News Broadcasting
NDTV India – Getting there
The pace grips, the presentation rivets and the variety of news offered is enough to relax that itching finger on the remote control.
But the rate of re-runs of interviews, news and features on NDTV India during the course of a day is a major turn off. The Hindi offspring of Prannoy Roy?s ambitious two pronged news channel offerings has all the right ingredients in place; the right content married to right timing. ?The 15 years of breaking news? that underscore the efficient functioning of the channel are evident in every frame, every confident smile of the anchor. True, it may have had its share of glitches, but these have been few and far between compared to the other fledgling news channels, which lacked on-air experience.
Although one must admit that with the race hotting up this summer to claim numero uno status among the plethora of news channels, it is becoming more and more difficult to distinguish one from the other, NDTV?s quality is a class apart. But while its English sibling can boast of having the charismatic Roy on screen once in a while, NDTV India makes do without. True, it has other familiar faces one has been accustomed to on the erstwhile Star News and others like Dibang (who defected from Aaj Tak) being touted about as the new stars on the horizon.
Where NDTV India scores is on the presentation front. The programming slots like Aapka Shaher (akin to City 60 on Star News), Namaskar India (Star Breakfast News on Star News), Yeh Hai India, Bollywood Hollywood and India Bole have a ringing similarity with those on rival channels. It is innovative camerawork, confident reporting, some intelligent probing by the anchors that however hold the viewer.
The fleet of helicopters pressed into service must be helping. NDTV?s impressive network of correspondents is everywhere, Pune, Hyderabad, Patna, Chennai ? they cover the gamut in a matter of minutes. The cache with the political bigwigs and other celebs is obviously a big help. You have Laloo Prasad Yadav spouting shayari from Bihar to Rajdeep Sardesai and you have Rani Mukherjee playfully throttling Chunmun Das after an interview session. The camaraderie translates as easy viewing, involving the viewer in the shared rapport between interviewer and interviewee. Political stories take up nearly half the programming, the rest divided between softer human interest, a little business news and then Bollywood info.
The background score is pacy, the revolving ?24 ghante? that serve as a backdrop to flashing news every half hour also gives the impression of a dynamic newsroom. The studios are simple, but classy, without the clutter of a hundred monitors and flitting staff in the background seen on some other channels. The channel?s signature colours ? orange, grey and white and the prominent crimson dot have good recall value. But the logo, innovatively placed in the bottom left corner, crammed between the time, the temperatures in leading metros and the news scroll, is lost. To a viewer accustomed to flicking channels by looking for the logo in the usual top right corner, this can be confounding, till of course, he stays on for the content to hold his interest.
The twin NDTV channels have tried innovative tracks like venturing onto Iraqi streets for a poll on what they think of the American invasion. The exercise needed guts, perseverance and sensitive questioning, all of which has been managed pretty well and showcased on primetime. The channel also went the Good Samaritan way like the rest of the new news channels by picking out a forgotten actor, Rakesh Khanna, narrating his plight and then having the film industry pour aid for him. The plaudits it fetched were dutifully played out on the channel at least seven times in the span of as many hours this Thursday, but perhaps the channel is assuming that the same viewer does not return to check for fresh news on the hour!
The same was the story with the innocuous interview with Rani Mukherjee and badminton star P Gopichand. With a correspondent network as vast as it does have, NDTV probably needs to have fresh news oftener. The news scrolls are uptodate enough, but interspersed at more than regular intervals with exhortations to the viewer to contact the cable operator if he/she doesn?t receive NDTV 24×7. Hopefully, that?s a passing phase.
The channel has been aggressive with its outdoor promotions, hoardings all over the country are attempting to entice the discerning viewer (no clear urban slant visible here) into watching the channel that shows ‘khabar wohi jo sach dikhaye‘ (the channel that portrays the truth). Roy has vowed to resist political pressure ? thus far, there hasn?t been occasion to witness any journalistic daredevilry, though.
The ad breaks are innovatively being filled with short films on the girl child, the NDTV team?s glorious past and the plight of women in the country. Though it does have McDonald?s, Motorola and Raj Travels on its roster, advertising is clearly yet to pick up for the fledgling channel.
Given the track record of the talented and tenacious team, that, hopefully, should not be too difficult.
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.
