News Broadcasting
Aastha Broadcasting Network to set up Singapore subsidiary
MUMBAI: India’s prominent spiritual network, Aastha Broadcasting Network Ltd (ABNL), is setting up a Wholly Owned Subsidiary (WOS) in Singapore.
The subsidiary will take care of the company’s international operations including the distribution and marketing of Aastha group of satellite channels.
“The subsidiary will handle ABNL’s international operations. Our US and UK operations will be looked after by this proposed subsidiary while the ABNL India will take care of the Indian operations,” ABNL director Hiren Doshi told indiantelevision.com. Doshi didn’t divulge the investment details.
A meeting of the Board of Directors, held on 28 June, approved the plan.
Doshi said the company wouldn’t be listed in the Singapore stock exchange, but didn’t rule out the possibility of doing so in the future. “The board of directors has just approved the proposal. Our next mission is to get all the requisite permission from the government. We are yet to finalise a name for the company,” Doshi added.
ABNL’s move throws light on the company’s aggressive plans to tap the international market. In the US, Aastha channel is available on the DirecTV platform. “The network has obtained licences to launch on BSkyB’s direct-to-home (DTH) platform in the UK and Europe and the Asian Television Network (ATN) platform in Canada,” offers Doshi.
According to Doshi, Aastha will be targeting New Zealand, Australia and South Africa in the next phase. “ABNL will diversify in all parts of the world wherever Asian Indians are present,” he says.
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.
