News Broadcasting
NDTV toys with regional variant
NEW DELHI: The Prannoy Roy-promoted NDTV Ltd has drawn up plans to reach out to the grassroots by starting a new news channel where the focus would be more on regional and local news instead of national and international happenings.
This yet-to-be-named product is part of NDTV’s move to broadbase and reflects its ambitions to have a bouquet of its own channels catering to various genre of popular television broadcasting. An uplink permission for this channel has been sought from the government.
According to broadcast industry sources, after having launched three news channels, of which one is the clear leader in its segment, another is going toe-to-toe with the till now sole player and a third is a strong Number Two, NDTV is now trying to focus on a product that would highlight local news of various regions, including the metros.
This is also being seen as a move to counter the growing dominance of regional channels like ETV, Sahara and now even Star.
“The full content line-up of the proposed channel is still being ideated and fine-tuned. Though, in principle, it has been decided that a new news channel with emphasis on local news of various regions does have potential to be marketed,” an industry source familiar with this development told Indiantelevision.com.
According to a recent JP Morgan research report, in the $4.5 billion Indian entertainment industry, the advertising industry is expected to grow strongly by around 12 per cent in FY 2006-2008. TV will increase its share of ad pie from 47 per cent to 50 per cent in the next three years to cross Rs 50 billion, the report states. Not surprisingly, within the TV segment, news broadcasting is the fastest growing one.
It is learnt that the proposed channel would have programming based on lifestyle and nightlife of various cities too, along with other local news that would be useful for regional viewers. The probability of the new product being in English language is high as it would have wider appeal. However, a NDTV Profit-type format is also not being ruled out. The business channel has programming that uses both the Hindi and English languages.
If everything goes well, which includes getting various permissions from the government, the new channel from the NDTV stable is likely to go on air within three months time.
At the moment, NDTV has three news channels — NDTV 24×7 in English, NDTV India in Hindi and business channel NDTV Profit.
News Broadcasting
UDF poised to return to power in Kerala, says Manorama-CVoter survey
Massive opinion poll projects shift in Kerala politics ahead of 2026 Assembly elections.
MUMBAI: The winds of change appear to be blowing through Kerala’s political landscape and this time, they seem to favour the United Democratic Front. A comprehensive mega opinion survey conducted by Manorama News in partnership with CVoter projects a potential comeback for the UDF in the upcoming Kerala Legislative Assembly Elections 2026. The survey, covering all 140 constituencies with a massive sample size of nearly 90,000 respondents, predicts the UDF could win between 69 and 81 seats.
The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) is expected to secure 57 to 69 seats, a significant drop from the 99 seats it won in the 2021 elections. This would mean the LDF losing 30 to 42 of its sitting seats. Meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which drew a blank in 2021, is projected to open its account with 1 to 5 seats.
Region-wise, the UDF is expected to make strong gains in Malabar, winning 25 to 34 out of 48 seats, and in Central Kerala, where it could bag 29 to 33 out of 53 seats. In South Kerala, the LDF is likely to retain an edge with 21 to 25 seats, while the UDF may improve to 12 to 16 seats. The NDA could pick up 1 to 3 seats in the southern region.
The survey was conducted between 14 and 26 March 2026, with additional tracker and snap polls carried out from December 2025 to March 2026. A total of 89,693 respondents participated, ensuring representation across all demographics and social segments.
Manorama News has a strong track record of accuracy, with its previous projections closely matching the actual results of the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well as the 2021 Kerala Assembly polls.
In Kerala’s famously fierce political battles, this survey suggests the pendulum may be swinging back. Whether the final verdict matches these numbers or throws up another surprise, one thing is clear, the 2026 Assembly elections are shaping up to be one of the most keenly watched contests in the state’s history.
