News Broadcasting
Disney’s Ugly Betty sits pretty as No.1 show in NZ
MUMBAI: The 2007 Golden Globes is an affirmation of the phenomenal popularity of Walt Disney Company’s Ugly Betty. Riding high on all the adulation, the series has just got a fillip as it premiered in New Zealand. The series, aired on TVNZ’s TV2 on 16 January at 8:30 pm, was the highest rated show of the night.
The show was telecast in New Zealand a day after its awards romp at the Globes. Attracting an average audience of 613,600 viewers, the series captured a remarkable 18.58 per cent rating share in age group 18-39. Similar to its performance in the US, it was the nation’s female viewership that drove a massive 70 per cent share of its viewership.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with Ugly Betty’s performance in New Zealand,” commented BVITV’s senior vice president and management director in Asia Pacific Steve Macallister. “We are confident that this endearing and universal fish-out-of-water tale will continue to warm the hearts of viewers as it launches across the region.”
l In Asia Pacific, Ugly Betty has already been licensed by The Walt Disney Company’s Buena Vista International Television-Asia Pacific (BVITV-AP) to ten broadcasters. TVNZ was the first to premiere in the region. The next launch dates across the region include Korea (KBS) on 3 Feb, Singapore (MediaCorp TV) on 5 Feb, Malaysia (8TV) on 6 Feb and Hong Kong (TVB Pearl) on 15 March. Australia (Seven Network), pan-regional (STAR World), India (STAR India), Korea (CJ Media Channel CGV) and Fiji (Fiji TV) have also licensed the series with air dates not yet announced.
On 15 January Ugly Betty received a Golden Globe for Best Television Comedy with series star America Ferrera taking home the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Comedy or Musical.
Ugly Betty (Touchstone Television) is the number one new comedy of the 2006-07 television season with both total viewers and adults 18-49 in the US. Ugly Betty has greatly improved the time period for ABC, nearly doubling its year-ago delivery in both total viewers and adults 18-49. The series was launched in the UK on Friday 5 January with the highest premiere ratings for a US comedy on Channel 4 in 10 years.
The series is licensed by Disney’s Buena Vista international Television (BVITV).
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.
