News Broadcasting
AXN’s ‘India vs Pak Challenge’ to begin next month
MUMBAI: The preliminary rounds of AXN’s biggest ground event of the year, AXN Xtreme: India vs Pakistan Challenge, will commence in the last week of August.
Speaking to the Indiantelevision.com yesterday, Sony’s assistant VP marketing India Rohit Bhandari said that in a couple of days, the channel will call for entries from Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai. Participants need to be 18+ and must have a valid passport.
The channel is still working on the kinds of challenges to be incorporated in the event. It is also looking at foreign locations for the finals, because of the constraints put on by lack of proper infrastructure in India, he said.
“For instance in India, you cannot find a crane that is over 40-feet high. We are talking to representatives of various Asian countries and trying to judge who can give us the most complete facilities at the best price. The event will have fun and adventure. At the same time it will not be easy for the contestants,” Bhandari 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.
