News Broadcasting
That famous dog Lassie celebrates 50 years in TV
MUMBAI This month the dog icon Lassie celebrates 50 years on television. Lassie has become a symbol of love, trust, and heroism since her series debuted on CBS in 1954.
Over the course of 691 television episodes, Lassie grew from a movie star into a cultural icon. Enjoying one of the longest runs in television history, Lassie’s show became a phenomenon. Millions of fans in more than 100 countries tuned in to watch Lassie save Timmy from tigers, cougars, wells, and other perils.
The show topped the Nielsen ratings, inventing the family drama in the process and is said to have influenced the way in which people relate to their pets. In India, the Lassie movies have aired on different channels.
To celebrate the occasion tomorrow (14 September) Lassie: The 50th TV Anniversary Collector’s Edition will be released on DVD and 24 TV episodes will be available in a three-disc collection complete with tonnes of bonus extras.
Lassie is also starring in a new global TV ad campaign for General Electric.
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.
