News Broadcasting
India Today’s Putin interview goes global
NEW DELHI: India Today has scored a rare global hit. Its exclusive interview with Vladimir Putin has rippled far beyond Indian screens, racking up vast audiences, heavy newsroom pickup and sustained international chatter, according to the group’s newly released media impact report.
The numbers are arresting. The interview generated 235 million video views across television and digital platforms, with peak concurrent live viewership hitting 1.2 million worldwide. Social media added muscle, delivering 5.8 million interactions across Meta platforms, X, Instagram and YouTube.
The reach was not merely wide, but influential. The report records coverage, citation and attribution across 25 leading international media organisations, alongside prominent front-page and headline placements across Europe, Asia and the global south. International pickup included BBC, Reuters, Associated Press, The Washington Post and The New York Times, supplemented by extensive regional and multilingual adoption.
Measured against other recent political exclusives, the contrast is stark. High-profile Western interviews—ranging from Donald Trump’s appearances on 60 Minutes and ABC’s 100 Days to Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s US broadcast engagements—drew strong domestic audiences but struggled to travel. India Today’s interview, by contrast, became a sustained reference point across global newsrooms, policy debates and diplomatic discourse.
Depth mattered as much as scale. Beyond live transmission, the interview continued to draw audiences weeks later, with digital consumption remaining robust and social engagement signalling active participation rather than passive reach.
By peak live viewership and post-broadcast performance, the report ranks the interview among the most-watched real-time global political conversations in recent years.
“This milestone marks a powerful start to the year and reinforces our commitment to journalism that shapes conversations across borders by asking questions that resonate with the global citizen,” said Kalli Purie, vice chairperson and executive editor-in-chief of India Today Group.
In a crowded media world, attention is fleeting. This one travelled—and stayed.
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.
