At the 47th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Reliance Industries, Chairman Mukesh Ambani highlighted the impressive performance and strategic growth of Network18’s news business. Ambani detailed how the group’s various media properties are achieving new heights, driven by a focus on high-quality journalism and a commitment to global expansion.

Ambani underscored Network18’s leadership in both general and business news. “Our News business is reaching new heights due to our focus on high-quality journalism. We are the only network in India with global ambitions,” he said. He cited News18’s recent achievements, particularly its performance during India’s General Elections in 2024, where it emerged as the top TV network for election news. “On June 4, the counting day, its reach was nearly 50 percent higher than the IPL final,” Ambani noted.

He also highlighted the success of CNBC-TV18, which secured an 82 percent viewership share on Budget Day, maintaining a strong weekly performance. Meanwhile, CNN-News18 has consistently outperformed all other channels combined and has been the number one English news channel in India for over two years. News18 India, the network’s Hindi news channel, has also maintained its leadership position in the Hindi news segment for more than two years.

Elaborating on Network18’s digital platforms, Ambani praised the rapid growth and innovation at Moneycontrol and Firstpost. He announced that Moneycontrol, India’s leading platform for money, markets, and business news, is transforming into an advanced fintech provider. “Moneycontrol is becoming an advanced fintech provider of data and analytics for users in India and beyond. It is unmatched in speed and accuracy, with 70 million unique visitors,” he stated. The platform’s premium service, Moneycontrol Pro, now has over 850,000 paid subscribers, making it one of the Top-10 subscription sites globally and the largest in India.

Ambani also highlighted the growth of Firstpost, which he described as “a global news powerhouse.” Over the past 12 months, Firstpost’s subscriber base has more than doubled. In July, it recorded 127 million video views, ranking sixth among its global peers. “Firstpost is recruiting top talent to become the definitive global news destination from India,” he added.

Moneycontrol has further solidified its position in the market by expanding into the fintech space with a range of personal finance products. “Moneycontrol’s 7 crore+ daily users can now secure personal loans, start fixed deposits, track their mutual funds and stocks portfolio, manage all their bank accounts, check credit scores, and more,” Ambani announced. These new services, coupled with the growth of Moneycontrol Pro, position Moneycontrol as a comprehensive destination for financial needs.
Network18’s Firstpost has also established itself as India’s fastest-growing online video news platform, gaining over 5 million subscribers in less than 18 months. Its YouTube channel captured over 110 million video views, surpassing major global news platforms such as BBC News, Al Jazeera English, Sky News, and DW. This achievement is supported by YouTube viewership data from VidIQ for March 2024.

Network18 continues to dominate the business news category through CNBC-TV18, which sustained a 92.5 percent market share. CNN-News18, part of the News18 Network, has held the top spot among English news channels for two consecutive years, while News18 India has led the Hindi news segment for a similar period.

Ambani emphasized the global aspirations of the network, stating, “I believe it is time for India, as the world’s most populous nation, to assert its voice and gain its rightful space in the influential global media.” He reiterated that Network18 remains committed to bringing India’s perspective to a global audience.

With a diverse portfolio of 16 news channels across Hindi, English, and regional languages, News18 Network continues to be a preferred choice for viewers across India. Its comprehensive coverage during India’s General Elections 2024 demonstrated its dominance, with its reach on counting day being approximately 50 percent higher than the IPL final.

Under Ambani’s leadership, Network18 is positioned to expand its footprint further in both domestic and international markets, leveraging its strong performance across television, digital, and fintech domains to drive growth and innovation in the media industry.