News Broadcasting
Times Network appoints Rasesh Gandhi as Cluster Sales Head – News
MUMBAI: Times Network has appointed Rasesh Gandhi as the Cluster Sales Head – News (TIMES NOW & ET NOW). Prior to joining TIMES Network he was VP – Sales at BCCL Response. In his new role, Gandhi will work closely with the Leadership in a bid to ensure that the portfolio grows manifolds. The News Ad Sales team will directly report in to him and he will report to the Chief Sales Officer, Times Network.
Times Network MD & CEO M.K. Anand said, “His association of almost 2 decades with The Times Group and specifically Times Response gives him an extra edge, particularly at a time that Times Network has now established itself as a strong leader bringing top end audiences to advertisers. Rasesh’s experience in representing out Prime Print brands coupled with his tremendous understanding of Sales will be crucial in our endeavour to right-price our News brands. It is a pleasure to welcome him on-board.”
Rasesh Gandhi’s bond with The TIMES GROUP spans almost two decades in varied roles. Prior to joining Times Network, he was VP- Sales at BCCL Response where he helmed verticals such as Auto, FMCG and Real Estate. Gandhi was a part of the special task force and played an instrumental part during the launch of Zoom TV. In his career he has had short stints Home TV, Radio City 91.1 FM & HCL- Hewlett Packard Ltd, where he first entered the professional arena.
Commenting on his new role, Gandhi said, “I am very pleased to be an integral part of the television division of India’s largest media house, The Times Group. Having worked with the network for such a large amount of time will definitely be a boon for me in understanding the network goals and driving strategies. I look forward in contributing to my fullest to my new role and having an extremely pleasurable working experience”
Rasesh has done his Bachelor of Science from Mithibai College, Mumbai, & has successfully completed certified courses in Media, Leadership, Strategies & Coaching from Mica, ISB & Wharton School.
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: 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.
