News Broadcasting
Times Group chairman Indu Jain succumbs to Covid
New Delhi: Times Group chairman Indu Jain passed away on Thursday night due to Covid-related complications. She was 84.
The group owns the Times of India and other newspapers.
Jain had also set up the Times Foundation in 2000 with sustainable development as its key goals. The non-profit organisation provides community services and runs the Times Relief Fund to offer assistance during extreme weather events and other crises.
Times Group Chairperson Indu Jain passes away at the age of 84.
Tributes pour in for Times Group Chairperson Indu Jain, a lifelong spiritual seeker, pioneering philanthropist, distinguished patron of the arts, and passionate proponent of women’s rights. pic.twitter.com/vEIRJbo5v6
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) May 13, 2021
She was also the founder president of FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), set up in 1983 to promote entrepreneurship and professional excellence among women in India. She also served as the chairperson of Bharatiya Jnanpith Trust to promote literature in Indian languages. The Jnanpith Award, conferred by the Trust annually, is considered to be among the most prestigious honour for authors writing in Indian languages.
She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in January 2016 and an award for Lifetime Contribution to Media by the All India Management Association in 2018.
Tributes poured in for Jain, who was also widely recognized for her philanthropist work. Prime minister Narendra Modi also condoled her demise and said that Jain will be remembered for her contribution to the country’s progress.
Saddened by the demise of Times Group Chairperson Smt. Indu Jain Ji. She will be remembered for her community service initiatives, passion towards India’s progress and deep-rooted interest in our culture. I recall my interactions with her. Condolences to her family. Om Shanti.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 13, 2021
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.
