News Broadcasting
Mobile Media launches interactive TV programs on China’s HTV1
MUMBAI: The Mobile Media Company announced a three-year agreement with China’s Hunan Movie and Television Channel (HTV1), to provide mobile interactive TV shows and services to over 64 million people.
Under the agreement, HTV1 will launch a series of interactive mobile applications from Mobile Media ranging from mobile “Jukebox” type applications to participation TV show formats.
The range of “Jukebox” applications include SMS and MMS chat and poll services that will incorporate content from Hunan TV. A three-hour program format will encourage its audience to interact with each other via SMS, with the messages being screened live during the show.
“Mobile phone to TV screen interaction provides new opportunities to generate revenues and relationships with audiences, and is a great use of non-prime airtime for broadcasters. We see many opportunities for broadcasters to generate one-to-one dialogue with their audiences via the provision of compelling content and interactive TV program formats and services,” said Mobile Media executive vice president and Asia Pacific general manager David J Wong.
According to studies by McKinsey & Company, one of the world’s leading management consulting firms, adding SMS interactivity within certain TV programs not only strengthens viewer loyalty but also boosts the ratings of popular free-to-air programs.
“We have seen first hand the possibilities of Mobile Media’s interactive TV platform. We are excited by the possibilities of enabling our viewers to interact and participate with our programs,” said Hunan Movie and Entertainment Channel CEO Mr Mu.
Commenting on the importance of the China market to Mobile Media, Mobile Media CEO Karsten Hauge said, “In China, there are over 300 million mobile phone users and close to nine million new handsets coming into the market per month. This project represents a critical stage in the development of our business in China and we are pleased to partner with a leading TV station such as Hunan Television.”
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.
