Mumbai: Network18 has emerged as the No.1 news network on YouTube in April 2026, delivering over 5.5+ billion overall YouTube views across its platforms, leading not just in total monthly scale, but decisively during India’s most closely followed election moments.
This leadership extended beyond YouTube, with Network18 driving strong audience wins across
Linear TV, Connected TV (CTV), YouTube, and Social platforms, reinforcing its position as India’s most-watched and most distributed news network.
Based on industry data, Network18 outperformed all major competitors, cementing its leadership across both digital and broadcast ecosystems.
#1 Across the Month. #1 During Elections #1 Across Platforms
Leadership today is not just about consistency—it is about winning both scale and the moments that matter most across every screen. April’s performance reflects a defining shift in news consumption, with 5.5+ billion overall YouTube views in April 2026, sustained leadership throughout the month, and clear dominance during key election phases and exit poll moments. This was further reinforced by strong audience performance across Linear, CTV, YouTube, and social platforms.
This combination establishes Network18 as the default destination for news, both in steady-state consumption and high-intensity election cycles, across platforms.
Election Dominance: Every Phase Led
From live polling days to exit poll peaks, Network18 consistently led audience engagement across languages and regions. The network maintained leadership across Polling Day 1, 2, and 3, with strong live viewership during exit poll coverage and clear dominance across flagship brands, including News18 India, CNN-News18, CNBC-TV18, and CNBC-TV18 Awaaz. This leadership extended seamlessly across platforms, spanning digital, Linear TV, CTV environments, and social ecosystems.
As the election narrative unfolded, audiences didn’t split attention; they converged on Network18 across screens.
A Clear Audience Signal
In high-stakes environments like elections, audience behaviour becomes sharply intentional.
Viewers don’t consume passively. They choose platforms that deliver speed, credibility, and depth in real time. April proved that shift clearly. When it mattered most, viewers turned to Network18—across Linear, CTV, YouTube, and Social.
Built for Cross-Platform Leadership
This performance is driven by integrated TV and digital newsroom operations, real-time on-ground election reporting, and multi-language distribution at scale. Supported by a content strategy optimised for both reach and immediacy, it ensures that leadership is not episodic—but structural, cross-platform, and repeatable.
Commenting on the recent performance, Pranav Bakshi, Chief Growth Officer, Network18 Connected, said, “April was a defining month for us, crossing 5.5+ billion overall YouTube views and leading across every phase of the elections. What stands out even more is how audiences showed up for us across platforms—Linear, CTV, YouTube, and Social, especially when it mattered most. It reflects a clear shift in audience behaviour: viewers are not just watching more, they are choosing where to watch. This is the leadership Network18 is building, winning both the timeline and the moment, across every screen.”
As digital continues to define the future of news consumption, Network18 remains committed to strengthening its position as the most watched, most trusted, and most influential news network across platforms. April 2026 is not an anomaly. It is a clear benchmark for cross-platform news leadership at scale.
-Based on Press Release
