News Broadcasting
ET Now and ET Now Swadesh unveil budget day programming
Mumbai: ET Now and ET Now Swadesh have announced exclusive budget-day programming under the theme ‘Mission Growth: Budget 2022.’ The curated lineup of shows will commence from 7 a.m on 1 February.
The channel will leverage technology and AR graphics to present a simplified budget analysis. The live coverage will commence with the finance minister’s speech followed by an in-depth analysis of budget 2022-23 by ET Now and ET Now Swadesh managing editor Nikunj Dalmia.
This will be followed by an exclusive segment with Indian economist, journalist and columnist Swaminathan Aiyar. A panel of experts including HDFC Life MD and CEO, DLF whole-time director and CEO Ashok Tyagi, M&M executive director (auto and farm sectors) Rajesh Jejurikar, Fortis Healthcare MD and CEO Ashutosh Raghuvanshi, SBI former chairman Rajnish Kumar will analyse the budget.
A panel featuring HDFC Asset Management Company ED and CIO Prashant Jain, market veterans Madhusudan Kela and Shankar Sharma, Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC MD and CEO A Balasubramanian, ICICI Prudential AMC ED and CIO S Naren will offer insights on post-budget investment strategy and wealth creation.
ET Now consulting editor Mythili Bhusnurmath will present a segment on the story behind the budget numbers and will help viewers understand the budget undertone. An expert team from Deloitte India will share their top takes from the budget.
The two channels are also running a slew of digital and on-air short format video content that will simplify the union budget. A segment called ‘Aasaan Bhaasha Me’ will help viewers get a better sense of this year’s budget and round up all budget-related highlights.
“Jayant Sir Ki Class” a show featuring former minister of state for finance Jayant Sinha will explain concepts, terms, and de-jargonise the budget. The show will air on the channels as well as social media platforms.
The channels have also announced an on-air contest “Budget Master” starting on 1 February where participants can enter the contest by watching the channels and answering questions asked every hour between 9 a.m and 2 p.m. “Five winners will be selected and gratified with an iPhone,” said the channel in a statement.
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.
