NDTV’s digital lead strengthens cross-platform play for advertisers

New Delhi: NDTV has cited strong performance across key digital news metrics, including YouTube video consumption, Comscore website reach and Reuters Institute rankings, as it looks to build a stronger cross-platform proposition for advertisers and agencies. As news investments are increasingly being judged across screens and formats, agencies are looking at video scale, repeat reach, audience engagement, brand safety, trust, social amplification and the ability to build impact packages around large news moments. NDTV is trying to connect all these pieces into one digital growth story. On vote counting day for five state assembly elections on May 4 , NDTV 24x7 recorded 43.82 million total views, more than double its nearest competitors among English news broadcasters, according to Databeings’ Daily Views Gained data shared by the company. The channel led across all major video formats. It recorded 18.63 million live stream views, 16.39 million Shorts views and 8.80 million VOD views. The split gives NDTV three sellable video buckets: live streams, Shorts and VOD, each serving a different viewing habit and advertiser need. YouTube lead gives NDTV scale NDTV 24x7 ranked No. 1 among English news channels on YouTube in March 2026, recording 197.3 million views, according to Databeings’ Daily Views Gained metric updated on April 1. It was ahead of WION at 158.6 million, India Today at 135.3 million, Republic World at 117.6 million and Times Now at 113.7 million. The March lead followed a strong run in January and February. In January 2026, NDTV 24x7 led English news broadcasters with 129.21 million monthly views, ahead of Republic World at 102 million and India Today at 95.55 million, according to Playboard. In February, NDTV remained the most-watched English news channel with 119 million views, according to Databeings, and 139 million views, according to Playboard. It stayed ahead of Firstpost, Republic World, India Today, WION and Times Now. The month-on-month lead gives NDTV a stronger narrative than a one-time spike around a big news event. It shows repeated consumption across regular news cycles. NDTV.com’s direct reach On Election Day, NDTV.com recorded 35.6 million unique visitors, making it India’s most visited English news website, according to data shared by the company. In Comscore MMX Multi-Platform Rankings for May 2026, NDTV English recorded 45.5 million unique visitors across desktop and mobile and retained the No. 1 position in the English news category. NDTV.com has now held the No. 1 position among English news websites for five consecutive months from January to May 2026. In May, NDTV.com was followed by HindustanTimes.com at 44.7 million users, IndianExpress.com at 34 million, TheHindu.com at 28.2 million, TimesNowNews.com at 19.9 million and IndiaToday.in at 14.7 million. This gives NDTV direct digital reach along with its platform-led video scale. When trust overlays reach The Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2026, released last month, ranked NDTV as the leading news brand in India for the sixth consecutive year, according to data shared by the company. In the online news brands category, NDTV Online led with 29% weekly reach, ahead of BBC News Online at 26%, India.com at 24%, Times of India Online at 21% and Republic TV Online at 21%. Digital roadmap NDTV’s recent shareholder communication also placed digital at the centre of its next phase. At the company’s 38th Annual General Meeting, the network outlined a roadmap built around trusted journalism, digital scale, artificial intelligence, global reach, regional expansion and a more diversified business model. U.K. Sinha, Chairperson of the Board, placed NDTV’s journalism in the context of misinformation, synthetic media, geopolitical conflict and pressure on press freedom. “In a world where misinformation travels at the speed of algorithms, verified journalism is not a service, it is a necessity,” Sinha said. Rahul Kanwal, Chief Executive Officer and Editor-in-Chief, told shareholders that NDTV’s focus was to build “a new NDTV for a new India”. The company also highlighted its digital scale at the AGM. Kanwal said NDTV had more than 45 million lifetime YouTube subscribers, over 102 million followers across social media platforms and more than 40 billion video views. He also said NDTV 24x7 registered 127% year-on-year growth on YouTube, while NDTV India delivered 1,521% year-on-year growth. These numbers show why NDTV is positioning digital as a growth engine and not only as an extension of its television brands. AI, regional and IP-led plays At the AGM, Sinha said AI offered opportunities for journalism, from research and transcription to data analysis and distribution, but required safeguards. “Our approach is clear: leverage AI to enhance capabilities while safeguarding editorial integrity. Verification, accountability and human editorial judgement remain central,” he said. Kanwal also said NDTV was moving towards becoming an AI-led media company, using technology to improve research, workflows, audience understanding and storytelling while keeping editorial judgement human. Regional expansion also gives NDTV a wider growth runway. English news gives it premium reach. Hindi and regional growth can help the network build larger cross-market packages. The task now is to turn audience scale into yield.