News Broadcasting
Esha Media Research to go the TAM way
KOLKATA: Esha Media Research, a media monitoring and research company, which currently monitors 140 channels, across the nation in all languages is looking at expanding its services. The company has plans to foray into giving out television rating points (TRP) data soon, like Television Audience Measurement (TAM).
The company, for accurate data, is looking at installing around one lakh peoplemeters, which will be attached to the TV sets in different geographical and demographic sectors.
Also, a venture capitalist (VC) may infuse around Rs 10 crore into Esha Media as it aims at increasing its reach.
“We are working on the TRP project from last six months. We are waiting for the new government to settle,” Esha Media Research managing director RS Iyer told indiantelevision.com.
TRP gives an index of the choice of the people and also the popularity of a particular channel and show. The device, peoplemeter, records the time and the programme that a viewer watches on a particular day. Then, the average is taken for a 30 day period which gives the viewership status for a particular channel.
Iyer talking about the current TV programmes rating system said that at present for the calculation purpose, many states, especially the north eastern region is not covered. “We will install the device in tier III and IV cities as well,” he added.
As earlier reported by indiantelevision.com, Esha Media, which currently monitors News channels is also looking at foraying into entertainment genre channels and other new verticals. “We will use the fund pumped by VCs,” informed Iyer.
The company also has plans to take its channel monitoring number to 200, from the current 140 channels, in the next two months.
At present the monitoring of channels is done using state of- the-art equipment that allows the agency to record, retrieve, transcribe, translate and deliver reports in formats ranging from CD and DVD to immediate uploads via FTP or a customised web page. “This enables the client to log in and access news of their interest, anytime and anywhere,” he concluded.
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.
