News Broadcasting
Vodafone India secures the ‘title sponsorship’ for inaugural Indian badminton league 2013
Bangalore: In one of the most anticipated statements of the high-impact Indian Badminton League, it was announced today that Vodafone India, India’s leading telecommunications service providers will be the ‘Title Sponsors’ for Indian Badminton League (IBL) 2013.
Speaking on the association, Vivek Mathur, Chief Commercial Officer, Vodafone India said, “Vodafone has a strong association with sport in India. We see a great initiative in the Indian Badminton League. Badminton is a sport that most Indians associate with and we see this as a paradigm shift in the sports entertainment industry. Vodafone India intends to make the best out of this association.”
Speaking on the association, Mr Ashish Chadha, CEO, Sporty Solutionz, the ‘Commercial Partner’ for IBL, said, “It’s a matter of pride for Indian Badminton League today that Vodafone India has decided to promote the League and this association will take BAI and Sporty Solutionz’s attempt to promote badminton in India to the next level. With its unparalleled reputation for world-class services and pioneering telecom supremacy, Vodafone India’s support will be a key factor to the success of IBL. Keeping in mind Vodafone India’s past association with sports, it gives us the confidence that they will even guide us with their valuable experience through this foray.”
Speaking on this occasion, Dr. Akhilesh Das Gupta, Badminton Association of India President & MP said, “We welcome Vodafone to the IBL family. We look forward to a strong and successful association and their presence will add goodwill to the League.”
The $1-million Indian Badminton League is set to launch on August 14, 2013, with some high-voltage action expected between Krrish Delhi Smashers and Pune Pistons. The 2013 IBL will feature six franchises and will run for 18 days. Each franchise will host a two-day leg and the League will showcase a grand total of 90 matches, providing broadcasters and in-stadia spectators with more than 100 hours of LIVE “family entertainment” on STAR Sports 2 & ESPN. The matches will be held during late afternoon and evening to coincide with prime time television and providing a convenient time for the stadium audience. The LIVE IN-stadia entertainment, combined with high-octane on-court action is expected to further hook viewers onto this new adrenalin packed LIVE family entertainment format attracting a much younger fan base, which also includes women and children.
The top four franchises in the League will clash in the semi-finals and the winners will meet in the grand final on August 31, which will be played in Mumbai, for the richest prize money tournament in badminton till now.
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.
