News Broadcasting
Twentieth Century Fox television distribution & Starz sign licensing pact
MUMBAI: A new multi-year licensing deal sees hundreds of movies from the Twentieth Century Fox Television distribution library airing commercial-free on the Starz and Encore premium channels.
The agreement also includes associated HD, on-demand and authenticated online offerings. Titles included as part of the pact are Big Momma’s House, 2001’s Planet of the Apes, Cheaper By the Dozen, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Fight Club and many others.
“Consumers have long-subscribed to the Starz family of premium services thanks to the depth and breadth of its quality movie product. This agreement with Fox will fortify our pipeline of popular theatrical library content through the end of the decade and is a great complement to our exclusive originals, first-run movies, and other popular movie fare,” said business and legal affairs executive VP of acquisitions Michael Thornton.
“Encompassing a deep collection of hundreds of films including such highlights as movies from the Ice Age, X-Men and Home Alone franchises, as well as There’s Something About Mary and Alien, these timeless hits will be a great addition for our loyal subscribers.” Thornton added.
Twentieth Century Fox television distribution executive VP of worldwide pay television and SVOD Gina Brogi commented, “We are very pleased to extend our relationship with Starz and thrilled that they will have an opportunity to access so many great films from Fox’s extensive library.”
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.
