News Broadcasting
Times Now launches election campaigns for Indian and U.S. viewers on counting day
Mumbai: As the anticipation for the Lok Sabha Election results culminates on the Counting Day, Times Now, and Times Now Navbharat are set to revolutionize election news broadcasting with state-of-the-art technology and dynamic campaigns in India and the U.S.
Augmenting the election news viewing experience like never before, Times Now and Times Now Navbharat have introduced two new state-of-the-art Studios, offering an immersive and interactive experience. The studios feature large interactive & big data display screens, AI-led technology to consolidate reporter and audience feedback live, advanced 3D graphics, real-time data analysis & data crunching, high-depth immersive graphics, experiential integrative technology, and interactive news broadcast to provide viewers with comprehensive election news and analysis.
To maximise reach and engagement, the Network has launched unique collaborations with leading partners across the country. Engaging over 15 million daily consumers, Zomato users will get real-time poll updates from Times Now Navbharat while they wait for their order to be delivered. To bring the pulse of democracy closer to the people, Times Now Navbharat has partnered with leading movie theatre, MovieMax across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Punjab, Telangana, and Delhi broadcasting live election updates and providing comprehensive coverage on Counting Day. Fostering vibrant discussions and informed participation, Times Network has created ‘Chunaav Charcha Corners’ across leading Media Agencies in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore. Through live screenings and interactive sessions on Counting Day, this initiative aims to engage audiences in meaningful conversations about the elections.
To delve into India’s landmark elections from the oldest democracy in the world, Times Network has curated a series of interactive on-ground activities engaging the Indian diaspora in The U.S. Drawing attention to Counting Day, a special display van travelled from New York City to New Jersey communicating highlights of the programming led by Times Now’s leading anchors and culminating into a carnival at New Jersey’s biggest desi market area. Sharing her perspective on the election action in India with live updates from the country, Navika Kumar, group editor-in-chief, Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, will join the thought-provoking panel discussion with eminent panellists, to be held on June 3 to discuss, dissect, and deliberate on the Indian elections.
The Network has rolled out an aggressive marketing campaign across Out-of-Home (OOH), print ads in leading National dailies, tie-ups with leading Radio Stations, and digital screens at airports across India. The Network’s bouquet of news channels and its digital platforms across YouTube, Facebook and Instagram will keep viewers ahead with the fastest updates on Counting Day.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
