News Broadcasting
Dhoots target Rs 10 billion this fiscal from V1 online lottery
MUMBAI: While most newly hatched lottery businesses have kept their ambitious plans on hold, prefering to rationalise and streamline their outfits, the Dhoot promoted V1 lottery is firing on all cylinders, targeting a turnover of Rs 10 billion in 2004-05.
V1, which launched on 8 February, and has hardly created a ripple thus far, aims to unleash an ad blitz costing Rs 1500 million in the coming months to lure the lottery player and also intends to launch a 24-hour gaming channel that will draw in the player and tickle the curiosity of the potential lottery enthusiast.
According to Dhoot Entertainment Network CEO Anirudh Dhoot, DEN has already set up 2,500 terminals across the country and plans to tie up with ETC as its television platform to air results, at least for one year. The eight online games, marketed under the V1, Khel Ke Dekho brand name, will soon be expanded to 24, says Dhoot. The ‘Videocon’ brand, which is known for durable products, will play an important role in promoting and marketing of its lottery business aggressively, he says.
According to Dhoot, DEN is the only company in the business which is offering a loan service to prospective franchisees, by offering Rs 90,000 for setting up terminals. It could also be the first company to offer franchisees a payout of eight per cent, which is the highest in an industry where the average hovers around five per cent.
Dhoot says V1, the lottery could well be a lead player in the market as it is strong in retailing and distribution, through its 10,000-strong retail network across the country. Dhoot says other companies and prospective big players failed to make a mark as these companies were new to the retail market and did not have the required retailing and distribution strengths. More importantly, most companies are seeking immediate profit, unlike Videocon, which is targeting long term profits and stability.
According to a company document, the Dhoots also plan to launch a 24-hour gaming channel, also called V1, which apart from sports and business news, will feature programmes related to the gaming.
After having bagged licenses for Meghalaya, West Bengal, Goa, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, the company is now targeting Kerala and Karnataka, where it plans to instal 150 terminals each. Till today, it has deployed 600 terminals in all the five states, and is looking ahead for another 1,200 by the end of this year. The company is also eyeing lottery licenses of the states of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttaranchal and Tamil Nadu, says Dhoot.
The company has also struck an alliance with Reliance Infocomm to announce the results of its online lottery through SMS.
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.
