News Broadcasting
NBA seeks remedy from new I&B Minister
MUMBAI: With the new Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Prakash Javadekar taking charge of changing the way the Ministry works in the country, the entire media fraternity is keen to meet him and make him aware of the issues concerning them.
The latest in the queue to meet the Minister is the News Broadcasters Association (NBA), a body that represents various national and regional news channels of the country. The group included NBA president and NDTV executive vice chairperson KVL Narayan Rao, vice president and MCCS CEO Ashok Venkatramani, India TV chairman Rajat Sharma, Zee Media group CEO Bhaskar Das and India Today group CEO Ashish Bagga.
The main issues that were put forth were regarding carriage fees and the ad cap. “These are huge problem areas that need to be addressed because all news broadcasters are adversely affected. The minister has said that he would do whatever he can about our problems,” says a source.
The NBA had challenged the ad cap regulation by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in TDSAT which was then taken to the Delhi High Court where it is currently pending trial. News broadcasters say that they have been severely affected due to carriage fees.
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.
