CNN-News18 has announced a refreshed programming line-up under its ‘Voice for a New India’ positioning, adding new shows and reorganising its weekday and weekend schedule across news, analysis, regional coverage, geopolitics and health. The new grid will run on linear television, connected TV and YouTube.
What changes on the schedule
The weekday slate now opens with several anchor-led shows in the midday and afternoon slots. The evening and prime-time schedule has also been reshaped around familiar faces and distinct editorial formats.
- Midday and afternoon: Raw Report with Shawan Sen at 12 PM, Breaking Frontline with Shivani Gupta at 1 PM, Simply South with Nabila Jamal and Harish Upadhya at 1:30 PM, Newsroom Unfiltered with Griha Atul at 3 PM and News Periscope 360° View with Ayushman Jamwal at 4 PM.
- Evening and prime time: The 5 PM Brief with Poonam Burde, Plain Speak with Shivani Gupta at 5:55 PM, Brass Tacks with Nabila Jamal at 6:55 PM, The Right Stand with Anand Narasimhan at 7:55 PM, The Hard Facts with Rahul Shivshankar at 8:55 PM, Raw Report at 9:58 PM and Vantage with Hem Kaur Saroya at 10:30 PM.
- Weekend additions: The Global Radar with Griha Atul, focusing on international and geopolitical developments, and Health Matters with Himani Chandna, centred on healthcare and wellness.
Network executives say the reshuffle is designed around audience expectations rather than just speed.
“Viewers want journalism that is original, transparent and rooted in facts,” said Rahul Shivshankar, Editorial Affairs Director, CNN-News18.
Smriti Mehra, CEO – English and Business News, Network18, described the line-up as a mix of original reporting, immersive explainers, debates and in-depth analysis built around trusted anchors.
Why this matters for media and marketing professionals
For media planners and advertisers, a programming refresh is more than a schedule change. It is a signal about audience segmentation and appointment viewing. Anchor-led franchises such as Raw Report, Brass Tacks and The Right Stand are designed to create consistency and familiarity, which can help build habitual viewing across linear TV, connected TV and YouTube.
The new weekend shows also point to a broader content strategy. The Global Radar focuses on international and geopolitical developments, while Health Matters is centred on healthcare and wellness. This need-state mapping is a useful framework for content marketers and media teams.
The bigger picture is that Indian English news channels are competing for fragmented attention across digital and connected TV. For brands, this format mix may create new integration and sponsorship opportunities around health, geopolitics and prime-time analysis, although the announcement stops short of detailing commercial packages.
What marketing teams can borrow
Instead of treating content as a single stream, build a portfolio of slots that match different audience needs – quick updates, regional context, explainers or weekend deep dives. Assign consistent hosts or voices to each slot to build recognition, and distribute wherever the audience actually watches.
Source: Storyboard18
