Twenty Four

About Twenty Four

Overview

Twenty Four — branded as 24 News or Twenty Four News — is a Malayalam-language free-to-air news channel headquartered in Kochi, Kerala. Owned by Insight Media City, the media company behind the popular Malayalam entertainment channel Flowers TV, it is the group's second channel and its dedicated news service. The channel ran as a test transmission from 2016 and was officially launched on 8 December 2018. It broadcasts in 576i standard-definition format, with studios in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram and a schedule built around round-the-clock news, current affairs, sports, cinema and lifestyle programming. Its broadcasts are available internationally, and it streams on YouTube and on Jio TV within India.

Twenty Four entered a Malayalam news market that was already crowded with established players — Asianet News, Manorama News, Mathrubhumi News, Kairali News, MediaOne TV, Reporter TV and Jaihind TV, among others — and it has positioned itself as a professionally run, anchor-driven news channel leveraging the brand equity and production infrastructure of its entertainment sibling, Flowers TV.

Insight Media City: The Parent Company

Twenty Four is owned by Insight Media City, a Kochi-based Malayalam media group. The company's first and flagship venture was Flowers TV, a Malayalam general entertainment channel launched on 12 April 2015 that quickly became one of the leading entertainment channels in the state, known for its comedy shows, reality programmes and film-based content. Flowers TV's success gave Insight Media City the production base, technical infrastructure and market credibility to expand into news.

The group is promoted by Sreekandan Nair, one of Malayalam television's best-known anchors and presenters, who serves as managing director. Gokulam Gopalan is chairman of Flowers TV, while Alungal Muhammed is chairman of Twenty Four News. The group's channels are closely associated with Sreekandan Nair's personal brand as a television personality — his long-running interview and talk formats on Flowers TV made him a household name in Kerala, and his move into channel ownership represented a significant moment in the state's television industry. Like other major Malayalam channels, the group's services are available in Middle Eastern countries with large Malayali diaspora populations.

The Long Test Phase

Twenty Four had one of the longest gestation periods of any Malayalam channel. It began as a test transmission in 2016, appearing on the Intelsat 17 satellite playing Malayalam songs in a loop. Television enthusiasts tracking the test feed noted that the channel had acquired the licence of Janapriya TV and that the test slot was rebranded with the 24 News logo around 2015–2016. For more than three years, the test transmission continued — forum discussions from the period show viewers speculating repeatedly about the launch date, with rumoured dates coming and going through 2017 and 2018.

The delays became a running joke among Kerala's television-tracking community, with one forum member noting that Flowers TV's management "can't start anything on time," citing the delayed launch of Flowers TV itself and a postponed A. R. Rahman show as precedents. The channel maintained an online portal during this period, building a digital news presence ahead of the television launch. The extended test run meant that by the time of the official launch, the "24" brand was already familiar to satellite enthusiasts across the state.

Official Launch

The official launch was announced for 8 December 2018, and the channel went on air that morning at 7 am. The launch was promoted across the Flowers TV network, with promos and scrolls on the entertainment channel directing viewers to the new service, and the managing director Sreekandan Nair using Facebook Live sessions to communicate launch updates to the audience. DreamDTH forum members confirmed the channel's appearance on cable networks such as In Digital Mumbai on the launch day.

At launch the channel was not yet carried by major DTH operators — a gap noted by early viewers — but it was available on local cable networks and its test satellite slot. Distribution expanded in the months that followed. The channel celebrated its second anniversary on 8 December 2020, by which time it was an established presence in the Malayalam news market.

Programming

Twenty Four broadcasts a full schedule of news and current-affairs programming, supplemented by shows on sports, cinema, lifestyle and other topics, along with live coverage of major events. Its format follows the standard Malayalam news-channel template: rolling news bulletins through the day, morning shows, prime-time debates and discussions, interviews with political and cultural figures, and special programming around elections, festivals and breaking news.

The channel benefits from its association with Flowers TV's entertainment production culture — its presentation style is polished and anchor-led, and it has been able to draw on the group's production resources for studio quality and graphics. Its news agenda covers Kerala state politics, national developments, Gulf affairs of interest to the diaspora, and the cinema and cultural stories that are staples of Malayalam television.

Studios, Bureaus and Newsroom

Twenty Four is headquartered in Kochi, where Insight Media City is based, and it operates studios in both Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, giving it production bases in Kerala's commercial capital and its political capital. The channel is reported to maintain bureaus in multiple locations, supporting its newsgathering across the state and beyond. The newsroom is led by experienced Malayalam television journalists, and the channel's editorial direction reflects Sreekandan Nair's background as an anchor and interviewer — with an emphasis on personality-driven presentation.

The launch of a dedicated news channel required Insight Media City to build a news operation alongside its entertainment business, a significant organisational expansion. The group hired news professionals and built out reporting teams while continuing to run Flowers TV, making Twenty Four the group's second full-scale channel operation.

Availability and Distribution

Twenty Four is a free-to-air channel available across India via satellite, cable and direct-to-home platforms. Its broadcast area is listed as international, reflecting the global reach of satellite distribution and the worldwide availability of its YouTube live stream. Within India it is available on Jio TV, the streaming platform that carries many Indian television channels to mobile and connected-TV viewers. Its YouTube channel carries live streaming and video clips, giving it a worldwide digital audience beyond the traditional broadcast footprint.

The channel transmits in 576i standard-definition. Like Flowers TV, it has not launched a high-definition feed for linear television, though its YouTube uploads carry higher-resolution versions of its content.

Digital and Social Presence

Twenty Four maintains an active digital presence through its online news portal, YouTube channel, Facebook page and other social media platforms. The portal predates the television launch and functioned as the brand's first public face during the long test phase. On YouTube the channel streams live and publishes clips of its debates, interviews and bulletins, reaching Malayali viewers worldwide — a significant audience given the scale of Kerala's diaspora in the Gulf, Europe and North America. Its social media operation follows the standard playbook of Indian news channels, with breaking-news updates, video clips and live streams distributed across platforms.

Position in the Malayalam News Market

Twenty Four launched into a market with more than half a dozen established Malayalam news channels, each with distinct political or corporate backing: Asianet News, Manorama News, Mathrubhumi News, Kairali News (CPI(M)-linked), MediaOne TV, Reporter TV, News18 Kerala and Jaihind TV (Congress-linked), among others. Its differentiator has been its ownership by an entertainment media group rather than a political party or a newspaper house, and the personal brand of Sreekandan Nair as a trusted television face.

The channel's launch was welcomed by viewers who felt the Malayalam market had room for another professionally run news service. Its challenge, like that of every new entrant, has been to build ratings and advertising revenue against deeply entrenched competitors with decades of brand equity. Its backing by the successful Flowers TV operation has given it financial and infrastructural stability that many standalone news channels lack.

Key Facts

Twenty Four (24 News) is a Malayalam free-to-air news channel owned by Insight Media City, the company behind Flowers TV. It is headquartered in Kochi, Kerala, with studios in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, broadcasts in 576i SDTV, and was officially launched on 8 December 2018 after a test phase running since 2016. Its chairman is Alungal Muhammed and its managing director is Sreekandan Nair. The channel streams on YouTube and Jio TV and remains on air as a 24-hour Malayalam news service.