News Broadcasting
Telugu tackled; TV9 keen on Kannada news channel next
MUMBAI: Newly launched Telugu news channel TV9 is now eyeing the Kannada space as well.
For the news hungry Andhra Pradesh populace, TV9 is currently jostling for attention along with ETV2 from the Ramoji Rao family and DD 8 from pubcaster Doordarshan. Launched formally on 1 February 2004, the i-Labs backed Associate Broadcasting venture, TV9 with its news heavy content is spoiling for a share of the election related advertising that has already got underway.
The free to air digital channel which had a 15 day trial run before the formal launch, offers hourly bulletins, apart from regular headline bullets, runs weekend shows and features a daily hour long discusssion programme at 10 pm. A half hour weekly crime file bulletin and a open house discussion with a prominent perosnality, a la the Rajat Sharma anchored Aap Ki Adalat, currently fill the programming. On the cards are more talk shows, including a live show, once the second phase of programming rolls out from 15 March, says founder CEO Ravi Prakash. The channel’s USP is a daily, Megha, a show aided by hidden cameras, where TV9’s reporters tempt a corrupt official or local politician into bribery and record the incident.
TV9 has been planned with an urban orientation, focusing on the major metros and towns of Andhra Pradesh, and will have shows detailing the night life in these places, targeting the younger 18 to 35 age group, says Prakash. Viewers these days, says Prakash, are becoming tired of family drama shows and TV9 intends to plug the gap by ‘entertaining through news’. This is the reason that TV9 is also studying the Kannada scenario, but not for an entertainment channel but for a news channel.
With a staff of 125 correspondents fanned out across the country, two OB vans (and more to come for the elections) and a tie up with iVision news agency, TV9 uplinks from an earth station in Banjara Hills, the only earth station inside Hyderabad, claims Prakash.
TV9 attempts a different take even on ordinary news bulletins, by including localised business news and weather forecasts.
As the latest entrant on the scene, TV9 has some stiff competition from existing players. Teja, from the Sun stable, has increased its news related shows, including current affairs programmes and talk shows. Vissa TV, promoted by Chennai based Raj TV has also strengthened its position with four news bulletins a day. While Maa TV, another Telugu channel, has also increased the number of news bulletins on air.
Sources say the spot buy rates for Telugu news channels are also on the upswing, with big players like Gemini TV asking for Rs 17,000 per 10-second spot at prime time. The rest of the players reportedly do not rake in as much, but with elections just round the corner, Telugu news channels are getting ready to rake in the hay while India shines.
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.
