News Broadcasting
DD appoints Amitabh Chakravorty as additional DG
NEW DELHI: Completing the so-called ‘de-toxication’ of Doordarshan News, Amitabh Chakravorty was today appointed as an additional director-general (news) in Doordarshan.
Chakravorty is an official of the Indian Information Service (IIS), which had been a bete noire of professionals from outside hired by DD News, including Aaj Tak’s Deepak Chaurasia.
The new appointee replaces Sanjiv Dutta, who had shed his additional responsibilities at DD News in the wake of other changes effected in DD News.
Dutta, however, remains an ADG (administration) in Doordarshan, which is managed by Prasar Bharati or the Broadcasting Corporation of India, an autonomous body modelled on the British Broadcasting Corporation.
Still, Prasar Bharati sources maintained that Chakravorty’s new appointment is ‘routine’ and has nothing to do with a de-saffronisation process set in motion by the present coalition government led by the Congress party.
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.
