News Broadcasting
CNN named number one international news brand in India and Asia Pacific
MUMBAI: CNN has been named the number one international news brand according to the latest Ipsos Affluent Survey Asia Pacific, reaching an unrivalled one in three upscale consumers in the region. CNN is consumed by more affluents in Asia Pacific in all daily, weekly and monthly metrics, as well as on all platforms of TV, online and mobile. In India, CNN is the leader amongst international news brands in multiplatform and digital reach, and also accumulates more TV viewers each month than BBC World News.
Among international news brands and across platforms, CNN is the preferred destination for India’s affluent audience, with 20% monthly reach – significantly ahead of the next-placed brand (BBC World News). CNN is also the leading international news brand in terms of monthly TV reach as well as digital (websites & apps) reach, where CNN has a lead of over 50% compared to the next-placed international news brand (BBC World News).
At the regional, Asia Pacific level, the survey shows every month CNN is consumed by over a third (34%) of the region’s affluent audience across all platforms, which is 40% more than the next largest news brand (BBC World News 24%) and twice as many as the third-placed brand (CNBC 16%). Each month CNN also reaches a large proportion of elusive target groups such as frequent business travelers (65%), opinion leaders* (51%), and top management (46%).
On TV, CNN is the most watched international news channel with 27% monthly, 18% weekly and 6% daily reach. This is far ahead of the other news channels including BBC World News (18% monthly, 12% weekly and 4% daily), CNBC (12%, 8%, 2%), Channel NewsAsia (10%, 7%, 4%) and Bloomberg TV (7%, 5%, 1%). In a single week CNN reaches 99% as many upscale consumers as BBC World News does in an entire month. The research also shows over the course of a month 29% of CNN TV viewers watch CNN exclusively, watching no other news or business channel**.
On digital platforms (websites and apps), CNN is ahead of all news and entertainment brands with 54% higher monthly reach than the next largest brand (CNN 9% monthly reach versus BBC World News 5%).
CNN’s continual dominance extends beyond Asia Pacific with the Ipsos Affluent Global survey also released today showing CNN reaches 40% of upscale consumers and decision-makers in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia combined. This audience is larger than all other news competitors in every metric across TV and digital platforms. The IPSOS Affluent Global findings follow CNN registering a global digital audience of 99 million Unique Visitors in comScore’s August data – over 25 million ahead of the BBC (73 million)****.
Rani Raad, Chief Commercial Officer, CNN International: “These results prove once again CNN has the winning combination of quality and quantity. CNN has an unrivalled ability to connect with affluent consumers and hard-to-reach groups and does so in large numbers. It’s been an extraordinary year for major news stories and these results are testament to the relevance and importance of CNN’s first-class journalism in Asia and all corners of the globe.”
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
