News Broadcasting
Govt awaits pay channel prices intimation; Siti, Sony to discuss HITS
NEW DELHI: Even as the broadcasters are still in the process of “making up their minds” — as one of them put it — on the pricing of individual channels, SitiCable and Sony are slated to meet tomorrow to discuss such issues as also whether Sony channels would be available for Zee’s headend in the sky (HITS) project.
According to information available with indiantelevision.com, a senior official from India’s information and broadcasting ministry touched base with some broadcasters on the pricing front today, but did not seem to have got any concrete feedback.
Government sources also indicated that the broadcasters may meet up with ministry officials on Wednesday where it is expected that a pricing strategy may be unveiled.
The problem with the government is that it cannot force the broadcasters to intimate it the prices, as the notification on this clearly states that the cable operators have to display the individual prices of the channels, which means that the broadcasters need to inform the cable ops about the pricing and not the government.
Meanwhile, in tomorrow’s meeting between SitiCable and Sony, it is expected that apart from the pricing issue, the issue of HITS and Sony channels being available on the platform would also be thrashed out.
The presence of non-Zee and Turner channels on the HITS platform is important for the Subhash Chandra company to make the project viable and attractive for cable ops too.
Star India in the past has expressed its unwillingness to decide on joining a HITS platform promoted by Zee, even though SitiCable has claimed that Star has not got back to them after the initial parleys.
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.
