WillItSurvive
Broadcast and traditional media · subsidiary of AMG Media Networks Limited (Adani Group) · India

New Delhi Television Limited (NDTV)

ndtv.com ↗

Adani-owned Indian news broadcaster, TV and digital, ranked #1 in reach for six straight years.

Protection under test
Assessed 26 July 2026 · Evidence as of 26 July 2026
Something worth protecting exists and is being tested right now.
On the recordSince 26 July 2026 · Checkable from June 2027 · Every call on the record Checkpoint: Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2027 ranking release
The call

NDTV still leads India in reach, but rising losses and larger, better-funded rivals mean that lead is being tested every quarter.

NDTV is a 40-year-old news channel in India that reaches more people than its competitors according to independent surveys, and it has powerful financial backing from the Adani Group to keep it running. But the company is losing much more money each year (losses jumped from 21 crore rupees to 218 crore rupees in one year), and viewers are shifting to rivals like Republic TV and Times Now, plus many people now get news summaries from free AI tools like ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews instead of watching TV news at all. The make-or-break moment will come if NDTV loses its number-one ranking in the Reuters Institute survey, because that trusted reach is the main thing keeping it valuable against much larger news competitors.

Why
01
AI pressure: Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, ChatGPT. AI answer tools can summarize NDTV's news without sending readers to its site, squeezing digital traffic and ad revenue. Could AI do the core job? Only partly.
02
Bigger players: Republic TV, Times Now, Zee, Network18, India Today, Sun TV. Rivals with bigger scale and better OTS distribution numbers are pulling audience and ad money while NDTV posts widening losses. Could a giant copy it? Yes, easily.
03
What protects it. Six straight years as India's #1 news brand by weekly reach, plus Adani's deep pockets to absorb losses.
What would change this call
NDTV's FY2025-26 audited net loss figure, due around April 2026. Shows whether losses are narrowing toward breakeven or widening further.
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2027 India reach ranking. Shows whether NDTV keeps its 6-year #1 reach lead or slips behind rivals.
Outcome of Anil Ambani defamation suit hearing at Delhi High Court, July 18 2026. Shows whether legal and editorial-trust overhangs escalate or ease.
Key numbers
  • FY25 net loss widened to Rs 218 crore from Rs 21 crore (2025-03-31)
  • FY25 revenue grew 26% to Rs 465 crore (2025-03-31)
  • Adani Group holds 64.71% of NDTV (2025-03-31)
Named risks
  • Net loss widened roughly tenfold to -218.02 crore in FY2024-25 despite 26% revenue growth. Severity: high
  • Active defamation suit from Anil Ambani and unresolved legacy FDI/CBI probe against founders. Severity: medium
  • Editorial independence and trust questioned publicly since 2022-23 Adani takeover. Severity: medium
  • Trailing rival Republic TV on OTS distribution metric despite leading Reuters Institute reach survey. Severity: medium
Rivals, as read in July 2026
RivalDirectionEvidence
Republic TVlosing toLed English-news OTS distribution at about 94% versus NDTV as of 2026-07-24
Anil Ambani/Reliance ADAcontestingAmbani filed defamation suit against NDTV over CBI/ED-linked articles, 2026-05-07
Times Now, India Today, Zee News, ABP Newsgaining onLarger conglomerate-backed rivals compete directly across NDTV's TV and digital news segment
Zee Entertainment, Sun TV Networklosing toMuch larger listed media conglomerates operate at multiples of NDTV's revenue scale per market analysis
Questions people ask
Is NDTV profitable in 2025?
No. NDTV's consolidated net loss widened to -218.02 crore in FY2024-25 (year ended March 31, 2025), up sharply from a -21.37 crore loss in FY2023-24, even as revenue grew 26% to 465.03 crore, per its own annual report.
Who owns NDTV now?
The Adani Group controls NDTV, holding about 64.71% via AMG Media Networks/VCPL after exercising warrants on RRPR Holding in August 2022 and buying founders Prannoy and Radhika Roy's remaining stake in December 2022, per Moneycontrol reporting.
Could AI replace NDTV's journalists?
NDTV itself has acknowledged AI threatens 'copy-paste churn' news tasks like transcription and rewriting, per a November 2025 piece citing MIT's Neil Thompson, while launching its own AI-driven Datafy platform in March 2026 to stay ahead.
Is NDTV or Republic TV bigger in India?
It depends on the metric: NDTV topped the Reuters Institute Digital News Report's India weekly reach ranking for a sixth straight year as of June 16, 2026, but Republic TV led English-channel OTS distribution at about 94% as of July 24, 2026.
What legal risks does NDTV face under Adani ownership?
Anil Ambani filed a defamation suit against NDTV and CEO Rahul Kanwal in May 2026 seeking 2.1 crore in damages over roughly 72 articles, with a Delhi High Court hearing set for July 18, 2026; a separate legacy CBI/FDI probe against NDTV's founders also continues.
Timeline
  • 2026-06-16NDTV tops Reuters Institute India weekly reach rankings for 6th consecutive year
  • 2026-06-04Delhi HC quashes look-out circular against founders Roys; CBI probe continues
  • 2026-05-07Anil Ambani files defamation suit against NDTV seeking 2.1 crore damages
  • 2026-03-05NDTV launches Datafy, a data-driven journalism platform
  • 2026-01NDTV introduces Automate, a conversation-led multi-format franchise
  • 2025-04-26Rahul Kanwal, ex-India Today, appointed NDTV CEO and Editor-in-Chief
  • 2024-10-21NDTV World digital-first global news platform launched
  • 2023-03Former SEBI chief Upendra Kumar Sinha appointed Non-Executive Chairperson
  • 2022-12-30Roys sell 27.26% stake to Adani, raising Adani holding to 64.71%
  • 2022-08-23AMG Media Networks/VCPL exercises warrants, gains indirect control of 29.18% NDTV stake
Revision history
26 July 2026
First assessed. Protection under test. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.
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