News Broadcasting
Zee, other ethnic channels in the US form an association
MUMBAI: Zee TV in the US along with other ethnic broadcasters have formed an association named the Ethnic Broadcasters of America (EBA) trade association.
The organisation aims to provide ad sales and other business support to companies operating ethnic television networks in North America. Board members include American Desi TV chairman and CEO Vimal Verma, B4U US head Hari Srinivas, TV Asia VP Jaideep Jankiram, Zee TV USA country head S. Venkatasubramamian.
Media reports indicate that Reach Media president Elie A. Kawkabani serves as chairman of the EBA’s Board of Directors.
Reports add that it took two years for EBA to get underway. The organisation was the idea of Kawkabani. US satellite operator Echostar is the official corporate sponsor of the organisation. EBA will offer an environment where ethnic channels can work together to improve business.
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.
