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
Parikshit Luthra exits CNBC-TV18 after 20-year run
Former bureau chief to take brief pause before next role
NEW DELHI: Senior journalist Parikshit Luthra has signed off from CNBC-TV18, marking 28 February 2026 as his final day and closing nearly two decades with Network18 Media & Investments Limited, including eight years at the business news channel.
During his tenure, Luthra interviewed prominent business leaders and Union ministers, reporting on economic policy, corporate strategy, the automobile sector and financial markets. His coverage spanned key inflection points in India’s economic narrative.
He also led new programming formats such as Newscentre, Global Eye and Global Lens, shows that examined politics and foreign policy through an economic prism, reflecting the channel’s push towards globally linked business reporting.
In a LinkedIn post, Luthra said his final weeks were spent covering the Union Budget, the India AI Summit, India’s trade agreements with the US and EU, and the group’s flagship Rising Bharat Summit 2026. He added that he continued anchoring until his last day and briefly met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his closing assignments.
Luthra joined CNBC-TV18 in June 2018 as assistant editor, later rising to senior editor and chief of bureau, a position he held for over two years. Before that, he worked with Republic TV and CNN-News18.
He said he plans to take a short break before embarking on his next professional chapter.
