News Broadcasting
NDTV eyes investor in MetroNation Chennai
MUMBAI: NDTV Ltd. is planning to induct strategic investors in its loss-making joint venture company, MetroNation Chennai Television Limited, that operates a news cum infotainment channel.
MetroNation Chennai Television also plans to increase the Tamil content on the channel.
“We are considering getting strategic investment in MetroNation Chennai Television. We are looking at raising equity capital. We are also going to increase the Tamil content in the channel,” said NDTV Group chief executive officer KVL Narayan Rao.
MetroNation Chennai, where NDTV holds 51 per cent and Kasturi and Sons (Hindu Group) the balance 49 per cent, has incurred accumulated losses amounting to Rs 275.1 million.
The company has investment, loans and receivable aggregating Rs. 208.7 million (corresponding previous period Rs. 112.5 million and previous year Rs 1,47 million).
Pending finalisation of the strategic options including getting in investors, NDTV has carried the investment, loans and receivable at book values since the management expects to be able to realise these assets in full.
Rao, however, refused to reveal what capital the JV company was looking to raise and who likely would be the potential investor.
MetroNation Chennai was launched in 2009.
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.
