News Broadcasting
‘CNBC will ally with other broadcasters if it gets into DTH’
MUMBAI: CNBC India will not get into direct-to-home services on its own but would be looking at allying with other broadcasters in setting up a platform, CEO Harish Chawla said on Monday.
Chawla clarified that CNBC was still a long way away from concretising plans on how to go forward because they were yet to identify possible partners in the project.
“We hope to enter the DTH market at some point but I can’t say when exactly because there are a number of issues which need looking into,” Chawla said.
The principal issue that is exercising the industry is the 20 per cent sectoral and foreign equity cap on DTH operations that the government is demanding. Information and broadfcasting minister Sushma Swaraj has repeatedly said there will be no change in the guidelines issued in November 2000 despite strong lobbying from the industry for its increase.
Swaraj has said DTH guidelines will be issued sometime this week and it is only then that there will be a clear fix on who is likely to finally get into DTH operations.
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.
