News Broadcasting
SBS inks deal with GoQuest Media to air Czech crime thriller in Australia
Mumbai: Global independent content distributor GoQuest Media on Tuesday announced that it has concluded an exclusive deal with Australian national pubcaster SBS. The deal sees SBS acquiring the AVOD rights for the Czech crime thriller ‘Rats’.
The fact-based drama was aired in 2020, during primetime on Ceska televize to unprecedented critical acclaim and multi-generational rating success. Made in collaboration with the National Anti-Drug Centre of the Czech Republic (DEA), Rats is created and written by Czech screenwriter Miro Šifra (Rédl) and directed by Viktor Tauš (Vodnik, Clownwise, Dom) of production company Heaven’s Gate and Matěj Chlupáček (Terapie) of Barletta Productions, in association with Czech TV and MD4.
Boasting a stellar Czech cast including Cyril Dobrý, Lenka Krobotová, Václav Neužil, and new-comer Miloslav Pechácek, Rats has won the Czech Lions and Czech Film Critics’ Awards in 2021 for Best TV series and was nominated at the International Zurich Film Festival and Serial Killer (festival).
SBS On Demand, channel manager, Haidee Ireland said “Rats is a thrilling and stylish series, and we are excited to have it join our collection of world-class dramas from all over the world, handpicked and curated for local audiences on SBS On Demand.”
Commenting on the deal, GoQuest Media, VP – sales & acquisitions, Jimmy George added, “We are delighted to have SBS introducing Rats to Australian audiences. The series has a one-of-a-kind approach to the traditional worldview of drugs both in terms of its protagonist’s story as well as the physical world it is set in. This is a new and extremely interesting universe that viewers will be introduced to, and we can promise they won’t be disappointed.”
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.
