News Broadcasting
NDTV hands over ad sales duties to Star
MUMBAI: In a cluttered environment where news channels are struggling to up advertising rates, NDTV has assigned Star India to exclusively handle the airtime sales of all its news channels – NDTV 24×7, NDTV India and NDTV Profit.
The five-year deal will come into effect from 1 April, bringing together two broadcasting companies that would fight it out in a marketplace that is unfriendly to ad rate hikes.
For Rupert Murdoch’s Star India, the commercial alliance will mean that it has news in its bouquet mix. The network had earlier handled the ad sales of MCCS, the news broadcasting company where it owns 26 per cent stake with ABP Group as the senior partner, but that got separated and is now managed independently.
Said Star India CEO Uday Shankar, “The combination of the NDTV news brand and Star’s leadership should be able to unlock significant value for NDTV. The presence of NDTV news shall strengthen Star’s sales bouquet and enable Star to offer a comprehensive option to advertisers and agencies.”
NDTV, which has seen a slowdown in its advertising revenue from news operations, will continue its ad sales arrangement with Raj Nayak‘s Aidem Ventures for lifestyle channel NDTV Good Times, while pulling out all its news outfits from the media consulting, marketing and advertising sales company.
NDTV will focus on content and business development, areas where it is more comfortable with. For consolidating its revenues, it will adopt the outsourcing model. While Star will handle its ad sales, NDTV will depend on Star Den, a 50:50 joint venture between Star India and Den, for its subscription income.
Prannoy Roy has worked with Murdoch earlier before they split in 2003. After the divorce, Roy went on to launch his news channels and got the company listed in 2004.
Said NDTV chairman Roy, “Star, India‘s leading and most successful television network, has been a trusted partner in the past and NDTV looks forward to this new initiative which we are certain will be of mutual benefit. In many ways, it‘s a perfect fit.”
Will the alliance jack up ad rates for the news business? “The deal does not necessarily mean that ad rates will go up for NDTV. News is a cluttered market and all will depend on the demand and supply equation,” said Madison Media group CEO Punitha Arumugam.
Star India, however, believes that the getting together of the two broadcasting companies will help create value. Said Star India EVP – business development Nitin Kukreja, “There is value to be unlocked with proper packaging. We can command a premium for the news genre.”
Selling airtime for NDTV will help strengthen Star‘s offering for male targeted advertisers. “We have a bouquet of English channels including Star World, Star Movies and National Geographic. We, however, haven‘t yet decided which of our channels we are going to package with the NDTV news channels and offer to advertisers,” Kukreja added.
Some senior executives, however, believe that the outsourcing model is not a good strategy. “The reality in today‘s world is that in the news business, there is a lot of healthy interaction between business and content. There is overlap in events and sponsorship. So it is better to have the ad sales functions handled internally,” the CEO of a news broadcasting company said on condition of anonymity.
Some experts also feel that it won‘t be possible to club general entertainment channels with news channels. “The advertisers are different. The target segments are also different,” a media analyst said.
Will Star‘s relationship with ABP be strained? Will MCCS, which owns and operates Star News (Hindi), Star Majha (Marathi) and Star Anand (Bengali), be impacted?
When contacted, MCCS CEO Ashok Venkatramani did not want to comment on the new deal between Star and NDTV.
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.
