News Broadcasting
IBN channels & sites plan special I-Day programming
NEW DELHI: IBN channels — CNN-IBN, IBN7, IBN-Lokmat — and its two news portals — ibnlive.com and ibnkhabar.com — have planned special programming to celebrate the country’s 62nd Independence Day.
The sixth edition of bi-annual State of the Nation Poll, this Independence Day will focus on ‘The Great Indian Urban Family’ which will be aired both on CNN-IBN and IBN7.
The channel will also air the ‘Freedom of speech contest’ which will see ordinary citizens share their own version of the historic freedom speech by late Jawaharlal Nehru. The show will have celebrities and sports personalities articulating on what freedom means to them, changes they want to bring and how it can be done. The best speeches will go on-air across the network channels.
In addition, the channels will pay a tribute to soldiers through the show, ‘Mothers of martyrs special’ where mothers of martyrs will cook the favourite food of their sons in their memory.
Independence Day’s mood will be further celebrated with a musical show like ‘India rocks on’, where director-actor Farhan Akhtar along with the team of the upcoming movie ‘Rock on’ will interact with and perform to a live audience.
Moreover, ‘The Ranbir show’ will have Ranbir Kapoor and the leading ladies Deepika Padukone, Bipasha Basu and Minnisha Lamba from the film ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’ movie sharing the experience of the movie.
The Independence week will also telecast ‘Ten defining moments’ and ‘The real heroes’ shows.
Apart from this IBN-Lokmat, the Marathi channel of the network will be airing a series of programmes under the theme of “Youth and freedom”. This includes a talk show anchored by the Nikhil Wagle, Editor IBN-Lokmat.
Ibnlive.com and ibnkhabar.com, the news portal of CNN-IBN and IBN 7, will also be hosting interactive contests like Colours of India, Freedom Blogs and Hoist a Flag. Viewers who miss out on the special on-air programming can even catch the videos on the news portals ibnlive.com and ibnkhabar.com.
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.
