News Broadcasting
Indian news channels off air in Nepal again
MUMBAI: The Nepalese ministry of information and communication has issued a verbal order to cable operators to shut down the transmission of Aaj Tak and Star News. Reportedly, the transmission of other Indian news channels has also been suspended for covering the government’s attempt to crackdown on pro-democracy protests.
However, when contacted by indiantelevision.com, senior executives of the ‘affected’ channels refused to offer any comments saying they are waiting for more details on the issue.
This is not for the first time that the Indian news channels beaming in Nepal has been suspended off-air. Indian channels were banned last year in February, when Nepal King Gyanendra dismissed the Sher Bahadur Deuba government and imposed a state of emergency. But later, in the month of June, the Nepalese government had lifted the ban on Indian news channels.
According to the reports, security forces had confiscated the video footage taken by CNN-IBN and Star News, which featured the residence of CPN (UML) general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal.
The Indian print media also receives a similar treatment, where the local administration in Nepalgunj will censor the contents that speaks about the political upheaval. Issues on protest and arrests of any political activists published will be cut out before they are allowed to circulate in the area.
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.
