News Broadcasting
Cable consumers must have multiple options: Baijal
MUMBAI: It was on Wednesday that the Telecom Authority of India (TRAI) chairman Pradip Baijal set the cat among the “cable pigeons” when he declared that he was all for the elimination of cable operators’ monopolies. Baijal’s recipe: possibly “allowing three operators in an area”.
Today, Baijal qualified that statement further and said consumers should have multiple options like cable, broadband, DTH and set-top boxes to watch satellite TV channels at home.
“The consumers should have multiple options, DTH is very welcome, as also others like broadband. You can’t have one system only, otherwise local monopolies will develop as they have developed now,” Baijal was quoted by the Press Trust of India as telling reporters. He was speaking on the sidelines of a TRAI open house discussion on ‘Accelerating growth of Internet and broadband’, in Bangalore.
Interestingly, if one goes by the PTI report, Baijal has steered away from any mention of more than one cable service provider competing for customer preference in an area. What he seems to be saying is that the consumer should have a choice of platforms that he can access through which he can get his daily dose of television. If that is the case, there is unlikely to be any opposition from the cable fraternity on this matter.
The report quotes Baijal as saying the cable TV industry needs to be lauded for the spurt in satellite TV channels in an unregulated environment. However, there was a need for a regulator in the light of the in creasing disputes among the industry players, he has been quoted as saying.
“Implementing the regulations is a problem, but world over, the telecom regulator regulates this (broadcast),” the report quotes him as saying.
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.
