The biggest high is that NDTV matters again: Rahul Kanwal

Rahul Kanwal has set out an ambitious vision for NDTV—one that combines editorial credibility, digital expansion, global aspirations and a clear commitment to financial accountability.
In his first major interview since taking charge as NDTV’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Kanwal said the network had regained relevance and mind space while acknowledging that its complete turnaround would ultimately be judged by its financial performance.

“The biggest high is that NDTV matters again,” Kanwal said. “It has mind space and people are talking about it.”

Describing NDTV as “four magical letters”, he said the brand’s connection with audiences in India and abroad remained its greatest strength. His objective, he explained, is to build a “new NDTV for a new India” with renewed passion, purpose, energy and ideas.

Read e4m report: Rahul Kanwal on rebuilding NDTV's commercial muscle

Kanwal’s transition from newsroom leadership to the CEO’s office has placed him at the intersection of journalism and business. He previously held editorial and profit-and-loss responsibilities at Business Today, where, according to him, the team expanded the brand across television, digital, social media and YouTube while growing its revenue lines to more than five times the inherited base.

That experience now informs his approach at NDTV.

“Editorial credibility and commercial sustainability cannot be treated as disconnected responsibilities,” he said, underlining that a credible news organisation must also be financially viable and independent.

At the heart of Kanwal’s editorial vision is the idea of NDTV as a broad and inclusive platform. He described it as “a big tent of ideas, opinions and shades” where reporters, anchors and editors are free to arrive at considered positions rather than follow a centrally dictated line.

Trust, he argued, cannot be created through declarations or taglines. It must be earned through journalism that is honest, impartial and fearless enough to question governments, ministers and corporations.

Kanwal also pointed to NDTV’s recent digital growth as evidence that audiences were reconnecting with the brand. According to him, the network moved from around number 12 on YouTube to regularly ranking first or second, while also recording growth across Instagram, digital and television before ratings were suspended.

The next phase involves building what Kanwal calls the “NDTV multiverse”—a broader ecosystem spanning news, healthcare, careers, lifestyle, entertainment, automobiles and audience-led communities. However, he maintained that core journalism would continue to receive the largest share of the organisation’s resources, energy and attention.

NDTV World is central to that ambition. Kanwal believes NDTV is uniquely positioned to become “India’s voice to the world and the world’s window to India”. Besides strengthening the network’s global identity, the proposition could open access to international audiences and dollar-denominated revenues.

The expansion will be calibrated rather than rushed. “We are taking measured steps rather than booking every investment in the first few months,” he said.

Kanwal was equally candid about NDTV’s financial challenge. He acknowledged that television revenue across Hindi, English and business news had fallen sharply and that the network was rebuilding from a low base. New commercial capabilities, including connected-TV, YouTube and international sales, are now being developed to help monetise the network’s expanding presence.

He also drew a firm line between revenue generation and editorial compromise.

“If the owners wanted a pure-play chief executive, they could have appointed someone from a sales background. They appointed someone from journalism,” Kanwal said. “My job is to ensure that the news remains clean.”

His accountability benchmark is equally direct. Kanwal said he would ultimately be judged not by the promises made in an interview but by the financial returns NDTV delivers quarter after quarter, calling it the “ultimate litmus test”.

His decision to stay away from daily anchoring also reflects his institution-building approach. “You cannot be the team’s coach and captain and still insist on batting yourself,” he said, adding that an editor must be comfortable allowing other people and brands to outshine him.

NDTV’s rebranding captures this broader transition. The network has dropped the “24x7” suffix to become simply NDTV—one identity spanning television, digital, social media, the website and the app. Its new proposition, “When It Really Matters”, seeks to position the brand as a trusted destination in an environment increasingly crowded with misinformation and synthetic AI-generated content.

For Kanwal, the journey has only begun. The challenge is formidable: restoring revenue, strengthening journalism, building new businesses and preparing for a future in which platforms may send publishers little or no referral traffic.

But his ambition is unambiguous—to build an NDTV that is relevant, trusted, financially sustainable and capable of representing India on the global media stage.