News Broadcasting
Contemporariness, vibrancy Max’s revamp mantra
MUMBAI: It is not just Sony Entertainment Television India’s flagship SET that is gearing up for a new look and feel come 24 October. Sibling movies and special events channel Max is also about to undergo a complete revamp in terms of channel design and packaging.
The new channel packaging and design has been done by US based design boutique Mocean, reveals SET India CFO and Max business head NP Singh.
The new on-air packaging will provide viewers with an enhanced viewing experience via a more contemporary, engaging, stylish and progressive look. Max will now have three key genre ids for movies, special events, and cricket. Apart from this, the packaging for key Max properties like Maha Movie, Mera Movie and Super Cinema has also been refreshed. The music score of the channel too will change and will be more vitalising and contemporary, Singh offers.
The refreshed channel packaging will retain the colours of warm golds for movies and blues for special events including cricket. The music tracks for the individual elements have been redesigned to reinforce the scale and appeal of Maha Movie, Mera Movie and Super Cinema.
The end pages for promo packaging have also been enhanced, with a stronger Max smiley to focus on tune-in information such as key day-date-time details on airing schedules of each program.
However, there will be no change in the logo or the inherent values of the channel so as to give the viewers a smooth transition. Hence, key elements like genre colours and the use of silhouettes have been retained for the same.
The last time the channel underwent a revamp was in January 2002 and it was well received. MAX would be hoping for a similar response this time round as well.
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.
