News Broadcasting
Judy McGrath is MTV Networks chairman, CEO
MUMBAI: Former MTV Networks group president Judy McGrath has been promoted to the role of chairman and CEO.
McGrath takes on Viacom co-COO Tom Frestons previous role. This includes overall responsibility for the networks including MTV international, Nickelodeon, Spike TV. Meanwhile MTV Networks president and COO Mark Rosenthal has left the company.
It was last year that McGrath became MTV Networks group president. She had taken on the responsibility of MTV, MTV2, VH1, CMT and Comedy Central.
What is interesting is that at the Promax&BDA Conference in New York it was McGrath who made the suggestion to Promax&BDA president and CEO Jim Chabin that India should have its own conference. That came about as McGrath recognised India as playing an increasingly important role in the creative space.
Coming back to the promotion Freston added, “Judy is the perfect fit for this job. Ours is a business of creative vision, smart brand building, unrelenting consumer focus and good execution. We are riding at an all-time high now, clearly the industry leader, and I feel very proud and fortunate to be able to turn this job over to Judy and very much look forward to seeing her influence on the company grow and grow.”
McGrath said, “I couldnt be more excited and honoured to take on this new role. Over the past 17 years, Tom set the tone for the most unique and vibrant culture in the media world.
“My top priority is to continue to make this the best place for talented people to do their best work. I inherit the strongest management team in the business in Herb Scannell and Bill Roedy, and I cant wait to get started on working with them and their respective teams to take MTV Networks boldly into the future. This will be fun.”
MTV claims to be operating at record highs, from both a creative and business perspective. It claims a reach of 400 million viewers in 164 countries and 18 languages through 94 channels worldwide.
MTV’s parent Viacom issued a release stating that it was under McGrath’s direction that MTV grew from a maverick cable channel to a maverick global brand that has come to symbolise a culture, a style, an attitude and a vibrant musical landscape.
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.
