News Broadcasting
Thums Up-Being Human VEER Campaign in partnership with CNN-IBN & AIF
MUMBAI: Thums Up-Being Human campaign VEER, in partnership with CNN-IBN &American India Foundation (AIF), has already managed to collect INR 50 lakh in donations, a landmark feat after just one month of its launch. The campaign, which was launched on January 24, had set out to raise at least INR 75 lakhs to make 1,000 people with disabilities employable.
Since the launch of VEER, CNN-IBN and IBN7 have showcased inspiring stories of people with disabilities (PwDs), who despite various obstacles have managed to achieve success and earn people’s respect. These stories have touched people across India, many of whom have come forward to support the cause. Also, these channels have carried candid and detailed discussions on issues related to disability, which have spread nationwide awareness about this cause.
Now in its second month, the VEER campaign aims to meet its target and help PwDs get the necessary skills and training.
Alvira Khan on behalf of Salman’s Being Human foundation, said, “We at Being Human-the Salman Khan Foundation thank all those who have supported the Veer initiative. We hope the campaign continues to grow in strength.”
Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-chief, IBN Network, said, “We would like to thank all those individuals and groups who have helped us reach this landmark of INR 50 lakh. We believe that people will continue to support this campaign and help us achieve success.”
Debabrata Mukherjee, VP-Marketing & Commercial, Coca-Cola India said, “Thums Up as a brand believes that every one of us has the potential that just needs to be unleashed. We came up with ‘Veer’ to offer people with disabilities a platform to unleash their potential. With support from our partners and donors, we are glad to announce that we have raised INR 50 lakh within a month.”
Dr. Hemanth Paul, Country Director, AIF, said, “As an NGO that has been working on the whole livelihood space for the last eight years, the Veer campaign aimed at raising funds for the empowerment of persons with disabilities and getting them an equal stature in the society. We cannot thank our supporters enough for the help that they have extended. There is much more to do before we reach out target, but the response that we have received so far is an assurance that the initiative will definitely be a success.”
The series has been running in conjunction with digital platforms. A dedicated call centre- 0120-4019191, a website – www.theveer.in, and a mobile app – VEER has been set up to enable people to make contributions. One can also send an SMS, ‘VEER’ to 51818 to know more about the initiative and make individual donations.
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.
