News Broadcasting
Network18 tops April 2026 YouTube news race with 5.5 plus billion views
Election coverage drives cross-platform dominance across TV, digital and CTV
MUMBAI: Network18 has emerged as the No. 1 news network on YouTube in April 2026, clocking over 5.5 plus billion overall YouTube views across its platforms and securing a dominant position during India’s closely watched election cycle.
The network’s leadership was not limited to digital platforms alone. It reported strong audience gains across Linear TV, Connected TV (CTV), YouTube, and social media, reinforcing its position as one of India’s most widely distributed news ecosystems.
Industry data indicates Network18 outperformed major competitors across both digital and broadcast formats, with particularly strong traction during election phases and exit poll coverage.
The network maintained leadership across all key stages of polling, including polling days and exit poll windows, with high engagement across its flagship brands such as News18 India, CNN-News18, CNBC-TV18, and CNBC-TV18 Awaaz. This performance extended across platforms, spanning TV screens, digital feeds and social ecosystems.
“April was a defining month for us, crossing 5.5+ billion overall YouTube views and leading across every phase of the elections,” Network18 chief growth officer Pranav Bakshi said. “It reflects a clear shift in audience behaviour, viewers are choosing where to watch, and they are choosing us across every screen.”
According to the network, audience behaviour during elections becomes highly intentional, with viewers actively selecting platforms that deliver speed, credibility and real-time depth. Network18 said it saw convergence of audiences across platforms rather than fragmentation during key moments.
The company attributes its performance to integrated newsroom operations across TV and digital, real-time election reporting, and multi-language distribution designed for scale and immediacy. It added that this approach has helped build sustained cross-platform leadership rather than episodic spikes.
As competition intensifies in India’s digital news space, Network18 is positioning April 2026 as a benchmark moment, underscoring how large-scale news consumption is increasingly shaped by cross-platform reach and real-time election intensity.
