News Broadcasting
DD Metro overhaul lures the producer brigade once again
State-owned pubcaster Doordarshan is getting gung-ho about DD Metro under new director-general S.Y. Quraishi. The reason: out of the 35 prime time slots on DD Metro all have been booked and “people are there in queue for some slots to be allotted,” Quraishi said.
A scenario that was quite common in the late eighties and mid-nineties when private producers made a beeline for DD. But then frequent changes in policy and the arbit changes in schedules led to producers fleeing the network. As well as audiences.
Last year its year long partnership with the Kerry Packer Mahendra Nahata promoted HFCL-Nine fell apart after the government decided not to further proceed with the relationship. Channel Nine – led by Ravina Raj Kohli – had taken on specific prime time slots at an exorbitant price of Rs 1210 million and branded them as Nine Gold, giving DD the look and feel of a private satellite TV channel.
Quraishi admitted that DD’s viewership may not be very high at the moment, but efforts are on to rectify this through proper tapping of data from non-cable areas where only DD reaches through its various channels.
Twelve new programmes are already on air on DD Metro and some 17 others are expected by the end of this month.
Expect the battle for Indian eyeballs to get bloodier and messier, even as Star India and Sony are launching new shows, Zee has added chutzpah to its programming and Sahara TV is going on a rampage with Hindi movies.
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.
