News Broadcasting
Rajesh Devraj quits Sony
MUMBAI: SET’s executive creative director Rajesh Devraj has put in his papers.
The resignation confirms the buzz that has been doing the industry rounds since early October that Devraj was on his way out. This was when veteran writer and filmmaker Venita Coelho joined SET with the brief to work along with Devraj in developing new shows.
When contacted, SET executive vice president Sunil Lulla would only say, “Rajesh had a contract with us which has come to an end.”
Devraj who joined Sony in January this year, says he had been working on a feature film script before joining SET and intends to go back to that now. Devraj has earlier worked with Channel [V], MTV and Hindustan Thompson Associates.
Among the highpoints of his tenure at SET, Devraj counts Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin, definitely. “It was an enjoyable experience working with the SET team, and talented, intelligent people like Tony and Diya and Victor Acharya. It was equally gratifying that all the decisions we took on the adaptation – the story changes, the casting, the production design, the Punjabi flavour, the characterizations of Jassi and her family – everything connected with the audience as we’d planned. We tried to bring in a freshness lacking on television, and our efforts paid off,” he says of the Jassi experience.
Apart from Jassi, Devraj has also initiated a few projects that he believes are path-breaking in their own way. “I hope they do as well,” he says.
About the learnings he garnered at Sony, Devraj says, “Personally, I’ve learnt a great deal about shaping ideas. The sheer exposure to a large volume of scripts and ideas, the process of interacting with writers every day, all of this has helped sharpen my own creative skills.”
About his tenure at Sony, however, Devraj has a different opinion. “It’s been frustrating, I won’t deny that, but it’s been an incredible learning experience as well. So no regrets.”
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.
