News Broadcasting
TV18 to raise Rs 200 million for expansion
MUMBAI: Television Eighteen Ltd’s annual general meeting (AGM) held on 25 June proves to be an interesting proposition. The key issue addressed at the forum was the approval of the authorised share capital of the company by Rs 200 million.
The Rs 200 million jump came in terms of the increase in preference shares from Rs 50 million comprising 5,00,000 preference shares of Rs 100 each to Rs 250 million comprising 25,00,000 preference shares of Rs 100 each.
The consequent effect would be given in the MOA (memorandum of association) of the company.
What would the approval of this additional Rs 200 million mean for TV Eighteen?
Industry sources say the company is gearing up for the launch of its much- awaited Hindi business channel, all set to be on air by the end of this year. Also, a significant upgradation of the English business service will be witnessed in the coming months in terms of infrastructure as well as human resource.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com Television 18 Ltd CEO Haresh Chawla elaborated, “It is a feel good time for TV18 as the channel is doing extremely well in terms of business reportage as well as on the ad sales front. We are also keenly exploring the Hindi speaking market and are gearing ourselves to make an entry into the Hindi arena.”
The AGM also approved the issue of an amount not exceeding Rs 500 million equity share or preference shares or debts and / or securities convertible into equity shares in one or more phases from time to time.
The other issue addressed at the forum was the stratification of ESOPs (employee stock option plan) in terms of TV 18 Employees Stock Purchase Plan 2004, TV 18 Senior Employee Stock Option Plan 2004 and TV18 Employee Stock Purchase Plan 2004 of the company. When questioned as to why the stratification was being done, Chawla commented, “The company has different people at different levels and hence this is an endeavour to ensure different customised retention plans.”
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.
