News Broadcasting
Aaj Tak becomes the first news YouTube channel in the world to cross 50 mn subscribers
Mumbai: Earlier this year, Aaj Tak became the first news channel globally to cross 50 million subscribers. India Today Group vice chairperson Kalli Purie met YouTube managing director of APAC Gautam Anand in Singapore to commemorate the special achievement.
“Thank you so much, YouTube! This is just amazing. The team is already planning its way to 100 million, so YouTube had better start designing the next button,” Purie quipped to Anand. “Trust has always been the foundation for audience engagement at Aaj Tak. It’s no different with our YouTube channel, but on a much wider scale with hundreds of videos getting uploaded every day. We place equal emphasis on having new audiences discover our channel while ensuring loyal viewers revisit, and invest in figuring out what works on YouTube—whether this is a nuanced understanding of thumbnails or producing hero content frequently.”
Aaj Tak started its digital journey by launching its YouTube channel in 2009 and started streaming news live on YouTube for the first time in 2017. The massive popularity gained by the channel subsequently led to its ‘Diamond Play’ button from YouTube in 2019 for crossing 10 million subscribers. Now, just three years later, Aaj Tak is the first news channel to reach 50 million subscribers on YouTube.
“Constant experimentation with new formats like Shorts and investment into our community page has really paid off, and consistently breaking stories has helped create a very loyal fanbase,” explained Purie. “Events like the Presidential Elections of 2022, the Solar Eclipse and the Cricket World Cup just kept encouraging us to do better and better.”
YouTube has been at the forefront of India’s mobile revolution by powering the content and creator ecosystem and by propelling the massive upsurge of video streaming in the world’s largest democracy. Aaj Tak has also fast evolved its offering to meet new consumer needs, with the introduction of Shorts, and other constantly emerging insights on live streams. The channel now has a universe of committed audiences across TV, web, app and social platforms through compelling storytelling that’s tailored to individual platforms.
This milestone is testimony to Aaj Tak’s sharpened channel strategy, which has contributed to increased subscriptions and enabled engagement with wider audiences.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 rolls out Battle for the States ahead of key polls
Multi-format election coverage tracks voter mood across five battleground states
NEW DELHI: CNN-News18 has launched a special election programming initiative titled Battle for the States, as India gears up for high-stakes Assembly elections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
Built around the theme ‘Road to Power’, the multi-format coverage aims to follow the entire electoral journey, from campaigning and polling to results and government formation. The network is leaning into on-ground reportage and data-backed storytelling to decode voter sentiment across regions where local issues often shape the narrative.
The programming line-up includes ‘Vote Tracker’, a three-part series developed in collaboration with survey agency Vote Vibe. The show blends survey insights with expert commentary and field reporting, using augmented reality graphics to present complex electoral data such as vote share, seat projections and leadership preferences in a more accessible format. It will air every Monday evening until April 6.
Adding a cultural lens to political reporting is ‘So Saree!’, a ground-driven segment where women anchors travel across constituencies dressed in traditional handwoven sarees from each state. The format uses attire as a storytelling device, highlighting regional identity while capturing grassroots voices.
Meanwhile, ‘Unfiltered Kaapi’ and ‘Chai-Niti’ bring a more conversational tone, drawing inspiration from everyday political discussions in tea stalls and coffee corners. These segments aim to break down key issues through candid, fast-paced exchanges between anchors and reporters, tailored to regional sensibilities.
For viewers seeking deeper insights, the weekend docuseries ‘Reporters Project’ takes a longer view, with correspondents travelling across constituencies to map voter concerns and political shifts on the ground.
“Elections are about people, their aspirations, identities and the issues that matter to them, and every state tells a different story,” said CNN-News18 editorial affairs director Rahul Shivshankar. He added that the initiative focuses on understanding “the sentiment on the ground and what’s driving voter choices”.
Echoing the emphasis on credibility, Network18 CEO – English and business news Smriti Mehra said the network aims to combine on-ground reporting with data-led insights to deliver clear and timely coverage as the elections unfold.
With a mix of data, culture and grassroots reporting, CNN-News18 is positioning Battle for the States as a comprehensive window into one of India’s most closely watched electoral cycles, where every vote carries a story waiting to be told.
