News Broadcasting
DD to telecast four FIFA World Cup matches deferred live; highlights of others
Following yesterday’s announcement made by B4U Networks that it had secured the terrestrial telecast rights for the FIFA soccer World Cup from Taj Sports, the promoter company of sports channel Ten Sports, there has been a clarification issued.
Peter Hutton, V-P Programming, Ten Sports, said today: “It would be incorrect to say that B4U has the terrestrial rights to the World Cup. Our discussions with them are limited to the airtime sales of highlights being shown after 11 pm on Doordarshan and there is no deal as yet with Doordarshan to show such highlights.”
When contacted Debashish Dey, chief distribution officer, B4U, stated that “we have acquired the rights for a six-hour deferred terrestrial telecast on Doordarshan of four matches and the opening and closing ceremonies.” The matches that will be shown in their entirety are the opening match, the two semi-finals and the finals. For the other 60 matches that will be played during the tournament, one-hour highlight capsules would be aired at 11 pm, Dey said. “In all probability we will be buying 11-12 pm slots on DD and telecasting the highlights,” he added.
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.
