News Broadcasting
Worldspace launches Urdu radio station Falak
MUMBAI: Worldspace Satellite Radio has launched a 24-hour Urdu radio station – Falak. Named after the Urdu word for ‘sky’, the channel aims to showcase the vast repertoire of Urdu music.
Channel No. 109 on the Worldspace Satellite Radio Network, Falak captures the nuances of Urdu through a range of innovative programming that brings to life the romance of more than just the language. The channel revives memories of a whole tradition of impeccable style and etiquette, prose and poetry, and a rapidly vanishing set of traditional values.
Speaking on the launch of the new channel, Worldspace India MD Shishir Lall said, “It is our endeavour at Worldspace to showcase the rich musical diversity of the world in a refreshing advertising-free format, which can be accessed in virtually any part of the country. Worldspace is home to the widest variety of musical genres on radio with music ranging from contemporary forms such as Hip-hop and Pop to classic selections like Jazz, Hindustani, and Bengali. Falak will now enable music lovers to go back in time and indulge in the lyrical sounds of Urdu.”
Falak showcases the widest collection of Urdu music on radio in the form of ghazals, qawalis and film songs, broadcasting rare songs that are not even available in music stores today. The carefully structured programming highlights the various forms of Urdu music ranging from evocative poetry readings or Mushairas, exclusive interviews with singers and poets of a bygone era, special live recordings, trivia on historical events, celebrating the lives of legends from Urdu literature and music, sharing social messages contained in ancient Urdu literature, in addition to a host of other exclusive
programming.
The channel will air shows such as Taareekh Key Jharokhey Sey, Filmy Saugaat, Aqwaal-E-Zareen, Sufiyana Kalaam, Bazm-E-Khanam, Ghazal Usne Chhedi and Sham-E-Farozan.
Taareekh Key Jharokhey Sey will air an interesting peep into the times gone by, Radio Falak will take a look into the history of various important cities, places of interest, monuments etc., sharing interesting and unknown anecdotes. Filmy Saugaat will broadcast film songs featuring Urdu lyrics, from India and Pakistan. The show will be presented by Sabiha Fazal who excels in his knowledge of Hindustani and Pakistani film music, shares anecdotes about singers, composers, songwriters, and film producers on this entertaining show, according to an official release.
Aqwaal-E-Zareen will air social messages by great philosophers from all over the globe that have been translated and adapted in Urdu to imbibe modesty, humility and good human values.
Bazm-E-Khanam, yet another special programme catering to the ladies, the show features tips on good health, house keeping, family relations, culinary delights from Indian, Mughlai, Irani, Uzbeki, Arabic and Afghani platter – their history, the little known tricks and techniques of their preparation.
Sufiyana Kalaam, a special programme featuring Sufi Qawalis, Mersias, Nohas and Baints. Ghazal Usne Chhedi is based on Urdu poetry. Sham-E-Farozan will air best ghazals by renowned Urdu poets.
Radio Falak will also air the ethos of a bygone era and revel in the soothing and powerful voices of legends like Ghulam Ali, Mehdi Hassan, Iqbal Bano, Tahira Saiyad, Farida Khanam, Reshma, Abida Parveen and Nusrat Saheb.
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.
