News Broadcasting
Viacom to sell music publishing business
MUMBAI: US media conglomerate Viacom has decided to explore strategic alternatives to maximise the value of Famous Music, its music publishing business.
It could sell the business. The company has retained UBS Investment Bank to act as financial advisor to assist in this process.
Famous Music was founded in 1928 by Paramount Pictures’ predecessor, the Famous-Lasky Corporation, to publish music from its “talking pictures”. Today the firm says that it is one of the top 10 music publishers in the US, supplying music to a diversified range of global media.
Its catalogue of more than 125,000 copyrights spans seven decades and includes music from films like The Godfather, Forrest Gump and Titanic, as well as classic television shows including The Brady Bunch, Cheers and the Star Trek franchise.
Since 1992, Famous Music has moved into the mainstream of contemporary music with such platinum-plus acts as Shakira, Akon, Eminem and Busta Rhymes. Writers and producers on the Famous roster include Irv Gotti, 7 Aurelius, Linda Perry, Tia Sillers, Charlie Midnight, and Marvin Hamlisch.
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.
