News Broadcasting
Network18 logs out the competition with digital dominance drive
MUMBAI: Clicks, clout, and Comscore cred Network18 is spelling it all out in black and white. The media group has taken its digital victory lap to print with a bold ad campaign in The Indian Express and Business Standard, calling time on Times Internet’s top spot.
Armed with March 2025 data from Comscore, the ads proclaim a sweeping lead: Network18 clocked 315 million unique digital visitors 55 per cent more than Times Internet’s 202 million. And on social media, the gap turns into a chasm, with 212 million unique users tuning in to Network18 content nearly six times more than Times Internet’s 34 million.
The bragfest doesn’t stop there. News18.com, the group’s flagship news platform, also takes centre stage, claiming 251 million unique visitors 38 per cent more than The Times of India, which drew 182 million. That’s a lot of extra eyeballs for what’s often seen as the underdog in the English news race.
Meanwhile, in the world of bulls, bears, and breaking business scoops, Moneycontrol has emerged as the Street’s top tip. With 39.33 million unique visitors across desktop and mobile, it’s outpacing The Economic Times (34.14 million) by 15 per cent. The message? If you’re looking for your next market move, Moneycontrol might already be a few steps ahead.
With the campaign splashed across major dailies, Network18 seems to be saying: the scoreboard’s up, and the numbers don’t lie.
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.
