News Broadcasting
Discovery claims lead over arch rival NGC
NEW DELHI: Even as the fight for the non-fiction genre of programming hots up in India, Discovery India, quoting TAM figures, says it has a viewership of 35,000 viewers, while that of rival National Geographic Channel (NGC) was 20,000 for the 44th week ended 2 November.
The figures (all cities, 24 hours and C&S 4+ audience) show that average viewership was as following: Discovery – 35,000, Animal Planet (AP) – 10, 000, NGC 20,000. Where the TRPs are concerned, Discovery India has claimed figures of 0.06, AP – 0.02, against NGC – 0.03.
However, NGC has a different view on this altogether. Quizzed on the issue of leadership and market share, NGC’s South Asia head Zubin Gandevia told indiantelevision.com last week, “If Discovery is talking about leadership over NGC, good. I don’t see competition as NGC is comparatively a younger channel (in India) compared to Discovery.”
The list of Top 20 programmes on Discovery shows that crime programming is doing well. The list has a good mix of programmes from the different time bands and genres. NGC has a very high number of nature/wildlife shows in its list, and Nat Geo Max, which was doing better than Discovery at 9 pm on weekdays has stopped performing as well.
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.
