News Broadcasting
MAX to present new on-air look 26 January
It’s got the look. A peek at the new face that Max, the digital movies and events channel from the Sony Entertainment stable, will be presenting to the world at 7 am on Republic Day (26 January) certainly corroborates that.
Speaking to the media during what could be called a coming out party, Rajat Jain, executive vice-president and business head, MAX, said there would be a renewed focus on building the Max brand as a separate entity rather than as an adjunct of SET. The restructuring process that was undertaken last year had split SET and Max into two business units to give each channel the requisite focus, Jain said.
The aim is to build up Max for the future for which there will be adequate investment pumped in, Jain said, adding that once the new look channel went on air there would be some changes in the MAX logo and elements for all promotables like Maha Movie and Mera Movie, for instance, plus elements like promo end pages, menu pages, lower thirds, new packaging audio, etcetera.
Queried on what the channel proposed to do with its cricket property (Max has the rights to cricket played in Bangladesh for the next six years), Jain said they would be utilising it but stressed that movies would be the main focus.
Though Jain refused to get drawn into a discussion on whether Max would phase out cricket from its itinerary it is clear that Max is positioning itself as a movies and events channel rather than a movies and cricket one as was earlier the case.
Detailing what went into the new look of the channel, Jain said: Under the supervision of the channel’s creative team, the new look has been executed by the top notch, International award winning design house, Belief which bagged a pitch that was open to seven other reputed international design houses from the USA and UK. Belief did the creatives on the new look that SET went in for at the end of last year as well.
Jain says: “We have spent close to six months in conceiving and executing our new look. And I believe that all the time, and the quarter of a million dollars we invested in the project, has been well worth the effort.
Jain added that his team was working on a programming schedule that would be clued in to the needs of both the advertiser and the viewer which would be ready by March.
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.
