News Broadcasting
Murdoch ready to call it a day: not quite so soon
Any thoughts that Ozzie-American media baron Rupert Murdoch might be ready to ease the pedal on the breakneck pace of life that he leads could well be a tad premature if one goes by the interview, which he gave during the airing of a documentary aired on BBC2 over the weekend.
Speculation that Murdoch might be thinking ahead to the day when he would “hang up his boots” increased after he suggested in a recent interview to London’s “Financial Times” that his two sons, Lachlan and James, could share the future leadership of News Corporation.
In the BBC2 interview, the septuagenarian dismissed rumours that he was to go easy on the pedal and even seemed to suggest there was no way he would hand over the wheel of the News Corp juggernaut to his kids for at least the next 30 years.
During the course of the documentary he said that his heart is perfect, there is no sign of cholesterol in his system. He said that he would live to score his century.
“I don’t like the idea of retirement. Retirement is something that was not on my radar screen and still isn’t,” Murdoch was quoted as saying, adding that his second wife Anna and he split on account of her demands on him to go easy in his professional career.
The Australian documentary shows Murdoch working out and even getting into a boxing session with a sparring partner. Hotel officials in India (wherever he has stayed on his India visits) have revealed to indiantelevision.com how the media baron normally makes a dash for the gym whenever he comes visiting. “For a 70-year-old he is extremely fit,” says an executive in one of the hotels where he has stayed.
Murdoch’s children are among the largest shareholders of the $30 billion asset strong News Corp which controls SkyDigital, News International, Fox Television and 20th Century Fox. During the course of the documentary Murdoch is quoted as saying: “I want them to be happy and be able to leave them great opportunities like my father left me. They don’t have to but all the signs are they want it very much. I just hope they don’t push me out too soon.”
Fat chance of that happening if one goes by his determination to go past 100.
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.
