News Broadcasting
Interactive programme guides helpful, says study
CALIFORNIA: Interactive programme guides (IPG) are a powerful and effective advertising delivery vehicle, generating recall levels consistent with print advertising or television commercials.
According to an advertising effectiveness study conducted by IPSOS-REID, a leading industry advertising research firm, test advertising among Gemstar’s TV Guide International (TVGI) households generated lifts in recall levels consistent with print advertising or an investment of between 200 to 400 Targeted Rating Points (TRP’s) on television commercials. The benchmark market research initiative included six major brands that advertised on the IPG over a period of two weeks.
The study measured the effectiveness of advertising on TV Guide Interactive (TVGI) – one of the company’s interactive programme guides (IPG) currently deployed in more than eight million digital cable set-top boxes in the US. The results were based on three key effectiveness measures that advertisers use as standard metric proofs of performance –
Related Recall specific to TVGI (asked to playback ads seen on TVGI and prove recall by noting elements contained within the ads);
Prompted Recall/Brand Recognition (asked to recognise the TVGI advertised brand when prompted with specific ad descriptors);
Related Recall across all media (asked to describe ads recalled for specific brands across all media. After this the level of elements associated with TVGI test ads was isolated).
The effectiveness of TVGI as an alternative medium for advertising was demonstrated on all three recall measures asked in this study. The study concluded that TVGI advertising represents an opportunity for advertisers to recapture the attention of viewers who regularly switch to TVGI during commercials and are less likely to see traditional advertising.
About two-thirds (66 per cent) of TVGI users surveyed in this study use the IPG (most of the time/always/sometimes) when a commercial comes on the channel they are watching. Further, ad recall rates are higher among those most likely to use TVGI during commercial breaks. The fact that one must focus specifically on the Guide in order to use it appears to contribute to the stronger than expected results (for a secondary media) achieved.
A total of 1,174 interviews were conducted among adults, 18+, 587 pre-advertising and 587 post-advertising.
Gemstar-TV Guide International is a global technology and media company focused on consumer entertainment. The company has three major business sectors: the Technology and Licensing Sector, which is responsible for developing, licensing and protecting the company’s intellectual property and technology; the Interactive Platform Sector, which derives recurring income from advertising, interactive services, content sales and e-commerce on the Company’s proprietary platforms, including IPG, tvguide.com.
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.
