News Broadcasting
VLCC’s Vandana Luthra invests in NDTV’s Smartcooky.com
MUMBAI: VLCC founder Vandana Luthra has invested an undisclosed amount in NDTV’s e-commerce platform Smartcooky.com.
The company has previously raised funds from multiple investors, which values the startup at $12 million.
The platform will sell healthy foods and personal care products across the country and is based on the network’s current food website,www.food.ndtv.com. The funding for the platform, which claims to have over three million unique visitors a month, has come through NDTV’s subsidiary SmartCooky Internet Limited.
The new content site will help in making healthy choices in the daily life by offering a well chosen selection of quality products.
Speaking on the investment, NDTV Group executive co-chairperson Dr. Prannoy Roy said, “We are delighted to have Mrs. Vandana Luthra, a pioneer in the field of wellness, as an investor in Smartcooky. We see this alliance as a strategic one, where both parties are bound to gain.”
On this new deal, Smartcooky director Seema Chandra added, “We are very pleased to have Mrs. Luthra as our investor, as she brings on board a wealth of knowledge about the well ness space from a global perspective and would give SmartCooky a strategic edge in this high growth market. She will join the other marquee investors on Smartcooky and mentor the business as we move a long.”
Luthra said, “The health and wellness industry is growing rapidly and is very dynamic. Having been in the industry for 26 years, I believe that there is a need for such a platform, which can inform on and deliver quality health and wellness products to consumers and further grow the market. I look forward to working with the Smartcooky team and wish them the very best.”
“Baseline is delighted to facilitate Mrs. Vandana Luthra’s association with the Smartcooky venture of NDTV. Mrs. Luthra has revolutionised the concept of wellness in our country and with her coming on board of this exciting new venture of NDTV, it will surely be a great symbiotic relationship between them,” voiced NDTV’s online wedding market Baseline Ventures MD Tuhin Mishra.
Smartcooky’s other investors include Google VP and MD South East Asia and India Rajan Anandan, Genpact former president and CEO Pramod Bhasin, Manipal Group Education chairman Siddarth Pai and Unilever executive board member Manvinder Singh Banga.
News Broadcasting
Network18 channels lead YouTube news viewership in March 2026
CNN-News18, News18 India and CNBC channels top categories with record views
MUMBAI: When the world hit refresh on breaking news, Network18’s channels were already streaming ahead. As geopolitical tensions and war-driven headlines fuelled a surge in global news consumption, the network’s digital playbook delivered big clocking record Youtube viewership across English, Hindi and business news categories in March 2026.
At the forefront was CNN-News18, which emerged as the clear leader in the English news segment with 130 million live and video-on-demand views. The channel edged past competitors such as Times of India (126.5 million), Times Now (101.1 million), India Today (88.2 million) and NDTV (77.5 million), according to Databeings data for March.
In the Hindi news arena, News18 India delivered a commanding performance, racking up a staggering 3,297 million views on YouTube. The channel comfortably outpaced NDTV India, which recorded 3,119 million views, underlining its deep reach and consistent engagement with mass audiences, as per Playboard data.
The network’s dominance wasn’t confined to general news. In the Hindi business segment, CNBC Awaaz topped the charts with 92 million views, narrowly ahead of Zee Business (90 million) and well ahead of ET Now Swadesh (57 million). Meanwhile, its English counterpart CNBC-TV18 posted a strong 58 million views, reinforcing the network’s cross-category strength.
The spike in viewership reflects a broader shift in audience behaviour, with viewers increasingly turning to digital platforms particularly Youtube for real-time updates and in-depth coverage during high-intensity news cycles. For Network18, the numbers signal more than just scale; they underline the effectiveness of a multi-platform strategy that blends speed, credibility and continuous coverage.
In a month where the news never paused, it seems viewers chose to stay tuned where the stream never stopped.
