News Broadcasting
UK’s 3i eyes more acquisitions in India
MUMBAI: UK-based 3i is betting big on India. After investing $45.50 million for a 33 per cent stake in Mumbai-based Nimbus Communications, the private equity and venture fund is eyeing further acquisitions in a wide range of sectors including media.
“If we manage even two-three deals in India, we will have pumped in major investments over the next five years. The range of the deals will be between $20-100 million for minority positions,” says 3i managing director and co-head Asia Anil Ahuja.
For buyouts, the investments could be more. So is 3i looking at a buyout in the media sector? “We are on the hunt,” says Ahuja.
Media is a big area for 3i, having made over 100 investments across the world. “There are multiple Indian media companies in the market even in the publishing business,” says Ahuja.
What made 3i decide on Nimbus? “The company has more than an Indian footprint. We with our experience and depth can work closely to put things together,” says Ahuja.
A large chunk of the money will be put into sports rights acquisitions and working capital. Television production and motion pictures will also attract finance. A sizeable amount will be set aside for digital media conversion, adds Ahuja.
Will 3i wait long for Nimbus to go for an initial public offering (IPO)? “Even now the company has the strength to go for an IPO. It has earned a net profit of Rs 150 million for 2004-05. But the important thing is to grow the value of the company in the next few years,” says Ahuja.
Nimbus will explore investments in sports and lifestyle broadcasting. “The company is positively inclined twoards sports broadcasting. We could either launch or acquire an existing channel or even get into a joint venture. We expect to take a decision within the next 12 weeks,” says Nimbus Communications executive chairman Harish Thawani.
Nimbus is in the process of completing a deal to take over a leading film distribution company. “We are well funded for our expansion plans. We have strong internal accruals and the sales procured by the company stood at Rs 2.13 billion for 2004-05. We have access to international markets. We have the ability to bring in a debt component,” says Thawani.
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.
