedom and trust as hallmarks of great leadership and named MS Dhoni as the greatest captain due to his World Cup successes. India women’s team bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi credited the BCCI and Women’s Premier League for building a pipeline of world-class talent behind the team’s recent ODI World Cup triumph.
The summit also hosted the inaugural AI² Awards 2026, celebrating the convergence of human creativity and machine intelligence in storytelling and content creation. Poet and kathavachak Kumar Vishwas delivered a nuanced take on India’s concept of Dharma and criticised the recent arrest of an 80-year-old Shankaracharya. Veteran lyricist Sameer Anjaan and storyteller Neelesh Misra reflected on changing music trends and artistic responsibility in the wake of a recent controversy involving Nora Fatehi.
In a country where conversations often run as deep as the Ganges, the WITT Summit proved once again that when leaders, thinkers and storytellers come together, the real winner is public discourse lively, layered and refreshingly unafraid to tackle the big questions shaping India’s tomorrow.
