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
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.
