News Broadcasting
10,000 Pakistanis take part in BBC audience campaign
MUMBAI: The BBC’s attempt to create further awareness about its radio service in Pakistan has paid off. Around 10,000 people took part in the BBC Urdu service’s month-long audience campaign across Pakistan.
Its campaign BBC Sangat… Kahain Aap Sunain Hum (You Say, We Listen) covered thousands of kilometres to meet the Pakistani audiences face-to-face, engaging people from local communities in discussions on the issues affecting their lives.
The events held in Baluchistan, Sindh, Punjab, Kashmir, North-West Frontier Province and Northern Areas were broadcast daily on the BBC Urdu service’s popular programme, Sairbeen, and featured online on the world’s leading Urdu-language site, bbcurdu.com.
BBC Urdu acting head Waheed Mirza said, “It was a great learning opportunity for our programme-makers, as they came face to face with people who listen to our output. It was also heartening to learn about the many ways the BBC touches upon its audiences – and the importance they attach to how we report news.”
People travelled hundreds of miles to meet their favourite presenters and share their views. BBC Urdu Radio editor Shahzeb Jillani says that meeting them was exhilarating. “These people humbled us with their enthusiasm, their respect for the BBC brand and their appreciation of the quality of broadcasting we provide.
“The campaign also enabled us for the first time to meet our new listeners: people in their early-to-mid twenties. Many of them are university students: serious, well-informed, curious about the world, and looking to us to widen their knowledge and enhance their aspirations.”
BBC Urdu broadcasts three times a day. Its flagship programme Sairbeen which airs everyday provides news and current affairs. Jahanuma, which starts at 6.30 am, is a 30-minute daily breakfast programme which sets the day’s news agenda. At the end of the day there is Shabnama. This half an hour show provides a round-up of the main events starting at 10.30 PM In addition, BBC Urdu brings listeners weekly magazine features on sports, science and economy that can also be accessed through www.bbcurdu.com.
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.
