News Broadcasting
Film industry severs ties with Kannada filmdom
BANGALORE: The retaliation from outside the state has finally come. Protesting against the seven-week moratorium on non-Kannada films in Karnataka, the Tamil, Telugu and Hindi film industries backed by the Film Federation of India and the South Indian Film Chambers of Commerce have decided to sever all ties with the Kannada film industry.
According to media reports, though no official announcement has been made yet in this regard, the organisations have ratified the following embargoes on the Kannada Film Industry:
No other language films will be released at all in Karnataka.
No actors or technicians from other languages will work in Kannada films.
No Kannada actors, artistes, producers, music directors, technicians will be permitted to work in any other industry.
No other language producers will produce Kannada movies.
No Kannada films will be dubbed in any other language.
No shooting will be done in Karnataka by any other language; Kannada films will be refused permission to shoot elsewhere.
Film manufacturers will be asked to reduce raw stock to Kannada films.
The Telugu film industry sources said that they had waited for over four weeks for the Kannada film industry to relent their seven-week moratorium, and then decided on the embargoes. It is alleged that the Kannada film producers had refused to give appointments to their counterparts to meet and sort out the issues.
Reportedly refuting this allegation, Karnataka Film Producers Association president Basant Kumar Patil has said that they would be willing to meet anyone and explain the situation of the Kannada film industry.
Meanwhile actor-politician Ambarish managed to convince the Karnataka Film Exhibitors Federation (KFEF) on the release of the Kannada movie Omkar. The film released as per schedule in South Karnataka on Saturday to coincide with actor Upendra’s birthday.
Omkara’s release was permitted by the KFEF on Sunday in North Karnataka after Ambarish assured that another meeting would be convened to discuss the issue of simultaneous release of non-Kannada films in the state, say reports. The current seven week ban on Non-Kannada films will likely be over by the end of this month and the issue would be taken up by the Pandey Committee during it’s next meeting. KFEF has also demanded a reduction in power tariffs for theaters.
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.
