News Broadcasting
Network18 denies asset sales to Times Group in BSE filing
MUMBAI: Network 18 has dismissed media reports of its asset sales to Times Group, calling the story “false and malicious,” in its latest Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) filing.
“We refer to your email…seeking clarification on news item ‘Network18 denies reports on assets sale to Times Group,” Network18 said in its statement to BSE.
“We reiterate that the report of a sale of Company's news assets is false and malicious,” the statement added.
The said article appeared in Livemint on 29 November. The article had quoted an earlier Bloomberg report that said Bennett Coleman and Co, or Times Group, is looking to hire advisers for due diligence on the news properties of the Mukesh Ambani-owned company (Network18), where options range from an outright exit to a stake sale. Talks, however, may not translate into a deal, as more suitors may emerge, it added.
Earlier in November, there were media reports that Reliance was in talks with Japan’s Sony Corp for a stake sale in Network18 Media and Investments Ltd.
Network18 has vehemently denied these media reports.
“Reliance Industries firmly denies (the) story. The story is baseless and false,” a company spokesperson said on 2 December.
News Broadcasting
Times Network to air JVC Exit Poll across 5 regions on April 29
Four-hour broadcast spans states and Puducherry with data-led analysis
MUMBAI: Times Network is set to roll out what it calls one of its most expansive election programming efforts yet, culminating in the JVC Exit Poll on 29 April, with a multi-hour broadcast spanning key poll-bound regions.
The exit poll will air across Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, beginning at 5pm and 4pm respectively. Co-powered by Vedanta and Jindal Stainless, the programming aims to combine on-ground reportage with data-driven projections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
The network has deployed over 50 journalists across these regions, gathering voter sentiment and local insights in the run-up to polling. The effort builds on its ongoing election formats such as Election Yatra and Election Premier League, which have tracked campaign narratives and community-level issues.
In parallel, Times Now Navbharat has focused on constituency-level reporting in West Bengal through its Jan Gan ka Mann series, capturing voter opinions across diverse segments.
The coverage has also featured interviews with prominent political leaders. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan have appeared on the network’s election specials. From Tamil Nadu, voices including deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran, BJP leader K Annamalai and NTK’s Seeman have also featured in discussions.
On the day of the exit poll, the network’s primetime anchors, including Navika Kumar, Zakka Jacob and Sumit Awasthi, will lead the coverage. They will be joined by a panel of political analysts, psephologists and senior journalists offering real-time insights and interpretation of trends.
The programming will integrate grassroots reportage with analytics from the JVC Exit Poll, aiming to give viewers an early sense of electoral outcomes ahead of the official results on 4 May.
With its combined English and Hindi broadcast reach, Times Network is positioning this effort as a comprehensive look at voter sentiment, blending field reporting, data and debate to decode what could lie ahead when the final mandate is revealed.
