News Broadcasting
Narendra Modi praises News18’s efforts on its Rising India summit
Mumbai: Appreciating News18’s Rising India summit that concluded on Thursday, prime minister Narendra Modi, has shared a tweet praising the effort by the network. PM Modi shared VP Jagdeep Dhankhar’s tweet on the unveiling of the Coffee Table Book “Voice of India – Modi and His Transformative Mann ki Baat” at the News 18 Rising India summit.
“As this programme completes hundred episodes, I compliment efforts like the one by @CNNnews18 to acknowledge the people mentioned and the impact they have created,” PM Modi said in his tweet.
The most beautiful part about #MannKiBaat is the manner in which it celebrates grassroots level change makers. As this programme completes hundred episodes, I compliment efforts like the one by @CNNnews18 to acknowledge the people mentioned and the impact they have created. https://t.co/T6egxnw15D
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 31, 2023
The two day Rising India summit was a power packed event with the country’s biggest newsmakers in attendance.
Rising India has been conceptualized to create an engaging forum for leaders across sectors such as, arts, sports, business, and academia, both from India and around the world for productive discussions on how to continue advancing India’s progress. This year, the summit celebrated remarkable achievements of “Ordinary People” who have made an “Extraordinary Social Impact”. The event acknowledged 20 such persons, who have designed innovative solutions that are making a difference at the grassroot level and launched social entrepreneurship ventures with the potential to transform lives, initiate community-led programs that are bringing positive change in various ways, and demonstrated acts of compassion and courage that are contributing towards making India a better place.
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.
