News Broadcasting
[V]’s ‘Launch Pad’ to unearth best band
MUMBAI: Channel [v] will introduce [v] Launch Pad as part of the Mumbai Festival celebration. The talent hunt show will provide a platform to unearth the most talented band from across the country.
In a series of challenges designed to give one band the chance to grab a coveted spot, the band will be subsequently launched.
The commencement of the hunt for the country’s hottest band will culminate with five of the most talented bands, an official release says.
The panel of judges will be responsible for judging these talented bands would be music director duo- Vishal and Shekhar along with Channel [v] head of music programming and MARs (Music and Artist Relation) Luke Kenny.
The contestants can register online by logging onto www.vindia.com. The entrants also have an opportunity of walk in-registration into selective Café Coffee Day outlets, on 15 December, the last date for registration.
Launch Pad being a seasonal property will give a rundown of the show in three episode series on Channel [v].
The five selected bands will get an opportunity to perform the opening act of an international artist’s show. The finale concert will be exclusively hosted by Channel [v] on 15 January., informs the release.
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.
