News Broadcasting
Self-regulation has to come from within
NEW DELHI: The government should restrict itself to penalising inaccuracies in reportage while allowing the television news industry to regulate itself, senior journalists said here today.
India’s news channels, which had faltered in the Mumbai terror coverage, have worked out stronger internal checks and that seems to be working.
Speaking at the fourth Indian News Television (NT) Summit here today, MCCS editor Shazi Zaman said that the only way to protect the freedom of the media is self-regulation and that has to come from within. “Neither an organisation nor an editor can impose self-regulation; it is something that everyone has to practice.”
Commercial considerations, however, have forced news channels to have a high-quotient of entertainment and trivial content.
“In primetime, news channels have an equal proportion of entertainment and political content. Sports takes up 15 per cent of the primetime space, while issues related to agriculture and development stories get less than a five per cent share,” said CMS director PN Vasanti, who was moderating the session on “Making an Impression”.
Even staying objective is an arduous task. TV Today Network news director QW Naqvi quoted examples of how all the news channels aired stories on “Delhi getting drowned with floods” which was far beyond the scope of objectivity.
Naqvi said that with the mushrooming of news channels, quality has taken a hit.
“With the increase in quantity, the quality has gone down,” he rued.
NewsX co-promoter and Editor-in-Chief Jehangir S Pocha, however, disagreed. “The Indian media industry needs enough media so that viewers have options and there is no cartelisation. What is needed on the other hand, is stringent laws that can penalise those who disseminate inaccurate information.”
CNN IBN managing editor Vinay Tewari emphasized on the need to rigorously train the new crop of reporters and journalists.
The time has arrived for the industry to go back to the basics. “While dealing with serious issues, there is sometimes fear and mistrust, even in legitimate cases,” said Tewari.
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.
