News Broadcasting
NBC’s Tsunami benefit concert attracts star studded lineup
MUMBAI: Tomorrow 15 January US broadcaster NBC will air a benefit concert on its channel and across the NBC Universal platforms.
Actors Brad Pitt, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Robert DeNiro are among those taking part.
SBC Communications will underwrite the two-hour, commercial-free special. Performances will be available for download on Sony Connect. In association with this event, Sony’s Connect music store will offer downloads of the live performances from the concert.
All proceeds from download sales will be donated to the American Red Cross International Response Fund. Sony America will match the first $100,000 raised through domestic download sales. Downloads will be available at www.connect.com.
Meanwhile in Australia rock groups Midnight Oil and Silverchair will organise a fund-raising concert on 29 January at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The event is called Wave Aid. Organized by six major talent managers, Wave Aid is expected to raise $1.3 million for the Australian Red Cross, Oxfam Community Aid Abroad, Unicef and Care Australia charities. Earlier the first benefit concert in the series which took place on 8 January at the Sydney Opera House, raised $15 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.
