News Broadcasting
Digital TV transition in US has a long way to go: report
MUMBAI: A new study in the US has stressed the need for speeding up the digital television transition process.
The Digital Transition Coalition (DTC) has said that, contrary to the claims of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), the DTV transition has a long distance to traverse before it becomes a reality.
Tens of millions of Americans are still unable to receive one or more of their local network stations in digital mode. The coalition released state-by-state maps, using Federal Communications Commission (FCC) data. These clearly illustrate the coverage of digital signals across the US as of July 2004.
The maps were filed with the FCC as part of the coalition’s response to a filing by the NAB. Earlier the NAB had stated that broadcasters had met the challenge of the conversion to DTV and that the transmission side of the DTV equation was built.
However the DTC analysis revealed that 36.1 per cent of households (over 39 million) cannot receive digital service from at least one of the network broadcasters. Nineteen per cent of households (over 20 million) are receiving digital service from only three digital network broadcasters.
George Landrith of Frontiers of Freedom, which is a member of the DTC added, “This analysis paints a stark picture of the digital transition in this country. It illustrates once and for all that the transition to digital television is behind schedule and continues to exclude millions of Americans — especially those in rural areas.
“And this is happening despite the fact that broadcasters were supposed to be broadcasting their DTV service at full power by 2002. While technology is improving and more offerings are available, the reality is tens of millions of Americans are still being denied digital service because the local broadcasters have been dragging their feet,” adds Landrith.
Landrith further said, “The key to speeding up the transition is to provide incentives for local broadcasters to make digital signals available and to give other services the ability to offer those signals if the local broadcasters won’t.”
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.
