News Broadcasting
Prasar Bharati invites show proposals for DD Metro
MUMBAI: Not to be outdone by private channels lining up fresh programming in the new year, Prasar Bharati too is gearing to make its presence felt.
The pubcaster has issued a tender in leading dailies inviting proposals for the metro channel of Doordarshan (DD-2) under the sponsored category for prime time, mid-prime time and non-prime time slots under the revised fee, free commercial time (FCT) and guidelines of sponsorship of programmes issued by Doordarshan.
Prasar Bharati has invited proposals for Hindi weekly serials, daily soaps, sitcom, musical or talent hunt shows, countdown shows, and suspense thrillers for its prime time band (8:00 pm to 10:30 pm ). The telecast fee for programmes without / with repeat is Rs 1,00,000, with 180 seconds FCT for shows without repeat and 150 seconds FCT for repeated/ film based programmes.
For the non prime time band which has a telecast fee of Rs 10,000 with 240 seconds FCT, proposals have been invited for a breakfast show, shows on old film melodies, cookery, personality based shows, educational and informative programmes, daily soaps, talk shows, variety entertainment, fashion, youth oriented programmes and comedy shows.
For the mid prime time slot (9:00 am to 11:00 am) proposals have been invited for similar programmes whereas for the 7:00pm to 8:00 pm slot the pubcaster is on the lookout for game shows, talent hunts, film based shows, Antakshari, chat shows and the likes. The telecast fee for the band is Rs 35,000 with 240 seconds as FCT.
The tender which invites proposals from ‘experienced television and film producers’, specifies that DD may telecast the approved programme at a time slot other than the one applied for but within the same time band. Moreover, all the programmes telecast on DD metro (except sports and imported programmes)will be repeated over DD-India within seven days of initial telecast or at a time decided by Doordarshan without any commercials.
The proposals will be accepted till 5:00pm on 31 January 2003.
News Broadcasting
Network18 channels lead YouTube news viewership in March 2026
CNN-News18, News18 India and CNBC channels top categories with record views
MUMBAI: When the world hit refresh on breaking news, Network18’s channels were already streaming ahead. As geopolitical tensions and war-driven headlines fuelled a surge in global news consumption, the network’s digital playbook delivered big clocking record Youtube viewership across English, Hindi and business news categories in March 2026.
At the forefront was CNN-News18, which emerged as the clear leader in the English news segment with 130 million live and video-on-demand views. The channel edged past competitors such as Times of India (126.5 million), Times Now (101.1 million), India Today (88.2 million) and NDTV (77.5 million), according to Databeings data for March.
In the Hindi news arena, News18 India delivered a commanding performance, racking up a staggering 3,297 million views on YouTube. The channel comfortably outpaced NDTV India, which recorded 3,119 million views, underlining its deep reach and consistent engagement with mass audiences, as per Playboard data.
The network’s dominance wasn’t confined to general news. In the Hindi business segment, CNBC Awaaz topped the charts with 92 million views, narrowly ahead of Zee Business (90 million) and well ahead of ET Now Swadesh (57 million). Meanwhile, its English counterpart CNBC-TV18 posted a strong 58 million views, reinforcing the network’s cross-category strength.
The spike in viewership reflects a broader shift in audience behaviour, with viewers increasingly turning to digital platforms particularly Youtube for real-time updates and in-depth coverage during high-intensity news cycles. For Network18, the numbers signal more than just scale; they underline the effectiveness of a multi-platform strategy that blends speed, credibility and continuous coverage.
In a month where the news never paused, it seems viewers chose to stay tuned where the stream never stopped.
