News Broadcasting
IBN 7 for look makeover to catch aspirational young viewers
NEW DELHI: IBN 7, the Hindi news channel from the Network 18 group is going for a total overhaul of its look to match the profile and taste of the younger crowd who sometimes do not watch Hindi news on aesthetic grounds.
The new-look channel will start from next week.
Ashutosh, the IBN 7 Managing Editor told indiantelevision.com “The difference is hard to explain without actually showing what we mean, but let’s say the difference would be a man from the small town and a man from Mumbai or Manhattan.”
Ashutosh says that the group has been feeling that Hindi news channels take on a rustic, rural face, which puts off many young people who have become aspirational.
He says that with the flush of money due to recent economic boom in the country colouring the outlook of the viewers, there is need to give the face of the channel a completely international look.
Alongside, technology would be key to the viewing experience as many virtual studios will be added for news programming.
“We shall just have one master studio with proper sets, the rest will be all be virtual and we can create any kind of set that the particular news requires,” Ashutosh said.
As an example he agreed that it would now be possible to report, say, on a plane hijack creating the virtual set of the plane and the cockpit and showing how the hijack had taken place, instead of just giving audio takes on these details.
Ashutosh said that large chunks of prime time will have the support of these virtual studios, and that too would add to the international viewing experience.
But the key issue is of the look, he stressed, explaining that the news content will be the same but with a changed face. He says that the entire colour scheme, among other visual effects willl be changed to give the international feel.
“Let’s say a man has shifted from Raipur to Rochester, and so does his look. The cloth is the same the man is the same but the look is international.”
It was a bit difficult to envisage, though, as the various bands that are seen on the screen of IBN 7 today will still be there.
At present there are four bands, one at top and three below, and those would stay.
Asked why BBC or CNN does not have these bands, and that primarily these are the cause for Indian Hindi news channels’ on-screen look being badly cluttered, he said that this is because those foreign channels do not have to face the intense competition one sees in India.
“Those bands are constant feed of information useful to the viewers, so that even if the audio is out, one can feed on information, whether regarding the story on news, or other ticker news and so forth,” he explained.
His defence is that the tremendous competition to grab eyeballs is what has led Indian channels to go for these techniques, and said: “These will stay, but still, you will realise that what you are seeing today on our channel is completely different from what is coming up.”
Ashutosh admitted that the virtual studios have come at a huge price, but this reinventing of the channel was necessary.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
