News Broadcasting
World Snooker signs five year deal with BBC
MUMBAI: World Snooker has announced a new deal which will keep the sport on UK pubcaster BBC Television until May 2011.
The BBC will continue to screen full coverage of four major tournaments – currently the Grand Prix, the UK Championship, the Masters and the World Championship – for the next five years. The BBC states that snooker is among the most popular television sports. Viewing figures for the World Championship final in May between Shaun Murphy and Matthew Stevens peaked at 7.8 million.
World Snooker chairman Sir Rodney Walker said, “In an era when many sports are turning to satellite networks for coverage, we are very pleased to be keeping snooker on terrestrial television until at least 2011. This is excellent news for the many millions of snooker fans in Britain. The new deal is also very positive news for our players and for the sport as a whole. The BBC and their production company TWI have set exceptional standards in the way they have broadcast snooker and this has been a key factor behind the sport’s enduring appeal to the public. “
BBC head of general sports Barbara Slater said: “Snooker continues to be one of the most popular televised sports and we’re delighted it’s going to continue on the BBC. Snooker has been pioneering in terms of offering new technology, particularly with the introduction of interactive and broadband rights.
Snooker world number one Ronnie O’Sullivan said, “I know how many people watch snooker on the BBC so it great news for them that they can keep watching us. I can’t imagine the big tournaments being televised on any channel other than BBC.”
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.
