News Broadcasting
Parliamentary panel for guidelines on sting operations
MUMBAI: A Parliamentary Committee has asked the government to come out with guidelines and norms for sting operations.
Headed by Congress MP V Kishore Chandra Deo, the seven-member Committee said: “The Union government may initiate steps for laying guidelines and norms for sting operations.”
In its report on the alleged cash-for-votes scam, the Committee observed that carrying out sting operations in an unregulated manner, which casts aspersions on members of Parliament, erode the credibility of democratic institutions.
It further added: “The Committee, is, therefore of the opinion that such motivated trial by the media needs to be regulated.
The Committee said that sting operations are often driven by sensational quotients. It is to increase the TRP ratings of TV channels vis-a-vis their rivals and more often than not for monetary and other considerations.
“The committee wishes to express concern over the fact that the media has been indulging in a race to achieve viewership through sensationalism on a competitive basis,” the committee said in its report.
Expressing concern over the fact that the media is indulging in a race to achieve viewership through “sensationalism” in a competitive basis, it recalled that in the cash-for-votes scam one channel had implied that all members are susceptible to corruption.
The committee was formed after three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs – Ashok Argal, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Bhagora – stunned the nation by brandishing wads of cash in the Lok Sabha shortly before the Manmohan Singh government was to face the trust vote on 22 J
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.
