News Broadcasting
News First stings on launch day, gets Karnataka assembly talking on second day
News First, Karnataka’s much awaited Kannada News Channel, didn’t disappoint on launch day.
The channel chose to live up to its tagline of Pratikshana Nimmondhege, Every Moment with You, with a sting operation that showed the
rampant spread of drug usage amongst children and youth alike, in government and private schools.
While most Kannada channels are going to town with an overdose of sandalwood linked drug stories, News First decided to go the societal benefit route.
The hard hitting story showed the modus operandi of drug peddlers luring and addicting vulnerable children between class 5 and 12.
The opposition too saw reason and made sure it was a talking point in the monsoon session of the Karnataka assembly, which started a day after the channel’s launch.
KPCC president DK Shivakumar applauded News First for starting off with a socially relevant story of dire importance. Senior Congress Leader Dr Parameshwar promised to make it a subject of discussion in the assembly.
JDS Leader Basavaraj Horatti lived up to his on air promise of raking up the children drug abuse story in the assembly.
Quoting News First, Horatti spoke at length about the story and need for the state government to act fast.
The government took cognisance off the issue and promised to initiate work in the direction in two days.
News First seems to be making all the right noises from the word go.
Trade too seems to be showing keen interest despite the trying times.
For a news channel launched in a crowded market place, day 1 showed sufficient promise with a tidy line up of commercials.
The men behind the venture, Ravikumar and Maruthi – formers execs of TV9 Kannada, and their team have contributed to increased interest in the News First.
Armed with an experienced team, sophisticated setup and quality focus, News First is keen to shake up the Kannada News TV market.
By the looks of it, the channel’s campaign “The Team that built Karnataka’s No. 1 News Channel, takes fresh aim” appears to have hit target.
Well begun, isn’t exactly a battle half won in this case.
But everybody loves a good start, at the cost of a wake up call !
News Broadcasting
India Today Group debuts AI anchor ‘Sutra’ at AI Impact Summit 2026
Sutra aims to simplify live policy debates using sovereign AI models
NEW DELHI: India Today Group has unveiled Sutra, an AI-driven news anchor designed to deliver real-time, contextual reporting, marking the group’s latest push to integrate artificial intelligence into mainstream journalism.
The AI anchor was introduced at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi and developed in collaboration with BharatGen, with the initiative showcased by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
India Today Group said Sutra is built to navigate complex policy discussions and fast-moving developments by synthesising information into concise, accessible insights, aimed at narrowing the gap between high-level debates and public understanding. The AI anchor was used to surface live takeaways from key sessions at the summit.
India Today Group chief AI officer Nilanjan Das, said the project was focused on clarity and accessibility without diluting editorial rigour. He added that working with BharatGen aligned the group’s AI ambitions with India’s broader push towards sovereign technology capabilities.
BharatGen CEO Rishi Bal, said the partnership reflected a shift from basic automation towards deeper contextual intelligence in media. He emphasised the importance of indigenous, multimodal AI models capable of understanding Indian languages, regional dialects and cultural nuance, particularly as AI-driven news formats gain traction.
The launch positions India Today Group among the first major Indian media houses to deploy an AI anchor backed by home-grown technology, underscoring a growing convergence between journalism, public policy and sovereign AI infrastructure.
