News Broadcasting
Balaji to aggressively tap overseas markets
MUMBAI : Balaji Telefilms, which recently sold telecast rights of 1000 hours of software from its library to an Indonesian company, plans to aggressively target the overseas market this fiscal.
The company has previously sold regional language software to outfits in Malaysia, South Africa and Sri Lanka for telecast on local terrestrial and satellite channels. However, while the earlier deals were struck on sporadic requests from the overseas firms, the Indonesian deal is the first where Balaji decided to go all out and solicit buyers for its library.
COO Rajesh Pavithran who was present at the Asian Television Forum in Singapore, says the response was more than enthusiastic. “The buyers were amazingly well informed about our wares than we expected,” he says. Pt Menara Media Sakti, the company that lapped up 1000 hours of Balaji’s software with an option of using any of the five Hindi serials offered, will be allowed one time telecast plus one natural repeat on satellite / terrestrial channels beaming in Indonesia only. Subsequently, the rights will revert back to the company. The serials offered to Menara included Kabhi Souten Kabhi Saheli, Itihaas, Bandhan and Padosan.
Balaji also plans to get into international co-productions, but Pavithran is loath to reveal more at this stage. The company has, in its 2800 hours of library software, Tamil and Telugu serials like Kudumbbam, Kulaaa Villaku, Pavitra Bandham, and Kavyanjali.
The company has however put on hold its plans to venture into the regional markets of Kerala and West Bengal as planned earlier. Balaji will now tap these markets only after the World Cup. While Star is yet to officially announce its plans to go ahead with Kalki, the children’s fantasy show to be made by Balaji, Pavithran is confident that the Sunday morning show will shortly debut on the channel.
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.
