News Broadcasting
BBC World Services Justin Rowlatt talks to Professor Jitendra Goswami on Indias mission to Mars
MUMBAI: After successfully discovering water molecules on the moon in the mission he led back in 2008, Jitendra Goswami has set his sights on Mars. Professor Goswami, director of national space research institute the Physical Research Laboratory, is the planetary scientist supervising India’s first mission to the Red Planet. The Mars Orbiter Mission probe will hunt for telltale signs of methane in the Martian atmosphere, possible evidence for microbial life. If all goes well and the mission succeeds in reaching Mars, India will be entering a very select club that includes the former Soviet Union, the United States and Europe.
On the eve of the expected launch, Justin Rowlatt talks to Professor Goswami to find out why India wants to send a mission to Mars when other space programmes have scaled back their spending and ambitions. In front of a live audience made up of space scientists and the general public, they discuss the motivation behind this 300 million kilometre interplanetary trip, its chances of success, and what new insights into Mars might be revealed.
Justin Rowlatt, Presenter of Exchanges at the Frontier says “It is extraordinarily exciting to be in India at a time when the country is making history in space exploration. India’s space science does things differently and they confounded the world when they discovered water molecules on the Moon – they weren’t even looking for it! We will be at the epicentre of space research at the Physical Research laboratory in Ahmedabad with the team who hope soon to be analysing data from Mars. This Exchanges at the Frontier special will explore the implications of the mission for India on the world stage with the unique global perspective of the BBC World Service. “
The event is run in partnership with the Wellcome Collection; to apply for tickets to be in the audience visit www.wellcomecollection.org/goswami.
Exchanges at the Frontier will broadcast on BBC World Service at Saturday 2nd November at 5.30pm
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.
