News Broadcasting
US sniper coverage delivers record ratings
MUMBAI: If there was any doubters as to the possibilities open to the news channel wannabes queuing up to launch over the next few months catch a load of this.
The Washington sniper case that has had all news channels in the US on a feeding frenzy has delivered record ratings for the all-news networks.
Fox News Channel, which had averaged 901,000 viewers for a total day since the sniper story broke in early October, averaged 1.7 million viewers for the day, according to data from Nielsen Media Research. CNN, which had averaged 767,000 on sniper-coverage days, attracted an average 1.3 million viewers Wednesday, reports emonline.com.
MSNBC, which had averaged 434,000 viewers since the first sniper shooting, averaged 676,000 on Wednesday. Prime-time viewership spiked to an average of 3.2 million viewers for Fox, 2.8 million for CNN and 1.4 million for MSNBC.
However, the monster ratings cannot detract from the fact that the obsessive coverage has been widely criticised as possibly having increased the death toll from the attacks. There were also accusations that speculation dominated reporting.
“The media engaged in overkill. It was all-sniper, all the time, and that heightened the fear level,” Hill & Knowlton consultant was quoted as saying.
The flip side to this is that there are those who claim that the through aggressive reporting and unusual cooperation with the police, the press may have played a significant role in the capture of the suspects.
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.
