News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 launches print campaign to announce leadership on counting day
Mumbai: In a print campaign launched on the front page of the Economic Times newspaper, CNN-News18 has announced its leadership during the four state election results.
The campaign will also go live on digital, social and trade platforms starting Wednesday.
As per the ad released by the news channel, it has secured a remarkable 30.6 per cent market share on the counting day of assembly elections held across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana on 3 December 2023.
Positioning itself as the number one choice of viewers for comprehensive counting day coverage, CNN-News18 outperformed its competitors, with Republic TV securing the second position at 25.4 per cent market share, closely trailed by Times Now with 23.6 per cent India Today TV followed suit with a market share of 12.9 per cent. (Source: BARC | Metric: Market Share | TG: 15+AB | Period: 3 December (24 hrs) | Market: India)
The resounding success of CNN-News18 on counting day can be attributed to its special election programming, delivering the quickest and most accurate results, coupled with anchors like Zakka Jacob, Anand Narasimhan, and Rahul Shivshankar. The channel’s extensive network of reporters across all four states, ensured fastest, comprehensive coverage.
CNN-News18’s presentation with engaging graphics and insightful explainers, simplified complex trends and data, making it easily comprehensible for the audience.
The channel has continued to outperform its competition in terms of viewership for more than a year now.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
