On the polling day (26th April) of the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections, News18 Network emerged as the most preferred choice of viewers with the highest viewership on YouTube.
According to the viewership data from Playboard, News18 India’s YouTube views reached 31.6 million on the polling day, surpassing key competitors ABP News and Zee News at 27.7 million and 26.6 million, respectively.
With 14.2 million views, News18 Bangla was the most watched Bengali news channel on YouTube. Its nearest competitor ABP Ananda trailed with 13.4 million views, followed by Republic Bangla at 12.6 million YouTube views.
News18 Punjab/Haryana/Himachal also amassed the highest viewership with 8.08 million video views on YouTube, leaving behind ABP Sanjha at a distant 1.6 million views and PTC News at 1.1 million views on YouTube.
News18 Rajasthan captured 3 million views on YouTube, making it the most viewed news channel from the state on YouTube. It surpassed competitors like Rajasthan Tak and Rajasthan Patrika, which garnered 1.2 million and 0.8 million views, respectively. With over 2.6 million views on YouTube on the polling day, News18 Assam/NE surpassed News Live, which recorded 0.7 million views, followed by Prag News at 0.5 million views on YouTube.
Talking about News18 Network’s exemplary performance on YouTube, Pranav Bakshi, Head - Partnerships & Video strategy, Network 18 said, “our exceptional viewership in key markets & languages during the polls is a reflection of our commitment to delivering high quality programming and comprehensive election coverage from the ground zero. Our emphasis on localized content connects with viewers. The increased viewership has encouraged advertiser interest, as more brands recognize the power of reaching audiences across regions and languages, as we cover the elections in maximum languages & across India. Election= News18.”