News Broadcasting
DD far and away leader on news front: Quraishi
NEW DELHI: Amongst all the news channels, Doordarshan is way ahead of others even if all TV homes and cable and satellite homes are taken into account separately, Doordarshan’s director-general SY Quraishi has said.
Speaking at the first edition of the newly-introduced monthly award scheme (which carries cash awards for the winners apart from a plaque) last evening Quraishi, quoting TAM data, said that amongst all news channels between 8-9 pm, DD National had a viewer share of 92.21 per cent in all TV homes.
The data pertained to the 45th week ended 9 November, 2002.
Amongst C&S homes, with 15 years+ viewers, in the same time band, DD National news bulletins’ share was 57.38 per cent, Quraishi said.
The nearest rival to DD, if one can call it one, was Aaj Tak which had a viewers’ share of 4 per cent in all TV homes and 22.13 per cent in C&S homes.
In all TV homes, CNN’s share was 0.14 per cent, BBC World’s 0.14 per cent, CNBC India’s 0.29 per cent, Star News’ 0.86 per cent and Zee News’ 2.29 percent.
Stressing on the wide reach of DD, running 17-odd channels in various languages including Hindi, Quraishi said the “reach of DD is unmatched and advertisers and media planners should exploit this more effectively.”
To drive home his point, Quraishi said that even during 7-8 am time band, DD National’s share for the 5th week was much more than other news channels.
In all TV homes it was 92.08 per cent, while in C&S homes it was 62.04 pr cent. Again the nearest rival was Aaj Tak with 5.09 per cent and 24.27 per cent viewership share in all TV homes and C&S homes, respectively.
Meanwhile, dwelling on the award scheme, Prasar Bharati officials said that the main purpose of the awards was to encourage in-house productions and promote professionalism.
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.
