News Broadcasting
Linear TV witnesses upsurge in viewing during lockdown
MUMBAI: Recent media reports have revealed shifts in consumers’ viewing behaviours, with individuals and families spending more time at home due to the Covid2019 pandemic. This has resulted in a spike in linear TV viewing, in terms of penetration and time spent across multiple markets and all generations.
News channels and programmes have seen a surge in viewership as news updates and government announcements on new regulations and the pandemic development become profoundly important to the public. During this period of uncertainty, satellite continues to be a reliable and cost-effective means for content delivery, serving audiences nationally and abroad with critical and timely news and information.
As Asia’s leading provider of broadcast platforms, AsiaSat strives to meet consumers’ evolving demand for content and viewing quality. Among the 550 TV and radio channels originated from more than 30 countries and regions in 30 languages delivered by the AsiaSat fleet, more than 80 are news channels, with 60 per cent of them in local languages targeting local markets as well as expatriates and travellers who want to keep abreast of the happenings in their home countries.
Over the past year, the number of HDTV channels increased across AsiaSat’s core video satellites AsiaSat 5 and AsiaSat 7, as well as its new video hotbird AsiaSat 9 at 122°E. These HDTV channels have included the Asian Action Channel, CTI Asia, ET Mall, PILI TV, Trace Sport Stars, Trace Urban, TVB Xing He and tvN Movies on AsiaSat 9, and a selection of WarnerMedia’s bouquet of regional HD channels on AsiaSat 7 including CNN, Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Warner TV, raising the share of HDTV services to 30% across the AsiaSat fleet.
“At AsiaSat, while committed to protecting the safety and health of our employees during this difficult period, we will continue supporting our customers to deliver high-quality and uninterrupted services to their audience even as demand for TV content surges unpredictably. With our growing HDTV services and wide-ranging news and entertainment programming, we are delighted to demonstrate satellite’s ability to multicast high resolution content, particularly over a vast geographical area and with a growing population of receive antennas, which is more resilient in coping with unexpected soaring demand for services than streaming TV services that were required to lower streaming quality at times of network congestion,” said Ina Lui, senior vice president, commercial, business development and strategy at AsiaSat.
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.
