Newsfirst

What Newsfirst does

Newsfirst (also branded as News 1st) is a Sri Lankan digital and broadcast news media outlet operating under MTV Channel (Pvt) Ltd and MBC Networks (Pvt) Ltd, both part of the Capital Maharaja Group. The company is headquartered at 45/3 Braybrooke Street, Colombo-02, was founded in 2004, and employs between 11 and 50 people. It serves Sri Lankan and international general news consumers with coverage of local politics, crime, sports, business, and world affairs, and operates across English and Sinhala languages with an additional Tamil-language presence on Viber.

The product portfolio centers on a free-to-consumer online news portal (english.newsfirst.lk) and a suite of television news bulletins broadcast on YouTube — Prime Time 9 PM News, Lunch Time English News, 7 PM Sinhala News, and 10 PM Sinhala News — together with specialized program segments (Pethikada, Satana, Dawasa, Ilakkaya). Underlying technology is a web-based news publishing platform with video streaming capabilities, supplemented by an active social media footprint on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, YouTube, Viber, and WhatsApp. The brand benefits from association with the Sirasa TV network (28 years of broadcasting heritage) and broader Capital Maharaja Group media properties (TV1, Shakthi TV, Yes FM, Shakthi FM, Legends radio).

Newsfirst's business model is advertising-driven and B2C: news content is provided free to consumers, and revenue is generated through display and banner advertising placements on the website. Named commercial advertiser relationships include recurring campaigns from telecommunications operator SLT Mobitel. There are no subscription paywalls, no disclosed pricing tiers, and no enterprise or B2B revenue contracts in evidence. The company sits within a private conglomerate structure (Capital Maharaja Group), with no external venture or private equity investors disclosed and no public listing.

Name

Newsfirst

Legal name

MTV Channel (Pvt) Ltd, MBC Networks (Pvt) Ltd

Website

https://newsfirst.lk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Newsfirst is a private Sri Lankan digital and broadcast news outlet serving general news consumers with free English and Sinhala coverage of politics, business, sports, and world events via its website and YouTube news bulletins, monetized through display advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital News Media

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833), Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

24/7 National & International News Channels (MPABAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

News OTT & Live News Streaming Channels (MPABAHAK), Rolling News & Breaking News Channels (MPABAIAH), News & Current Affairs Aggregators (MPACAKAA)

Keywords

• Digital news publishing
• TV news bulletins
• Online news media
• Broadcast journalism
• Multi-platform news delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Colombo

HQ country

Sri Lanka

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Digital Advertising: The website displays advertisements from sponsors such as SLTM Mobitel. Display advertising through banner ads and sponsored content placements on the news website generates revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Newsfirst is a Sri Lankan digital news media company that publishes breaking news, local, sports, business, and world news through its website (english.newsfirst.lk), YouTube-streamed TV news bulletins (Prime Time 9 PM, Lunch Time English, 7 PM Sinhala, 10 PM Sinhala), and specialized TV program segments (Pethikada, Satana, Dawasa, Ilakkaya). Content is delivered in English and Sinhala to Sri Lankan and international audiences, supported by social media and messaging app distribution. The company monetizes its audience primarily through digital advertising on its owned properties.

