News Broadcasting
Nidhi Vasandani quits TV9, pivots to podcasts
After two decades in television, Vasandani plans a podcast on faith, growth and life stories
NEW DELHI: Senior television journalist and news anchor Nidhi Vasandani has resigned from TV9 Network, ending a nearly three-and-a-half-year stint as deputy editor at TV9 Bharatvarsh. She is currently serving her notice period.
Confirming the development to Samachar4media, Vasandani said she is moving into digital media and long-form podcasts. The upcoming podcast series, she added, will centre on growth, faith and the life journeys of influential individuals.
Vasandani brings more than two decades of newsroom experience. Before TV9, she spent around three and a half years with Republic Bharat, where she was part of the founding team. Her earlier roles include a brief tenure at India News, followed by nearly four years at ABP News from 2014, where she produced and anchored political and ground-reporting shows, including election programming and demonetisation coverage.
From 2009 to 2014, she worked as producer and anchor at Zee Business, and also contributed to regional channels under Zee Media. Earlier stints include Sahara Samay, as well as brief roles at Raj News and Bhaskar TV in Bhopal.
Academically, Vasandani holds a BA (honours) in economics and postgraduate degrees in mass communication and political science. A trained kathak dancer, she has performed widely, taught children, and appeared multiple times on Doordarshan. She has been honoured by Shivraj Singh Chauhan as Bhopal’s best classical dancer and received the National Award for Sindhi Talent in 2004.
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.
