News Broadcasting
Digital TV products need to be more user-centric: ITC study
LONDON: New research put out by UK’s Independent Television Commission (ITC) has recommended that a more user-centred design approach is needed for digital TV products in order to ensure that everyone is able to participate in and benefit from the digital television revolution.
This was the central theme of Easy TV 2002, an event organised on 6 November in London by the ITC, the Consumers’ Association and the Design Council as part of an ongoing initiative launched last year to promote the need for easier to use digital television equipment.
Chaired by broadcaster Muriel Gray and opened by Dr Kim Howells, minister of state at the department of culture, media and sport, the launch brought together designers and manufacturers of digital TV as well as politicians, broadcasters and consumer groups.
It followed the first Easy TV conference in November last year, aimed at highlighting public attitudes to technology, media consumption and digital TV.
While the functionality of digital TV equipment is dramatically increasing, user abilities are not. The greatest impact of this trend will be on the ageing population which has most to benefit from enhanced entertainment and information services, but who are the group most likely to face the biggest usability barriers, an ITC release states. The findings were based on a survey carried out across the UK of over 1,300 members of the public.
The research highlights the following points:
– User-centred design, based on listening to viewers and designing digital TV products and services for their needs, will help both viewers and industry alike.
– Users across all demographic groups, having used a range of current digital services, recommended that a number of simple measures including: fewer buttons on remote controls, clearer labelling on the remote, quicker feedback following responses to button presses and simpler user manuals, would make digital receiver equipment significantly easier to use.
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.
