News Broadcasting
Playwin’s Maharashtra launch to take two more months
MUMBAI: While Playwin Infravest’s Karnataka venture took off as per schedule, the online lottery’s Maharashtra entry may take a while more.
Playwin’s vice president marketing Sanjay Yashroy says that the Maharashtra lottery should make its appearance in another two months time. The company had earlier said that the Maharashtra lottery would be launched latest by September. According to media reports, Playwin has already appointed Ambience D’Arcy to handle the advertising for the Maharashtra lottery.
The Rs 3000 million online lottery venture from the Essel group has stepped up its outdoor advertising in Mumbai with hoardings proclaiming the possibilities of winning on the Lucky 3, which offers more winning combinations of the lottery numbers. The Lucky 3 draw, televised live on Zee, is in fact, the only show from among other shows which include lottery results – Khelo Number Khelo and Karvan Kismat Ka, which has made it to the top 100 shows in terms of ratings as per TAM.
Yashroy says that the company is not planning any fresh promotional or marketing activities currently as it is in the consolidation phase, and will initiate them once the date for the launch of the Maharashtra lottery is finalised.
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.
