News Broadcasting
Hit serials show slump in ratings in US
NEW YORK (US): According to the latest Nielsen Media Research, the Emmy-winning political drama, The West Wing has shown a sharp decline in the popularity charts in the US.
The West Wing ratings are down 23 per cent compared to the first three episodes last year, ER is down 15 per cent and after a fast start with Niles and Daphne’s wedding, Frasier has sunk and Providence is off 19 percent, states report by AP television writer David Bauder.
“A network always needs to be concerned about the health of their returning series, simply because they are the pillars of their schedule,” Initiative Media television analyst Stacey Lynn Koerner is quoted as saying in the report. “It’s a lot easier to replace a new show that is not living up to expectations,” he added.
The report further reveals that ABC is still trying to recover from a ratings free fall after established hits like The Drew Carey Show and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire which swiftly lost favor last year. Listing out the probable reasons for a show like The West Wing going down the popularity chart includes viewer exhaustion with politics and critics who claim that its quality has slipped. NBC is facing tougher competition in the time slot, particularly for young viewers, with ABC’s The Bachelor and the WB’s Birds of Prey , saysthe report.
Even though The West Wing hit Nielsen’s top 10 last week, The Bachelor won among viewers age 18 to 49. “Given the tremendous competition for young adults in that hour, this is probably a realistic place for the show to be,” NBC entertainment president Jeff Zucker is quoted as saying in the report.
The report also mentions some popular NBC shows which have started showing their age, namely Frasier which is in its tenth season and ER in its ninth. Providence, which was on the fence for renewal before this season, began in January 1999.
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.
