News Broadcasting
Kannada film producers call for one day strike
BANGALORE: Unhappy with the deputy chief minister Siddaramaiah’s state budget proposal on entertainment tax on non-Kannada films, the Kannada Film Producers Association (KFPA) has decided to go on a one-day strike on 23 July.
The film industry, in its pre-budgetary representation, had requested the deputy chief minister to refrain from reducing entertainment tax on non-Kannada films from 70 per cent to 40 per cent. That the government didn’t oblige the KFPA’s request is the reason for the strike call.
The association members are planning to meet the state deputy chief minister on 26 July to make a formal request to reconsider the proposal.
KFPA has also demanded that the government should extend subsidy to all the Kannada films produced in the state, with the exception of remakes and sex and violence-dominated films. The Karnataka Film Exhibitors Association (KFExA) has, however, agreed to temporarily accept the budget proposal.
The release of a number of movies could be delayed by a week if the strike takes place.
The state already provides subsidy to the extent of Rs.1 million per film for a select 20 films per year. Whether the viewer will benefit from the proposed tax cut or not remains to be seen. The authority for pricing of tickets rests solely with the theatre owners.
Pricing is generally determined by various factors such as location of the theater and the fluctuations in its show timing collections, among other things. It is likely that the prices in major cities may remain the same, but in villages and towns where the ticket cost could affect the collections in a major way, the tax reduction benefit may be passed onto the viewer.
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.
