News Broadcasting
Sourav Ganguly to host special Indo-Pak series on Aaj Tak
MUMBAI: As a precursor to the India – Pakistan cricket series, Aaj Tak has roped in Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly for a five-episode series titled Sourav ka Sixer.
The five episode series of 30 minutes each will be aired on Saturdays at 8:30 pm from 29 January onwards. The theme of the series will be the Indo-Pak cricket series, and the programme would have Ganguly as the Aaj Tak expert who will shed light on the ‘rivalry’, the psyche of the players during the matches, the various on-ground and off-ground issues that will have a bearing on the game and the future of cricket between the two countries based on his experience.
The show has been conceptualised as a studio show comprising an Aaj Tak anchor, Ganguly and inputs from cricketing experts in the midst of an involved audience. It will not only showcase the cricketing legacy between the two countries, but also provide insight into the cricketing relationship between the two nations. Ganguly would also reflect upon the pressures and attitudes that affect a player’s performance on the field and the team’s strategy for the forthcoming series.
This series will cover various aspects of the Indo-Pak cricket. Episode one will focus on what makes the cricket matches between the two countries so special – the traditional rivalry between the countries gets transferred to the cricket field. Episode two, on the other hand will look at the re-emergence of the Indian team from the shadows to take on the indomitable Pakistan team with special reference to the 2004 series in Pakistan. Episode three titled ‘Indo-Pak greats’, will have Ganguly speaking about players from the two countries who have inspired with their play. Episode four will compare the bowling strengths of the two teams and episode five will analyse the two teams.
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.
