News Broadcasting
ESPN takes its message on subscription hike to the consumer
With the spat between ESPN Star Sports and Hinduja Group MSO InCablenet set to be thrashed out in court, the channel has decided to take its campaign directly to Mumbai’s viewers.
The print campaign that the channel launched last week was upped a notch today. In areas where the ESPN Star Sports feed is currently not available, leaflets were being distributed along with the Times of India by newspaper vendors.
Headlined “What’s your problem Dubeyji (referring to the the local cable operator)?”, the flier asks the question – “How can you say 80 paise a day is too much?” – (which is what the new monthly subscription rate of Rs 24 for the two channels works out to).
This is an extension of its cheeky new campaign – “Its My Life” – on TV and print celebrating ESPN Star Sports’ fifth anniversary in India. The campaign is being handled by ad agency HTA.
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.
