News Broadcasting
TIMES NOW unveils exclusive programming line up for 71st Republic Day
MUMBAI: Commemorating the 71st Republic Day of India, TIMES NOW, India’s leading English news channel unveils an exciting programming line-up of thought-provoking shows. Shedding light on the unspoken, untold and unseen stories, TIMES NOW brings to its viewers three curated shows, Dispatches from India, Republic Day – behind the scenes and 2020 – India’s decade, this weekend 25 and 26 January 2020.
1. Republic Day – Behind the Scenes – For the first time ever on television, TIMES NOW’s Consulting Editor – Politics, Padmaja Joshi, visits the practice sessions before the final Republic Day March on Rajpath, revealing the painstaking preparations that goes into planning and practicing the tunes that rouse every Indian as the country celebrates its Republic Day. The one hour feature show will air this Saturday, 25 January 2020 at 2.30 pm and 10.30 pm, brings the unique story of 100s of bands drawn from the Armed forces, schools and paramilitary forces and 1000s of men and women who have spent decades perfecting the art.
2. 2020 – India’s decade – On January 25, 2020 at 6 pm, TIMES NOW’s Editor-in-Chief Rahul Shivshankar on the marquee Republic Day show discusses the health of Indian democracy by invoking 3 contentious subjects that could impact India in the coming years. With eminent panelists that includes N Ram – Chairman, The Hindu Group, Anand Ranganathan – Author and Scientist, Pawan Varma – Former Rajya Sabha MP, Aryama Sundaram – Senior Advocate, Faizan Mustufa-Vice-chancellor, NALSAR, Sachidananda Murthy – Resident Editor & Columnist, Malayala Manorama & The Week, Sanjeev Srivastava – Senior Journalist, the engaging debate will discuss the topics – Constitution amended not imperiled, Dissent under threat in democratic India and Can Congress Challenge BJP’s Dominance.
3. Dispatches from India – On 26 January 2020 at 10 pm, TIMES NOW brings to its viewers a heart-rending narrative of the brave Indian citizens from the borders, conflict zones, and maritime boundary lines, who are pushed to the edge to fight for survival. The one-hour special show will showcase the untold stories of people, who are still being devoid of their fundamental rights as an Indian citizen even after 70 years of being a republic nation.
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.
