News Broadcasting
Surabhi set to stage comeback – on a satellite channel
Surabhi, the cultural show that once enjoyed cult status in the country, may soon be back.
This time on a satellite channel, with a more upmarket look, an urban slant and a young, dynamic style. Siddharth Kak’s Cinema Vision India is in talks with Star India for relaunching the show in a new avatar later this year, says the producer. The task should not be difficult, considering the massive amount of research material and audio visual archives that are currently at Kak’s disposal. The star anchor team of Kak and Renuka Shahane however, will not be gracing the programme anymore. “Its time for youngsters to take the show forward, to give it a new image,” says Kak. “The generation that grew up on Surabhi is no longer the show’s target audience,” he points out. The Best of Surabhi is currently running on Star Plus on Sundays.
While the finer details of Surabhi’s second phase are still being worked out, Kak has already firmed up plans for a Surabhi Foundation, an audiovisual archival treasure trove built up during research for the serial. The Surabhi Foundation is envisaged as a multimedia multiple platform for training events, discussions, workshops and screenings can take place. Part of the Foundation’s exercise is Akshaya, a culture resource base envisaged as a single window offering, which will bring citizens over 20,000 hours of footage from the fields of dance, art, craft, music, culture, personalities, religion and architecture.
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.
