News Broadcasting
TV Today not selling 3 FM stations to ENIL; seeks MIB nod for migration
MUMBAI: TV Today Network shall not undertake the agreement, entered into with Entertainment Network (India) Limited, to sell three Metro FM Radio stations, as was earlier approved by the board in its meeting held on 13 November 2015, according to a BSE filing.
TV Today had inked a deal to sell seven Oye FM radio stations to ENIL which operates Radio Mirchi. However, MIB did not approve sale of three stations and the matter went before the Delhi High Court.
Such sale agreement was subject to the approval of the MIB or an order from the Delhi High Court allowing the sale of Metro Radio stations whichever is earlier.
TV Today said it would now reorganise the radio business. The company would approach the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to seek permission to migrate its radio business from phase II to phase III.
“The committee of senior officials in their meeting held on 19 December, 2016 has approved the initiation of procedural modalities w.r.t proposal of migrating its radio business from phase II to the FM radio phase III, that would enable the company from reorganisation of its radio business,” TV Today said in a BSE filing.
“The migration fee will involve a total net capital expenditure of Rs 71.36 crore excluding other charges/interest and will be completed within three months,” it added.
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.
