News Broadcasting
Kohli starts work Monday as Star News president
Star India finally made it official today. The Rupert Murdoch-promoted company announced the appointment of Ravina Raj Kohli as president – Star News Channel. Kohli starts work Monday and will be spearheading the new Star News operation scheduled to delink from Prannoy Roy’s New Delhi Television on 31 March 2002.
Kohli is expected to be in Los Angeles within the next two weeks to get a first hand look at how Murdoch’s Fox News operation is run. It is the Fox News formula on which the new Star News will be modelled – meaning lots more focus on entertainment, sports and business as an adjunct to politics.
Kohli will report directly to Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea who, while announcing the appointment, said: “We are very pleased to have Ravina join us at this exciting juncture. Ravina’s experience in the creative business of television will bring to the news category in India a fresh boost and new energy. I am confident that with her leadership, Star News will achieve new heights as the pace-setter in news broadcasting.”
“I am ready for the challenge ahead, and look forward to working with Asia’s most dynamic company, building on the popularity and success of Star News – and breaking new ground,” an official release quoted Kohli as saying.
One thing that seems clear is that Star News will not be operating out of the Star India head office in the western Mumbai suburb of Andheri. A likely possibility as far as office premises go is the Worli area of central Mumbai. A whole new complex where the news operations will be housed is just one part of the start-up costs of the news channel which will have a completely new look – new ID, logos and everything else. Star has reportedly earmarked Rs 2500 million for just the first year of operations. That is huge money and is likely to shake up all the players in the business.
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.
