News Broadcasting
Times Now to explore value-added, DTH opportunities
MUMBAI: Times Now, the news channel that started beaming on 31 January has just one agenda: try redefining the concept of news. Target audience: an urbanite.
Pointing out that the new channel is looking at leadership position in the news space, Times Global Broadcasting CEO Sunil Lulla says, “Our target audience is urbanites. People like you and me. There is a lot of information available to them, but they need someone to act as a sieve and tell them the big story of the day. And, that’s what we will do.”
Reuters Media vice-president, media strategy and development, Charles G Stocks, concurs with Lulla when he observes, “We are excited and thrilled the way Times Now gets to talk to the audience. We see Times Now as our voice reaching out to the urban audience in India.”
The channel has been constructed in a way to give snappy news in the morning that will integrate into business (news), which is about stocks, policies, politics, leading to lifestyle before moving into more serious discussions or perspective on an issue.
The programming of Times Now, which is a service of the Times Group and Reuters, across the week, has 14 distinct formats with a mix of views, current affairs, business news, politics, urban trends, entertainment and sports. On weekends, the channel offers comprehensive, well-integrated, distinctive and highly stylized programmes.
Some of the varied fare on offer include Snapshots, which is about the country, Reuters World Report, The Newshour that focuses on the big story, Upfront with the big debate and Sports Unplugged.
“We do not believe it is information (that is being given to the viewers), but an experience. That’s why the tag line is `feel the news’. A viewer can actually feel the experience of the news as is gathered and from where it is gathered,” Lulla explains.
As Times Now moves ahead, it would look at promoting specific services and adding some more interactivity to the normal routine.
“We can even make the service unique, for example, by providing clips of news to consumers as previews. Those are some of the things that we will take into consideration with Reliance mobile and build it up further if there is a value proposition to the consumer.”
The company recently teamed up with Reliance IndiaMobile to make available the channel’s services to the latter’s consumers, making it the first TV station to be available to phone subscribers before going on air in a traditional way.
Will Times Global Broadcasting Ltd, a joint venture between the Times Group and Reuters, look at other markets and also DTH platforms?
Refusing to make any forward looking statements, Lulla says, “We want to concentrate in rolling out our services, building it, establishing it to the point of leadership and then communicating as to what we wish to do next.”
However, as a concession, he adds, “We are not here for the short term. We are not here to do only one service, but will certainly look at other services. I think there are many opportunities, which need to be examined and built up as we undertake some consumer innovation.”
Lulla feels that it is too early to hop on to any (new) platform as “options have to be weighed.” He adds: “We have had preliminary discussions, but need a better understanding as to how DTH players intend to operate in India and the value proposition that they can offer. We will examine all the options.”
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.
