News Broadcasting
Wade Davis named SVP of Mergers & Acquisitions at Viacom
MUMBAI: Viacom Inc. has appointed Wade Davis as senior vice president of Mergers & Acquisitions for new Viacom, following the separation of the organization into two publicly traded companies. Davis reports to Michael J. Dolan, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Viacom.
Davis will be responsible for identifying and assessing potential mergers and acquisitions, managing new Viacom’s interactions with the banking and investment communities on strategic transactions, and leading the execution of any transactions the company is involved in, Viacom said in a media release.
“Wade’s extensive M&A experience and leadership skills make him a perfect addition to the new Viacom team,” Dolan said. “His media, technology and telecommunications expertise couldn’t be a better fit for us as we begin our new life as a more nimble and focused company looking to capitalize on constantly emerging opportunities. Wade and I will be working closely to identify strategic acquisition opportunities that are consistent with new Viacom’s core capabilities, create shareholder value and strengthen our competitive position within the industry.”
Prior to joining Viacom, Davis was an investment banker in the technology and media sectors for more than a decade. He was formerly a managing director, co-head of Investment Banking and head of Mergers & Acquisitions at ThinkEquity Partners.
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.
