News Broadcasting
Times Network enters Canada via Rogers Xfinity TV with ET NOW and Times Now Navbharat launch
MUMBAI: The Indian diaspora in Canada just got a front-row seat to India’s pulse—served hot, straight from Mumbai. Times Network, the broadcast arm of Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., has expanded its international footprint by launching two of its flagship channels—ET Now and Times Now Navbharat—on Rogers Xfinity TV in Canada.
The channels went live on Rogers Xfinity via a strategic tie-up with Ethnic Channels Group (ECG), the world’s largest multicultural broadcaster. ET Now is now available on Channel 2651, while Times Now Navbharat airs on Channel 2696. Both channels will be accessible under a free preview window till 17 June, after which Canadian subscribers can opt in via theme packs for premium Indian news content.
“Our presence on Rogers Xfinity TV and partnership with Ethnic Channels Group marks a pivotal step in our international growth strategy. As we continue to build a truly global presence, this launch reinforces our commitment to delivering high-quality Indian news content to the diaspora in Canada. We see this partnership as a gateway to new opportunities, enabling us to serve our viewers better and strengthen Times Network’s position as a trusted global media brand”, said Times Network executive president & COO Jagdish Mulchandani.
The move taps into a growing appetite among the south Asian diaspora for India-focused, real-time news. ET Now delivers market-savvy programming like The Market, The Money Show, Startup Central, and Buy Now Sell Now, offering Canadian viewers a front-row seat to India’s economic engine. Meanwhile, Times Now Navbharat broadcasts Hindi-language shows like News Ki Pathshala, Sawal Public Ka, and Opinion India Ka, focusing on ground-up perspectives, citizen voices, and sharp political analysis.
Ethnic Channels Group co-founder & CEO Slava Levin added, “It’s an attention economy in today’s fast changing world. Credible news is of paramount importance and tuning out the noise from the facts is critical. Ethnic Channels Group is proud to partner with the Times Network for ET Now (Business News) and Times Navbharat (Hindi News) enriching the media landscape in Canada. As Canada’s largest multicultural TV operator, ECG continues to widen its channel portfolio and strengthen its footprint worldwide”.
For Times Network, the expansion is part of its larger ambition to become a global Indian media brand, targeting audiences who straddle two worlds and crave credible, timely news from both. For ECG and Rogers, it adds further depth to their international content offerings at a time when demand for multicultural programming is on the rise.
With this launch, Times Network cements its Canadian presence and adds yet another milestone in its global journey—delivering Indian news, with nuance and depth, to viewers navigating life across borders.
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.
