News Broadcasting
Al Jazeera America expands executive news team
MUMBAI: Al Jazeera America (AJAM) has expanded its executive news team with the appointment of Heather Allan as senior vice president of news gathering.
Additionally, AJAM’s current news gathering head, Amir Ahmed, an Emmy award-winning journalist who held leadership roles at CNN before joining AJAM in 2013, will assume the role of senior vice president of news planning.
Allan, who is a long-time American news veteran, will be responsible for overseeing all of AJAM’s news coverage. She has worked for 30 years at NBC, including as West Coast bureau chief, before joining Al Jazeera English in 2009 as head of global news gathering.
On the other hand, Ahmed will be responsible for the strategic planning and delivery of AJAM’s high-quality news content.
The appointments reflect a strategic commitment by AJAM to bolster its news gathering resources and realign editorial operations so the network is best positioned to advance its journalistic mission across a range of platforms.
“Amir and Heather are strong leaders whom we’re pleased to have join the newsroom as we continue to advance AJAM’s mission to deliver the highest quality, in-depth journalism to more audiences and through multiple platforms,” said Al Jazeera America executive vice president of content Amjad Atallah.
In her previous role at Al Jazeera English, Allan managed all global news coverage for the network’s 34 bureaus across the world. She played a key role in in launching AJAM in 2013, setting up all of the channel’s domestic bureaus and recruiting news staff for each location.
“Heather’s worldly experience and innate news sense will be a valuable asset in further strengthening AJAM’s exceptionally talented news division,” said Al Jazeera America president Kate O’Brian.
“AJAM’s unique mission, passionate journalists and dedication to its editorial vision are characteristics that I truly admire in this young network,” added Allan. “I’m excited about the opportunity to be part of it at such a pivotal time, as AJAM defines its role in the market and promotes the value of its content to new audiences.”
“With a news team committed to delivering content that’s consistently second to none, it’s a fascinating opportunity to work amongst journalists who all share the same mission,” said Ahmed. “I’m looking forward to having Heather on board as we embark on this next phase of AJAM, working together to reach new heights while ensuring our quality journalism continues to reflect our editorial DNA.”
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.
