News Broadcasting
NBDA delegation meets prime minister Narendra Modi
MUMBAI: The news broadcast industry has been complaining about its aches and pains in the face of shrinking ad revenues courtesy competition and the rise of digital for some time now. With a new dispensation in charge at the ministry of information broadcasting in the form of minister Ashwani Vaishnaw, and prime minister Narendra Modi at the helm of the country, a delegation from the News Broadcasters & Digital Association (NBDA) led by its president, Rajat Sharma, called on the two leaders to share the industry’s woes with them.
The delegation informed Modi about the industry’s health broadcast, constraints, problems, and challenges faced in the era of digital revolution which was severely impacting and affecting the growth of the ‘news’ genre.
The other members of the delegation were News 24 chairperson-cum-managing director Anuradha Prasad Shukla, TV18 Broadcast managing director Rahul Joshi, TV Today Network vice-chairperson & managing director Kalli Purie Bhandal, ABP Network director Dhruba Mukherjee, Zee Media advisor Anil Kumar Malhotra, NDTV director Sanjay Pugalia, Eenadu Television director I. Venkat, Sun TV managing director R Mahesh Kumar, Bennet Coleman & CEO news broadcasting business COO Varun Kohli and NBDA secretary general Annie Joseph.
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.
