News Broadcasting
News18 India rebrands ‘Danke Ki Chot Par’; challenges status quo
New Delhi, 09 November 2016: Network18 Group has renamed its Hindi general news channel as News18 India. The channel will today unveil a new brand identity, logo and tagline along with a refreshed on-air look. The new avatar of the channel will be revealed at 6.57 pm tonight with the main objective to create a distinct position for itself in the Hindi General News category. The channel’s digital presence will also be revamped with the launch of a newly designed news18india.com
Speaking on the re-launch, Avinash Kaul, Managing Director, A + E Networks | TV18 and President – Strategy, Product & Alliances, said, “We are not just rebranding the news channel, we are also putting into action an entire philosophy, a fresh approach focused on hard hitting journalism. There is constant need to innovate and stay relevant in the rapidly changing news environment. Through this refresh initiative, we intend to capture the viewer’s interest and also ensure impact through our news stories. Today, the viewers are overloaded with choices and information. In the midst of all this clutter, we are trying to create differentiation and relevance for our viewers and are confident about the change that we are actioning.”
In the lead-up to the rebranding, the channel has strengthened its editorial team, introduced new anchors and launched new shows and formats. The refresh will build on this momentum with more impactful content, fresh packaging, and new studios adding to the experience being provided to the viewers.
Prabal Pratap Singh, Consulting Editor, News18 India spoke regarding the new identity of the channel: “Our news channel has seen tremendous energy over the past few months. We have broken several big stories and I feel repositioning ourselves with the tagline “Danke Ki Chot Par” aptly captures the spirit of what we are trying to achieve. Going forward, the channel will continue to ask even more pointed questions with an aim to challenge the status quo. Editorially, the thrust will be on constructive criticism and we will leave no stone unturned to ensure that our passion for fearless journalism results in positive impact on society.”
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: 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.
