News Broadcasting
After Europe, India where Time Warner focus is: Parsons
MUMBAI: So-called restrictive legislations or not, India is a market that no mass product company can ignore. World’s biggest media company Time Warner is no exception.
This is evident from the fact that chairman and CEO of Time Warner,Richard Parson, sees India as a priority international market after Europe for his organisation.
At a time when Asia’s biggest market China has stringent media regulations making it difficult for non-Chinese companies to operate there, liberal India is the next haven for Western business houses.
“Time Warner in the US is such a large player. Where are we going to get growth from?” Parson was quoted by worldscreen.com as saying at an interaction with journalists at Mipcom in France on Wednesday.
According to Parson, “The first place we are going to look at is Europe. They are developed economies, established platforms, and there’s an orientation towards Western content. We are focused on Europe and the emerging markets of India and China, in that order.”
Though media has speculated on investments in India by Time Warner, but the company has preferred to keep a low profile.
At present, Time Warner’s biggest exposure to India is through a 26:74 joint venture with Zee Telefilms, called Zee Turner Ltd, for distribution of TV channels in India.
With over 30 channels in its bouquet, in certain markets within India Zee Turner has beaten Star and Discovery-Sony TV One Alliance in terms of subscription.
Zee Turner is targeting a turnover of Rs 4 billion by March 2007, signifying a revenue growth of 30-35 per cent compared to last financial year.
Through some of its group companies – Turner’s three satellite TV channels CNN, Cartoon Network and Pogo, Warner Bros. Movies based in Mumbai, Zee Turner and also a small outfit of AOL in Bangalore – Time Warner has an
adequate presence in India.
But it would be nowhere near as lucrative or penetrative as competitor Rupert Murdoch’s Star.
In 2004 when Parson came on a flying visit to India, he did indicate at a party thrown for India’s business elites that Time Warner would like to set up a business process outsourcing unit (reason not known) here also.
Presently, Time Warner is slightly worried over the fate of a court mandated ban on airing ‘A’ certified movies by movie channels in the Mumbai market.
The ban affects Indian and foreign film channels, including HBO in which Time Warner has interest.
Meanwhile, speaking at length about his company’s plans in Europe at Mipcom, Parson did not rule out a cable acquisition in Europe.
“We all believe cable is the winner over time,” Parsons was quoted in media reports as saying.
“We look at everything. It’s a big issue. Cable will win in the US but maybe not outside the US since the infrastructure is not there. We look, we evaluate on price, you never know,” he added.
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.
