News Broadcasting
BBC’s Jana Bennett the keynote speaker at MIPTV, Milia
MUMBAI: BBC Television director Jana Bennett will kick off proceedings at MIPTV and Milia 2004. The event takes place in Cannes from 29 March – 2 April.
In her keynote speech she will dwell on The Future of Television Programming in a Cross-Platform World. Bennett replaces former BBC DG Greg Dyke as the opening keynote speaker. Dyke resigned from the BBC in January following the Hutton report.
In her speech, Bennett will underline the growing importance of convergence to television executives – a subject which is set to be at the heart of this years MIPTV and Milia. Event attendees will come together to explore new business opportunities created by the increasing links between traditional television, digital technology and content, and new distribution platforms.
To facilitate this exchange of views, the Milia 2004 conference programme will offer sessions looking at networked home entertainment, cross-platform content creation, participation television and new distribution opportunities provided by the emerging broadband and mobile channels. In addition, content security solutions, as well as on-line and mobile games, will be featured.
On 31 March, Sony Pictures Digital Networks (US) executive VP Patrick Kennedy will deliver a keynote speech on the Future of Entertainment for the Always-On Generation. Another keynote speech at the event is Mobile ntertainment: The Next Generation. This will examine the impact of mobile telephony on the entertainment industry. The speaker is News Corp senior VP content and marketing Lucy Hood.
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.
