News Broadcasting
Prasar Bharati warns news channels over unauthorised use of Olympic footage
NEW DELHI: In a latest development, it is being learnt that Prasar Bharati which comprises Doordarshan and All India Radio, as the official broadcaster of the Beijing Olympics in India, has issued a letter to news channels for unauthorised use on Olympic footage from Doordarshan.
According to the footage sharing law, any channel is free to air 20 seconds of footage of any event borrowed from any other broadcaster.
The news comes in after Doordarshan made a clear announcement that it would not share the feed for Olympics with any other private broadcaster or news channel.
Says DD coordinator marketing and sport Sukhjinder Kaur, “We had decided earlier that we will not share the feed for Beijing Olympics this year with any other private broadcaster. We had got several enquires related to sharing of feed but we had made clear before the event had started.”
At the moment, DD has just issued a letter to all those news channels who have been found guilty of using the footage of Olympics and feels if the situation persist further action will be taken against the news channels.
Doordarshan deputy director general – sports Ashok Jailkhani adds, “At the moment we have just issued a polite letter to news channels asking them to stop the unauthorised use of Olympic footage as Doordarshan is the official broadcaster of the event. If this practice continues then we will not hesitate to take legal action against those news channels that will be found guilty.”
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.
