Television
TV viewing reaches 12-month high in January 2026, Nielsen reports
Nielsen Gauge shows cable surges 9 per cent, streaming holds 47 per cent share amid sports and drama boosts.
MUMBAI: When winter chills hit and big games kick off, viewers didn’t just stay in, they stayed glued. Nielsen’s latest Gauge report shows total TV and streaming consumption climbed to a 12-month peak in January 2026, up 3.7 per cent from December, driven by a potent mix of high-stakes sports, returning broadcast dramas and colder weather keeping people indoors.
Cable led the charge with the biggest monthly jump, capturing 21.2 per cent of total TV usage (up 1.0 percentage point). Cable sports viewing exploded 49 per cent over December, fuelled by ESPN’s coverage of the College Football Playoffs quarterfinals, semifinals and championship, included sending ESPN’s viewing soaring 82 per cent. Cable news also rode an active news cycle, rising 13 per cent, with Fox News Channel up 17 per cent and CNN jumping 29 per cent. Together, ESPN and FOX News each claimed 2.2 per cent of total TV usage, accounting for 21 per cent of January’s cable viewing.
Broadcast held strong at 21.5 per cent of TV (up 4.2 per cent month-on-month), anchored by NFL dominance, the top 15 broadcast telecasts were all football games, giving sports 30 per cent of the category. Dramas bounced back 24 per cent, with ABC’s High Potential emerging as the month’s most-watched drama. Broadcast news gained 10 per cent, led by ABC World News Tonight.
Streaming proved its staying power after December’s record highs, growing 2.7 per cent month-on-month and commanding 47.0 per cent of total TV usage. Netflix mirrored the category’s resilience with a steady 1 per cent increase to 8.8 per cent of TV, holding the top streaming programme for a second month as Stranger Things racked up 15.4 billion viewing minutes. Peacock jumped 10 per cent to 1.8 per cent of TV, boosted by the new season of The Traitors and NFL simulcasts on NBC most noticeably on 18 January during the L.A. Rams vs Chicago Bears Divisional Playoff, which drove a 78 per cent spike over its monthly average.
Free ad-supported platforms kept pace, Tubi rose 6 per cent to 2.1 per cent of TV, while The Roku Channel gained 5 per cent to hold its platform-high 3.0 per cent share for a second straight month.
The January data covers four weeks from 29 December 2025 to 25 January 2026, following Nielsen’s Monday-start broadcast calendar. In a media landscape where every screen fights for eyes, January proved that when sports roar and dramas return, the living room still wins, even if the remote is within arm’s reach of the streaming button.
Sports
SMK becomes first Indian helmet brand in Road to MotoGP championship
Partnership with Moto4 Latin Cup puts the brand on the international racing grid for the first time
NEW DELHI: An Indian helmet maker is stepping onto the global racing grid.
SMK Helmets has partnered the Moto4 Latin Cup as the official technical helmet sponsor, marking the company’s entry into international motorsport. The deal places the brand inside the prestigious Road to MotoGP ecosystem, a global ladder designed to groom young riders for professional circuit racing.
The move makes SMK the first global Indian helmet brand to enter a Road to MotoGP championship, a significant milestone for a company that has built its reputation on helmet engineering and manufacturing.
Riders in the championship will compete wearing SMK’s Titan Carbon Racing helmet, a race-spec model designed specifically for high-speed circuit competition.
The Moto4 Latin Cup forms part of the wider Road to MotoGP programme, which serves as a stepping stone for emerging riders aiming to climb the professional racing ranks. The 2026 season will feature 12 rounds across circuits in Brazil and Argentina, with young riders from across the Americas competing on identical Honda NSF250R race machines.
The championship begins from March 20 to 22 in Goiânia, Brazil, coinciding with the return of the MotoGP Brazilian Grand Prix. The series provides a professional platform for young racers to gain experience on international circuits and pursue what organisers call the “road to the dream”.
Backed by more than five decades of helmet manufacturing expertise, SMK is now extending its focus on safety and performance to the demands of the racing grid, where speed and precision leave little room for compromise.
Under the partnership, competing riders will be equipped with the Titan Carbon Racing helmet, built around a lightweight carbon-fibre shell and a race-oriented interior configuration. The helmet is ECE 22.06 certified and engineered to deliver protection, aerodynamic stability and comfort at racing speeds.
The design reflects modern racing priorities, combining lightweight construction, aerodynamic efficiency and rider-focused ergonomics.
The collaboration is also part of SMK’s longer-term strategy to expand its presence in international motorsport while advancing helmet technology through real-world racing insights.
Racing environments generate valuable data on aerodynamics, ventilation, stability and rider comfort at extreme speeds. Feedback from riders competing in the championship will feed directly into SMK’s ongoing helmet development programme.
“Motorsport represents the highest expression of performance, precision and human ambition,” said Shilpa Arora, head of global sales at SMK Helmets.
“For SMK, supporting the Moto4 Latin Cup is more than a sponsorship. It reflects our long-term commitment to rider safety and innovation,” Arora said.
Sidhartha Khurana, managing director and chief executive at SMK, said the company views racing as a crucial testbed for technology.
“As one of the world’s largest helmet manufacturers by volume, with over five decades of expertise, we believe racing plays an important role in advancing helmet technology,” Khurana said.
“These young athletes represent the future of the sport, and we are proud to stand beside them as they pursue their dreams. The insights gained through racing environments will continue to strengthen the technology that ultimately protects riders on roads across the world.”
Manufactured in India and sold across global markets, SMK’s entry into competitive racing also highlights the rising international recognition of Indian helmet engineering.
From factory floors in India to high-speed racing circuits in Latin America, the company is betting that the road to MotoGP can also become a road to global credibility.
