The coverage by India’s public television broadcaster Doordarshan (DD) of the Republic Day parade on 26 January proved a global hit, government figures show.

Its coverage on its TV network clocked 23 million views, while its YouTube channel notched up 26 million, according to figures released by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

More than 180 channels across India carried DD’s live coverage for almost three hours – a total of 3.2 billion TV viewing minutes.

DD also made inroads into international audiences through its coverage of the parade. It registered a sizeable increase in viewership in more than 140 countries including the US, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Canada, Pakistan, New Zealand the United Arab Emirates.

DD won widespread praise on social media for its coverage the celebrations, which for the first time included live aerial shots of the flypast by the Indian Air Force.