News Broadcasting
NDTV Profit asserts ratings lead over CNBC
MUMBAI: Three weeks into launch and NDTV’s business channel NDTV Profit asserts it has toppled market leader CNBC in viewership among business news channels. The channel launched on 17 January.
Quoting from the latest Tam data, a company release states that NDTV Profit has beaten CNBC in the second week (23 – 29 January) since its launch with a market share of 57.9 per cent compared to CNBC’s 42.1 per cent in the all day parts in the C&S 4+ all India market.
Even in the key peak business hour (9 am to 4 pm) time band, NDTV Profit affirms its market leadership with a share of 52.9 per cent compared to CNBC’s 47.1 per cent in the above mentioned market.
NDTV director Sameer Manchanda attributes the success of the channel to its strong content and distribution. His claim: Profit has a reach almost twice that of CNBC.
CNBC-TV18, however, claims it continues to hold leadership position in its core audience group. Says CNBC TV 18 vice-president sales and marketing B Saikumar, “In our core audience, which is SEC A, B 25+ males, we are bigger than even NDTV 24×7 in all days and day parts. The TG that NDTV Profit has mentioned is not our TG and hence this claim doesn’t faze us.”
Commenting on the reach of Profit, Saikumar says a free-to-air channel would obviously have that advantage. That is a part of our business strategy, an NDTV official counters. “Our aim is to get maximum eyeballs and maximum reach. At the end of the day, delivery is what matters.”
Looks like a war has been declared. Stay tuned for more on the same front.
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.
