News Broadcasting
Karnataka theaters to defy moratorium
BANGALORE: In a move to challenge the seven-week moratorium on non-Kannada films in Karnataka enforced by the state government sponsored Pandey committee, theatre owners in Karnataka are likely to release two new non-Kannada films on Friday, 2 October.
Popcorn Khao Mast Ho Jao (Hindi), Aliens vs Predators (English) and the Om-Puri starrer King of Bollywood (which opened last week elsewhere in the country) will be screened in theaters in Bangalore and North Karnataka tomorrow.
Theater owners have also submitted a memorandum to the Karnataka Governor T N Chaturvadi stating that the moratorium does not have constitutional validity and that it was being forced on the theater owners.
In another development, a division bench of the High Court comprising of chief justice N K Jain and justice V G Sabahit has issued notices to the state and union governments and the KFCC on a petition challenging the “illegal” seven week moratorium on the release of other language film sin the state. The petition was filed by Bangalore city advocate S Vasudevamurthy, also ruling that pendency of the petition will not come in the way of a compromise formula if worked out to sort the issue.
The Karnataka Film Producers Association (KFPA), which has been instrumental in the enforcement of moratorium, has threatened to stage a dharna outside the theaters, which violate the moratorium, and has urged Kannadigas to boycott non-Kannada films.
Meanwhile the newly elected members Karnataka Film Chambers of Commerce (KFCC) top brass met the chief minister on Monday and the deputy CM yesterday. The deputy CM has asked the film industry heads to solve the current crisis over release of non-Kannada films themselves, saying that the present problem was mainly between the distributors, exhibitors and producers, requesting that the government not be dragged into this matter.
Gangaraju, the newly elected president of the KFCC, has in the meantime urged the ex-presidents of KFCC to use their influence in the industry to make the Indian film industry reconsider the embargos that have been threatened by it on the Kannada film industry.
Mediator actor-politician Ambarish’s meeting with all the three aggrieved parties – producers, theater owners and distributors – held yesterday to work out a solution was called off since the star was busy with some other appointments.
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.
