News Broadcasting
TRAI to be broadcast industry regulator
NEW DELHI : The Indian government has decided that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) would be the body that would regulate the broadcasting sector too.
A notification in this regard is slated to be issued later today or latest by tomorrow. The law ministry has okayed the proposal, government sources told indiantelevision.com. The law ministry also advised the information and broadcasting ministry that taking piecemeal decisions on issues like CAS, permissions for uplinking, etc. is not the right way to go about addressing the needs of the broadcasting industry that is not only growing, but is also attracting a lot of investment.
The government decided to appoint TRAI as a regulator as in the TRAI Act itself there is a provision that the body would take up issues and sectors, apart from telecom, as notified by the government from time to time.
Notifying TRAI as the regulator for the broadcasting sector can be termed as a good decision on the part of I&B minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. It would mean that TRAI would now take a final call on the rollout of CAS, currently being implemented in a haphazard fashion in South Delhi.
Under its terms of reference, TRAI would not only be responsible for licensing issues related to the broadcasting sector, but would also take up technical issues like standardization of set-top boxes.
As part of its mandate, TRAI would also look at issues like capping advertising time on pay channels as per norms prevalent globally.
Stay tuned for further details…
News Broadcasting
Zee Business corners 74.2 per cent market share on Budget Day, BARC data shows
Channel extends lead as investors tune in for policy decoding and markets
MUMBAI: Zee Business tightened its grip on India’s business news audience on Union Budget Day, commanding a 74.2 per cent market share during peak coverage hours, according to data from Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC).
The numbers, tracked between 0800 and 1000 hrs in north India among NCCS ABC males aged 22 and above, underscore the channel’s dominance as investors and traders tuned in for real-time policy decoding and market reaction. The share was calculated across two business news channels.
Industry executives say the spike mirrors an earnings-call-style verdict from viewers: speed, clarity and conviction won the day. Zee Business has retained its leadership beyond Budget Day, topping the charts on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, signalling sustained audience loyalty rather than a one-off surge.
The ratings momentum carried into Budget Samvad 2026, the channel’s flagship post-Budget discussion, broadcast live from the Bombay Stock Exchange. The session was moderated by Zee Business managing editor Anil Singhvi, and featured market veteran Ramesh Damani, among other participants.
Viewers were drawn to wall-to-wall Budget analysis, sharp market calls and plain-English interpretation of policy measures: an approach that continues to differentiate the channel in a crowded news market.
“The 74.2 per cent share reflects viewer trust in timely and credible market insight,” Singhvi said, adding that the post-Budget forum was designed to move beyond headlines and unpack the implications for investors and the broader economy.
