News Broadcasting
Tata Sky DTH receives nod from Telecom ministry
NEW DELHI: Tata Sky, proposing to start a DTH television service in India, can heave a sigh of relief as a nod from the telecommunication ministry has cleared a big impediment in obtaining a licence from the government.
The clearance includes a green signal for the vexed matter of setting up an uplinking base in Delhi by Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd, an issue that was under government scanner on technical grounds of land use by VSNL.
Admitting that the telecom ministry nod would clear a lot of haze over the DTH project, Tata Sky CEO Vikram Kaushik told Indiantelevision.com today, “I have heard from the media that we have got a clearance (from the telecom ministry), but I am yet to receive any official communication from the government.”
However, Kaushik sounded pleased and said as and when the telecom ministry clearance is officially communicated to Tata Sky, it would be a step forward towards obtaining the final licence from the information and broadcasting ministry.
Still, there are various other clearances from government agencies that have to be obtained by Tata Sky, which also includes a green signal from the Wireless Planning and Co-ordination Commission (WPC) for satellite frequencies to be used by the DTH service.
Tata Sky, a 80:20 joint venture between Tata Sons and the Rupert Murdoch-controlled Star Group, is proposing to invest up to $ 500 million in capital expenditure in the DTH project that is looking at beaming 150-odd digital channels to subscribers’ homes in India in the initial phase.
Slated to be serviced through an Insat satellite, which is likely to be put in geo-stationary orbit later this month, the Tata Sky DTH project will have to compete with ASC Enterprises-promoted Dish TV and pubcaster’s DD Direct+ for which the subscribers don’t have to pay any monthly fee.
ASC Enterprises LTD is a venture of the Essel Group that is controlled by Subhash Chandra who is also the main promoter of Zee Telefilms.
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.