Product overview

Newsfirst (News 1st) is a Sri Lankan news media company operated by MTV Channel (Pvt) Ltd under MBC Networks (Pvt) Ltd. The company offers a multi-platform news portfolio consisting of the News 1st website (english.newsfirst.lk) delivering breaking news, local, sports, business, and world news content, along with television news bulletins including Prime Time 9 PM, Lunch Time English, 7 PM Sinhala, and 10 PM Sinhala broadcasts available via YouTube, and specialized TV program segments such as Pethikada, Satana, Dawasa, and Ilakkaya. The newsroom is located at 45/3, Braybrooke Street, Colombo-02, Sri Lanka.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• News 1st Website Online news portal delivering breaking news, local stories, sports, business, and world news content in English, serving Sri Lankan and international audiences via desktop and mobile web.
• News Bulletins (TV) Television news bulletin programming including Prime Time 9 PM News, Lunch Time English News, 7 PM Sinhala News, and 10 PM Sinhala News, broadcast on YouTube for on-demand and live viewing by Sri Lankan and international audiences.
• TV Segments Specialized TV program segments covering distinct topics, including Pethikada, Satana, Dawasa, and Ilakkaya, distributed via YouTube as part of the Newsfirst content portfolio.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MTV Channel (Pvt) LtdcoreOthersParent company entity within the MBC Networks group. News 1st operates as part of MTV Channel (Pvt) Ltd and MBC Networks (Pvt) Ltd, sharing infrastructure, resources, and content distribution across the network.
• MBC Networks (Pvt) LtdcoreOthersParent company entity. MBC Networks (Pvt) Ltd is the parent organization overseeing News 1st, MTV Channel, and other media properties in the network.
• Sirasa TVcoreOthersSister television channel within the same network. Sirasa TV celebrated its 28th anniversary in 2026. The channels share content, resources, and brand association under the Capital Maharaja Group umbrella.
• Capital Maharaja GroupcoreOthersParent conglomerate. News 1st and Sirasa TV are part of the Capital Maharaja Group, with Group Director Chevaan Daniel mentioned in company activities.
• TV1minorOthersTelevision channel within the same media network, listed as an 'Other Channel' on the Newsfirst website, indicating partnership/cross-promotion within the network.
• Shakthi TVminorOthersTelevision channel within the same media network family, cross-promoted on Newsfirst platforms.
• Yes FMminorOthersRadio station within the same media network, cross-promoted as part of the broader channel offerings.
• Shakthi FMminorOthersRadio station within the same media network family, listed as part of the network's channel ecosystem.
• Legends (Radio)minorOthersRadio station (legends966.com) within the same media network, listed among 'Other Channels' for cross-promotional purposes.
• CMG (China Media Group)minorOthersListed as an 'Other Channel' partner on the website, indicating content sharing or cross-promotional relationship with China Media Group.
• SLT MobitelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTelecommunications advertiser on the Newsfirst platform. SLT Mobitel runs regular advertisements (5G promotions, Upahara offers) on the news website, indicating a commercial advertising relationship.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hiru TV: Hiru TV is a Sri Lankan television news broadcaster paired with the Hiru News digital portal — closely mirroring Newsfirst's TV-bulletin-plus-digital-portal hybrid model and competing for the same Sri Lankan audience and advertising spend.
• Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka): Daily Mirror is a major Sri Lankan English-language newspaper with a substantial online news portal covering politics, business, and current affairs — directly comparable to Newsfirst's English-language news website for Sri Lankan audiences.
• Ada Derana: Ada Derana is Sri Lanka's leading digital news portal associated with Derana TV, delivering breaking news, politics, business, and sports online in English and Sinhala — directly competing with Newsfirst for the same Sri Lankan audiences and advertisers.
• Derana TV: Derana TV is a major Sri Lankan television broadcaster carrying news, entertainment, and current affairs, with its digital arm Ada Derana — directly comparable to Newsfirst's combined TV-news-bulletin plus digital-portal model within the Sri Lankan broadcast market.
• Daily News (Sri Lanka): Daily News is a long-running Sri Lankan newspaper with an active online presence covering politics, business, and current affairs — a direct English-language news competitor to Newsfirst in the Sri Lankan market.
• Sunday Times (Sri Lanka): Sunday Times is one of Sri Lanka's flagship English-language weekend newspapers with continuous online news coverage — a directly comparable English news publisher competing for the same audience and digital ad inventory as Newsfirst.
• EconomyNext: EconomyNext is a Sri Lanka-focused digital news outlet specializing in business, economic policy, and corporate news — overlapping Newsfirst's Business and Corporate Brief categories for the same Sri Lankan audience and advertising base.
• Hiru News: Hiru News is the digital arm of the Hiru media network in Sri Lanka, offering breaking news, politics, business, and sports coverage online — a directly comparable multi-platform Sri Lankan news competitor to Newsfirst.

Broad incumbents

• Reuters: Reuters is a global news agency and digital publisher producing breaking news, business, and world coverage that overlaps with Newsfirst's international/world news category — a broader incumbent providing reference news content that Newsfirst draws from.
• BBC Sinhala: BBC Sinhala is the BBC's Sinhala-language news service covering Sri Lanka and global affairs — a broader international incumbent that overlaps with Newsfirst's Sinhala news bulletins and Sri Lankan political coverage, competing for the same Sinhala-speaking audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NewsfirstSL
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/NewsFirstSrilanka
• Facebookfacebook.com/NewsfirstSL
• Instagraminstagram.com/newsfirst.lk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/newsfirst-sri-lanka

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Newsfirst