News Broadcasting
BBC sacks 60 people in its news department
MUMBAI:In a major cost cutting drive aimed at reducing redundancies, BBC bosses are axing 60 jobs in the news operation. More jobs may be lost when BBC’s Ceefax and online news services merge at the beginning of next year. In addition a recruitment freeze has been imposed across the entire BBC news department.
The redundancies come as the BBC director general, Greg Dyke, seeks to save ?160m across the entire corporation, states a BBC report.
“Spiralling costs and changes in programme requirements and aspirations are the main causes of the unexpected redundancies” BBC , newsgathering chief Adrian van Klaveren is quoted as having said in the report. Twenty-six jobs will go within the BBC’s newsgathering department, where significant changes will be made to balance the budget and meet changing editorial requirements, the report adds.
The budget shortfall in the news division is estimated to be about ?15m. However the deficit is in addition to last year’s overspend in the news budget following September 11, the war on terrorism and the Bali bombing.
“We understand people are very anxious to know the outcome and we will do everything we can to move this forward as quickly as possible in order to allay the uncertainties which everyone will be feeling,” commented Klaveren.
Interestingly, the report further reveals that BBC director of news, Richard Sambrook, had written to his department’s 3,300 staff inviting them to consider voluntary redundancy at the end of last year.
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.
