How TV news should diversify beyond ads to thrive in 2026

Indian TV news, which accounts for nearly a third of television advertising volumes, is now at a crossroads as it heads into 2026.

According to the TAM AdEx Half Yearly Report (Jan–Jun 2025), general entertainment channels led TV ad volumes with a 31 percent share, followed by news at 28 percent, movies at 22 percent, music at 11 percent and kids’ programming at 4 percent. Together, these five genres accounted for over 95 percent of total TV advertising in both 2024 and 2025.

Yet beneath this headline share lies a more complex reality for news broadcasters grappling with advertiser fatigue, fragmented audiences and mounting pressure to reinvent business models without eroding credibility. The challenge is not relevance or reach. News viewership has not disappeared, particularly in regional markets and rural India where television remains a primary source of information. The real stress point is monetisation. As digital platforms pull younger audiences and brand budgets away from linear television, TV news is being forced to rethink how it earns, not just how it broadcasts.

From spot ads to portfolios

For Ashish Sehgal, CEO of Times Network and Chief Growth Officer at Times Media and Entertainment, the path forward lies in decisively moving beyond dependence on spot advertising. The idea of a single dominant revenue stream, he argues, is already outdated.

“A sustainable TV news revenue model has moved beyond just spot advertising to a portfolio approach – linear ads for scale, digital and CTV monetisation for incremental reach, events and experiences for high-margin revenue and selective subscriptions for niche, high-intent audiences,” Sehgal says. The objective, he adds, is not to replace advertising, but to diversify risk and expand ARPU, anchored in owned IP and audience trust.

This portfolio thinking reflects a broader shift underway across the industry. As ad growth softens and rate pressures persist, broadcasters are being pushed to monetise depth, not just reach.

Raktim Das, CEO, ZMCL, places this shift in a wider structural context. “Spot advertising, once the crown jewel of TV revenue, has been under structural pressure for some time now,” he says, pointing to the rise of targeted, measurable and performance-led media as audiences fragment across digital, OTT, CTV and social platforms.

“This structural shift has necessitated revenue diversification for news television,” Das adds. At ZEE Media, he says, this has meant rethinking everything from team structures and training to platform synergies and multi-engine revenue models built around IPs, events, on-air and online brand solutions, digital video monetisation and custom content. “The focus shifts from one-off ad bursts to repeatable formats that build audience loyalty and advertiser confidence through the year. At the centre of it is credible content.”

Non-linear becomes non-negotiable

What were once considered adjacent revenue experiments are now becoming core pillars of the news business. Events, branded IPs, digital extensions and content syndication are no longer side projects but central to future-proofing revenues.

“These are no longer optional adjacencies but core pillars of future-proofing news revenues,” Sehgal says. Live and hybrid events, in particular, offer higher-margin opportunities and deeper audience engagement than traditional TV spots. Brands, he notes, are increasingly paying for credibility, expertise and sustained association rather than fleeting impressions.

Das echoes this view, arguing that linear television alone can no longer carry the full revenue burden of a news organisation. “As news consumption shifts from appointment viewing to on-demand, platform-led discovery, monetisation must evolve accordingly,” he says. Content syndication, events and branded content, once seen as icing on the cake, are now “core to the business along with spot advertising”, helping reduce volatility and build predictable, high-margin income streams.

Resetting expectations

This recalibration is already visible across networks. Varun Kohli, CEO of Bharat Express, believes expectations around TV news economics have fundamentally shifted.

“As we move towards 2026, expectations in TV news will be completely reset. If last year the base was 50, this year it has already moved to 60, and growth will now be measured on that higher base,” Kohli says. According to him, credibility will emerge as the single biggest issue going forward. Advertiser interest in broadcast news has softened, and the challenge is how to bring brands back in a meaningful way, particularly in a free-to-air ecosystem.

Kohli adds that every network will be forced to re-examine its cost structures and operational efficiency. “News channels are no longer just about linear TV. Events, digital platforms, branded IPs and content-led initiatives are becoming core to the business model,” he says, noting that events and IP-led formats are likely to see strong growth as advertisers look for deeper engagement.

Balancing TRPs and trust

One of the central questions heading into 2026 is whether TV news can continue chasing high TRPs while simultaneously building subscription products, events and brand-funded formats without diluting editorial credibility.

Sehgal believes the balance is achievable with clear guardrails. Mass-appeal news and breaking coverage will continue to drive reach and ratings, while deeper analysis, explainers and expert-led formats can power subscriptions and branded monetisation. “Credibility is protected through transparency and strict disclosure, ensuring paid partnerships align with journalistic values and never influence news judgment,” he says.

Das frames the issue differently. “Consumers have not stopped watching news. They have simply multiplied their screens,” he says. While discovery increasingly happens online, credibility, he argues, still resides with television. “Trust is required for gaining TRPs, and the same trust drives subscriptions, events, branded IPs and premium digital monetisation. The only scalable model is relevance and authority driving reach, and trust driving affinity.”

Kohli, meanwhile, warns that weaker channels could fall by the wayside if they fail to adapt. “Advertising growth itself is under pressure. AdEx is not growing the way it should, and that is a real concern. Expense control is no longer optional,” he says, while noting that connected TV could emerge as a meaningful opportunity as measurement improves.

Scale versus depth is a false choice

For many broadcasters, the strategic dilemma heading into 2026 is whether to prioritise scale and reach or focus on depth-led monetisation. Industry leaders largely reject this as a false binary.

“The right bet for 2026 is scale to build influence and relevance, and depth to drive monetisation,” Sehgal says. Das agrees, arguing that scale anchors national relevance during elections and breaking news, while depth builds stronger engagement through explainers, special reports, events and premium formats. “Together, scale and depth reinforce each other rather than compete,” he says.

Reinvention, not decline

Off the record, a senior industry executive offers a blunt assessment. The TV news business is undoubtedly getting tougher. The real risk, the executive says, lies in the industry’s inability to reinvent itself fast enough. While many networks are experimenting with events, concerts and multiple extensions, too many players are chasing similar ideas without sufficient differentiation.

The picture that emerges is not of a shrinking medium, but of one in transition. India’s TV news industry remains vast, accounting for nearly 45 percent of the country’s roughly 900 private television channels, and continues to command a significant share of advertising spends. However, digital competition, shifting advertiser expectations and evolving consumption habits are forcing broadcasters to confront hard questions about value creation.

As TV news looks ahead to 2026, the consensus is clear. Survival and growth will hinge not on chasing headline ratings alone, but on building diversified, credible and scalable businesses. Reinvention, not retreat, will define the next phase of Indian TV news.