News Broadcasting
Mukta sells telecast rights to SET
Bollywood showman Subhash Ghai’s Mukta Arts yesterday ended all speculation regarding the sale of satellite telecast rights of its film library when it announced that Sony Entertainment Television had bought them.
The deal, which includes the entire Mukta film library of 12 films, is for Rs 161 million for a five-year period. The company’s first deal to sell its movie library to B4U channel fell through last year.
“We were talking to several channels for the last one year and finally signed the agreement with SET this (yesterday) afternoon,” the Press Trust of India quoted company executive director Parvez Farooqui as saying.
Farooqui was quoted as saying Mukta Arts was open to enter into a similar arrangement with other television channels for its future movies.
The 12 films include Ghai’s first blockbuster Karz, which was released in 1980, Yaadein, Taal, Pardes, Khalnayak, Saudagar, Karma, Hero, Trimurti, Rahul, Ram Lakhan and the still-to-be released Badhaai Ho Badhaai.
Mukta sold the rights for Badhaai Ho Badhaai alone for Rs 12.5 million.
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.
