News Broadcasting
Star Vijay celebrates New Year with special shows
MUMBAI: Star’s Tamil channel Vijay TV is all set with an absolute entertainment package this New Year. The programs range from devotional, literary, music, dance, cinema, blockbusters and more.
At 8:30 pm Vijay TV will telecast a special episode of the film-based talk show Cinema Karam coffee At 9 pm, the channel will air a sequel to Jet Set Go, a show which featured Tamil super star Vikram in a never before seen facet. Jet Set Go part II features the making and all the experiences shared on this adventurous bike ride with Vikram and his friends.
At 10 pm Apadi Podu, a musical programme will feature the chartbusters of the year 2004. Performed by the top playback singers like Srinivas, Unnikrishnan, Sujatha and Kartik along with well-known choreographers like Dinesh and Noel. The channel will air a trip down memory lane at 11 pm, Reel 2004.
At 8 pm on the channel’s breakfast show Hello Thamizha, Kollywood top star Sarathkumar will turn up as a special guest. At 9 pm, the channel will air Leoniyin Pattimandram, a humor debate with Dindigul Leoni on the topic Manavargalukku Tharpothu Thevai Thannambikkaiya? Vazhikaatuthala? Leoni is known for his popular comic interjections and humorous anecdotes. An interview with Tamil director S.J Surya will air at 10 pm in the show Suryavin BF. At 11 pm, the channel will air Madan’s Movie Round up 2004. At 12 pm, Vijay will telecast the popular comedy show Lollu Sabha.
At 1 pm, the channel will air a curtain raiser of the yet-to-be-released movie Mazhai. The channel will present mega star Rajani Kant in the spcial show Anbudan Rajinikku at 1:30 pm. The channel will air dubbed version of the Hollywood hit First Blood at 2 pm.
At 5 pm is a musican night featuring top playback singers like UnnimenonUngal Viruppam, Sujatha, Chinmayi and Karthik. At 8 pm is another movie curtain raiser, this time the Sarathkumar starrer Oru Paravi.
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.
