News Broadcasting
Middle East Television to launch first Indian satellite channel from Dubai
MUMBAI: Dubai-based Middle East Television (MET), a sister concern of the Dubai-based IT company Alan Media, will launch the first Indian language satellite channel to be beamed from the Dubai Media City (DMC) from November.
The 24-hour free-to-air digital satellite Malayalee channel has been scheduled for a 1 November launch to coincide with Kerala Day. The channel will have an initial investment of $20 million, and will be beamed down through Panamsat (PAS-10) satellite at 68.5 E, say agency reports.
The channel will focus on non-resident Keralites, their lifestyles and aspirations and will also have regular blocks of Hindi and other south Indian language programming, with shows being produced mainly in the UAE. Key advantages of the channel will be its vast reach (Middle East, Far East, Africa, Europe and Australia,) and also its multi language platform.
“MET will focus primarily on news-based as well as feature programmes. Innovation will be our strength, and we have lined up a lot of exciting and refreshing topics for telecast,” MET executive director Sudhir Kumar has been qouted saying in the Khaleej Times.
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.
