News Broadcasting
NY court rules Modi case on ESS admissable; 1st hearing 26 Jan
MUMBAI: One thing you have to give to Modi Enterprises – they set great store by the judiciary in dealing with distribution disputes.
Modi, which had filed a case against ESPN Inc and ESPN India for breach of contract and fiduciary duties in a New York Court has crossed the first hurdle following the order given by Judge Gammerman on 16 January allowing the case to proceed. ESPN had sought the dismissal of the case made against the sports broadcaster.
It’s been a long and winding road for the Modis in this case which is a fallout of ESPN’s decision to terminate its distribution deal with the company in 1999.
A statement issued by Modis quotes Judge Gammerman as ruling:
v All excepting one small claim of the Modis is within time and not barred by the Indian Law of Limitation.
v New York Law would be applied whilst adjudicating on the breach of contract claims and the tort claims.
v In India, the Supreme Court of India would have recognized all claims made in the action.
v Punitive damages would be awardable in this action.
The Judge has also ruled that punitive damages may be allowed especially in view of the evidence supporting the conclusion that ESPN intentionally and fraudulently misused their contractual audit rights to force MEN to divulge their confidential information and thereafter used such information wrongly.
The case comes up for its first hearing on 26 January, industry sources say.
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.
