News Broadcasting
DD, MTV tie up for AIDS concert telecast
MUMBAI: For the first time ever, Doordarshan has agreed to telecast one of music channel MTV’s concerts, in a prime time 90-minute weekend slot on DD National.
The MTV Music Summit for AIDS, to be held to coincide with World AIDS Day on 1 December, will be telecast on the music channel on 13 December and on the public broadcaster on 15 December. DD Sahyadri will also carry the 90-minute telecast, although the date and time are yet be finalised, according to MTV India managing director Alex Kuruvilla.
A star-studded line up of pop music artists, Bollywood gliterrati and MTV veejays will entertain crowds at the MMRDA grounds for five hours on 1 December, interspersing the music items with public service announcements related to AIDS. The Avert Society, a USAID funded organisation that works to reduce the impact and control the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Maharashtra will be presenting the event jointly with MTV for the second year in a row.
A multi-media strategy, including radio (a tie up with Go 92.5 FM), outdoor, print and on air (messages through all MTV programmes) has already been put into place to create awareness for the event and after, says Kuruvilla. Like last year, the Family Health International, will track the response from the event, aimed at creating awareness among youth, through exit polls, as well as by monitoring the number of households reached. With DD agreeing to telecast the event, the awareness should penetrate over 70 million homes this year, says Avert Society project director K Vaidyanathan. MTV’s reach of 23.5 million homes in the country is also expected to add to the awareness level.
The event is a continuation of MTV’s global initiative of spreading awareness about the disease. A similar event was held by MTV in Cape Town over the last weekend, and another is lined up in Seattle on 27 November. Among the artistes who will perform on 1 December in Mumbai are Alisha, Bombay Vikings, KK, Mehnaz, Shaan, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Silk Route, Shweta Shetty, Hema Sardesai and Vasundhara.
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.
