News Broadcasting
G20 Town Hall by CNN-News18 to discuss India’s pivotal global moment
Mumbai: To put a spotlight on India’s G20 moment and the nation’s growing influence on the global map, CNN-News18 has announced the ‘G20 Town Hall’, which is slated to take place on 5 September in New Delhi.
As India prepares to host the New Delhi G20 summit later this month, CNN-News18’s ‘G20 Town Hall’ will serve as a platform to dissect the country’s role as a global leader and assess India’s emergence as ‘Vishwamitra’ (Friend of the world), a term which was highlighted by PM Modi recently.
The platform will bring together thought leaders and policy makers such as Piyush Goyal (Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution and Textiles), Meenakshi Lekhi (Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture), Amitabh Kant (G20 Sherpa, Government of India), Harsh Vardhan Shringla (G20 Chief Coordinator) and Ricky Kej (three-time Grammy winning Indian Music Composer and Environmentalist), among others. The event will also feature panel discussions graced by diplomats representing economies of all scales, from the largest to the most modest.
Commenting on the special edition of the Town Hall, CNN-News18 managing editor Zakka Jacob said, “Our Town Halls have always served as a neutral platform to engage in meaningful discussions that provide viewers with an opportunity to hear directly from political leaders and officials. This time around, we intend to use the platform to highlight India’s promising position on the global map, which was bolstered by the presidency of G20. The G20 Town Hall will empower the audience with a deeper understanding of India’s G20 presidency and the nation’s pivotal global moment.”
The G20 Town Hall will explore India’s G20 theme – ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, and the country’s role in driving the development agenda under the theme. It will also shed light on how the G20 theme underscores the interconnectedness of global challenges and the need for collaborative solutions through discussions on culture, academics, and politics.
CNN-News18 Town Hall is a prominent platform for policymakers and opinion leaders in India. The channel’s commitment to delivering unbiased news and facilitating informed conversations makes this event an invaluable opportunity for political leaders and viewers alike.
‘CNN-News18 Town Hall’ is an on-ground event, which will be streamed live on CNN-News18 TV channel as well as its YouTube channel 6 pm onwards on 5 September.
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.
