NDTV Marathi

About NDTV Marathi

Overview

NDTV Marathi is an Indian Marathi-language news channel owned by New Delhi Television Limited (NDTV), a subsidiary of the Adani Group. Launched on 1 May 2024, coinciding with Maharashtra Day, it is the network's first non-Hindi regional channel and its sixth news channel overall. Headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, the channel broadcasts news, current affairs and analysis in Marathi, with a stated focus on the people and politics of Maharashtra. Its official digital platform is marathi.ndtv.com.

The launch marked a significant milestone for NDTV, the country's oldest private news broadcaster, which had until 2023 operated only national Hindi and English news channels alongside the lifestyle and travel channel Good Times. NDTV Marathi was the network's third state-level launch, following the Hindi regional channels NDTV Madhya Pradesh–Chhattisgarh and NDTV Rajasthan in 2023.

Launch

New Delhi Television Limited formally announced the channel in a stock-exchange disclosure dated 17 April 2024, informing the BSE and the National Stock Exchange that the company would launch its new channel 'NDTV Marathi' on 1 May 2024. The channel went on air on schedule on Maharashtra Day, during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign.

The launch event in Mumbai was attended by Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, along with other dignitaries. To mark the launch, NDTV roped in popular Marathi actor Riteish Deshmukh to front its launch campaign, titled "Nava Maharashtracha Nava Aawaz" (New Maharashtra's New Voice). Sanjay Pugalia, CEO and editor-in-chief of the NDTV network, described the channel as the network's privilege to serve the people of Maharashtra with meaningful, accurate and trustworthy news and analysis.

Ownership and Corporate Background

NDTV Marathi is owned by New Delhi Television Limited, which is majority-owned by the Adani Group following the group's acquisition of NDTV in 2022. The launch of the channel formed part of the network's post-acquisition strategy of expanding into state-level broadcasting. New Delhi Television had secured licences for several regional news channels in 2023, and trade reports at the time indicated that a Gujarati channel was also planned, though it had not gone on air as of the Marathi channel's launch.

Regional Expansion Strategy

NDTV's move into regional news began with two Hindi-language state channels: NDTV Madhya Pradesh/Chhattisgarh and NDTV Rajasthan, launched in August–September 2023 ahead of those states' assembly elections in December 2023. NDTV Marathi extended this strategy into a non-Hindi language market for the first time. The network has described the channel as its sixth channel overall, and positioned the regional expansion as a way to enrich regional storytelling and foster a diverse and inclusive news experience.

Programming and Editorial Focus

NDTV Marathi broadcasts round-the-clock news and current-affairs programming in Marathi. The channel's stated editorial focus is on what it calls "New Maharashtra" — a forward-looking vision of the state's progress — and on empowering the "Marathi manus" (the Marathi people). The network has said the channel aims to deliver high-quality, unbiased journalism catering to the needs of Maharashtra's viewers.

Regular programming includes daily finance updates under the Money Time banner and the channel's flagship interview and debate formats. Election coverage has been a prominent strand: the channel mounted comprehensive election programming including Election Carnival, with ground debates and analysis, and Maharashtra Cha Jahirnama, an analysis of the manifestos of the major parties.

Flagship Programmes and Campaigns

Several named programmes and campaigns define the channel's identity. Ya Sarkar features exclusive interviews with top politicians. Taai Mai Akka presents women's perspectives in politics. Ya Sarkar Tumhi Market Kelay Jam carries insights from traders and markets. The channel's annual-report disclosures highlight its reporting on stories including the Beed coverage that led to minister Dhananjay Munde's resignation, a BKC auto-drive sting operation that triggered government action, and its breaking of the Lavasa landslide story.

At launch the channel introduced the "Let's Start Up in Maharashtra" campaign, aimed at inspiring and empowering the state's youth to embrace entrepreneurship and innovation. A companion programme strand, Let's Startup in Maharashtra, showcases Maharashtra's growing startup ecosystem.

Maharashtra Conclave

On 27 October 2024, NDTV Marathi hosted its first-ever election conclave, Maharshtracha Jaaheernama, in Mumbai ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections. The conclave brought together political leaders from across the state, including chief minister Eknath Shinde, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Congress state president Nana Patole, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) state president Jayant Patil and MP Supriya Sule, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and MP Sanjay Raut, BJP leader Pankaja Munde, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi national president Prakash Ambedkar and Maratha leader Manoj Jarange Patil. The event aired live on the channel and its digital platforms, with repeat telecasts in one-hour segments on subsequent weekends.

The conclave format — individual sessions and panel discussions on party manifestos, strategies and plans of action — has become a signature of the channel's political coverage, bringing the network's national conclave tradition to a Marathi-speaking audience.

Election Coverage and the 2024 Launch Context

NDTV Marathi's launch was deliberately timed to coincide with the 2024 Lok Sabha general election campaign, giving the new channel immediate high-stakes political coverage. The channel mounted comprehensive election programming from its first weeks, including ground debates and analysis under the Election Carnival banner. This election-first launch mirrored the strategy behind NDTV's earlier regional channels: NDTV Madhya Pradesh/Chhattisgarh and NDTV Rajasthan had both launched in August–September 2023, just ahead of those states' assembly elections in December 2023.

The momentum continued into the Maharashtra assembly elections later in 2024, for which the channel organised its inaugural Maharshtracha Jaaheernama conclave on 27 October 2024. The network's annual reporting for the period highlighted the channel's election programming alongside its investigative stories — including coverage from Beed that led to a minister's resignation and a sting operation on auto drivers at Mumbai's BKC that triggered government enforcement action — as evidence of the channel's journalistic impact in its first year.

Distribution

At launch, NDTV Marathi was added by Tata Play on logical channel number 1268, alongside several cable networks in Maharashtra and nationally. The channel has since expanded its carriage across direct-to-home and cable platforms serving Marathi-speaking audiences. Its digital home, marathi.ndtv.com, extends the channel's journalism to online readers, consistent with the network's practice of running dedicated digital platforms alongside its broadcast channels.

Sister Channels

Within the NDTV network, NDTV Marathi sits alongside the flagship Hindi news channel NDTV India, the English news channel NDTV (24x7), the business news channel NDTV Profit, the Hindi regional channels NDTV Rajasthan and NDTV Madhya Pradesh–Chhattisgarh, and the lifestyle channel Good Times (formerly NDTV Good Times).

NDTV is widely described as the country's oldest private news broadcaster, having operated national Hindi and English news channels for decades before its 2023 move into state-level broadcasting. The regional expansion — first into Hindi-speaking states and then, with NDTV Marathi, into a non-Hindi language market — represents the network's strategy of taking its national journalism brand to state-level audiences under Adani Group ownership.

Position in Marathi News Television

NDTV Marathi entered one of India's most competitive regional news markets, competing with established Marathi news channels. Its launch during a general election campaign gave it immediate high-profile political coverage, and its subsequent assembly-election conclave and investigative reporting established its presence in Maharashtra's news landscape. As NDTV's first venture into non-Hindi regional broadcasting, the channel represents the network's bet that its national journalism brand can be successfully adapted to state-level audiences.