News Broadcasting
News18 UP/Uttarakhand undergoes makeover ahead of UP polls
Mumbai: News18 Uttar Pradesh/ Uttarakhand has revamped its studios, introduced new GFX, refreshed packaging of all shows as it gears up for the coverage of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections next year.
The channel has donned a new premium look and fresh style of presentation under managing editor Amish Devgan. It will also expand its political coverage by launching new properties around elections.
According to the statement shared by the network, the new studio to be used for news presentation, interviews, debates and discussions will have multiple set options along with stylised shooting angles, advance lighting, and a state of the art LED display wall for animations, graphics and multiple guest interaction windows as well as a touch screen to give a user driven experience and go into deeper analysis.
It has also planned special programming for the upcoming UP assembly elections, and will not only host politicians from across the spectrum but will also have elaborate ground reporting through its vast reporters’ network. The channel has planned a new show – ‘Voter Ganga Kinare Wala’ that will cover upwards of 100 assembly seats situated along Ganga from Haridwar to Ballia. Another show that is already on air is ‘Chunavi Road Show’ that will cover 403 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh.
News18 Network, Hindi News CEO Karan Abhishek Singh said, “In terms of our bouquet of regional Hindi news channel, News18 Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand is undoubtedly one of our critical products since it serves the most populous state of the country. Our endeavour with this change is to break the mould of how news has so far been served in the region and bring a world class viewing experience both in terms of content and the channel’s packaging to the audiences in the region especially given that both UP and Uttarakhand are heading into elections. We are confident that the channel with be very well received in its news avatar which will further reinforce the channel’s position as a thought leader in the state.”
News18 Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh/Chhattisgarh, & Rajasthan managing editor Amish Devgan said, “We have always looked at News18 Uttar Pradesh/ Uttarakhand as the channel that sets the agenda for our competition to follow. It is with this thought process only that we have undertaken the re-packaging of the channel especially now as we head into the biggest ever state elections of this country. We will bring to our viewers the most advanced viewer experience in the region. Our viewers have always trusted us and depended on us and this change will only further strengthen our relationship with our viewers.”
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.
