NDTV to seek nine news channel licences from MIB

News broadcaster NDTV is planning to launch nine news channels in different Indian languages in phases. This is the first major expansion of the network after coming under Adani Group’s control.Currently, NDTV owns and operates the English news channel NDTV 24×7, the Hindi news channel NDTV India, and the business news channel NDTV Profit.Apart from English and Hindi, the other key language markets for TV news broadcasters are Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada. Within Hindi, many news networks have launched state-specific channels targeted at markets like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh.

In a filing to the stock exchange, the company said that the board has approved a proposal to seek licences for nine news channels from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).

“The Board of Directors of New Delhi Television Limited (“the Company”), at its meeting held today, i.e., May 17, 2023, has approved a proposal to seek the permission of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for the launch of nine (9) news channels in different Indian languages in phases,” NDTV said in the regulatory filing.

The company added that it will inform the stock exchanges of the launch date of the said channels upon receipt of approval from the MIB.

After taking control of NDTV, Adani Group-owned AMG Media Networks’ CEO Sanjay Pugalia stated that the company would strengthen and invest in the NDTV newsroom to be a multi-faceted multi-media digital platform.

In December 2022, the Adani Group completed the acquisition of a 27.26% stake in NDTV from promoters Radhika Roy and Prannoy Roy for Rs 602.2 crore at Rs 342.65 per share. It owns a 64.71% stake in the TV news company.

Adani Group’s entry into NDTV began with the acquisition of a 99.5% stake in RRPR Holding Private Limited (RRPR) by Vishvapradhan Commercial Private Limited (VCPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of AMG Media Networks. The RRPR acquisition gave Adani Group a 29.18% stake in the TV news company.

The acquisition triggered an open offer, with VCPL acquiring an additional 8.27% to take its total shareholding to 37.45%.

According to the FICCI-EY report, news channels comprised 44% of the total channels in India. The report further stated that the news genre garnered 27% of the total ad volumes, which puts it in second place after the general entertainment genre.

In 2022, the report noted that the news channels produced over 36,000 hours of nonnews bulletins like news-linked content, documentaries, or specials.

The Pitch-Madison Advertising Report pegs the TV news ad market size at Rs 2500–3000 crore. The TV news market is highly fragmented with the presence of a long list of channels across languages.