News Broadcasting
Rahul Kansal joins Network18 as group brand advisor
MUMBAI: Network18 announced the appointment of Rahul Kansal as brand advisor for the group.
Kansal joins Network18 from Future Consumer Ltd. Prior to that, at Times Group, he was the force behind campaigns like ‘Aman ki Asha’, ‘Teach India’ and ‘Lead India’ among others.
Many of these initiatives have received widespread acclaim, including India’s first-ever Grand Prix at Cannes. In his new role, he will mentor the array of brands within the network and develop innovative properties to strengthen their positioning and connect with the consumers. He will report to Network18, CEO – news and group editor-in-chief Rahul Joshi.
At Times Group, he was responsible for the financial health, editorial strategy and marketing for the Group’s newspapers: The Times of India, Mirror, Maharashtra Times, Navbharat Times and some smaller regional and English publications. During his tenure of 15 years at the company, The Times of India emerged as the world’s largest-circulated English newspaper.
Rahul has been an advertising and marketing professional for 38 years. He graduated from SRCC, Delhi University in 1977, and after an MBA from IIM Calcutta in 1979 worked with some of India’s leading ad agencies such as JWT, O&M, and Mudra DDB before joining The Times Group.
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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.
