News18Bangla

What News18Bangla does

News18Bangla (also branded News18 Bengali or News18 Bangla) is a Bengali-language digital news platform serving primarily the West Bengal market in India. Its core products include the news website bengali.news18.com, a mobile application (Android and iOS) with over 1 crore downloads and a 4.4-star rating across 40,000+ reviews, live TV streaming of 15+ channels, an e-paper edition (paper.news18.com/bengali), and a hyperlocal sub-brand called Local18 covering all 21 districts of West Bengal including Kolkata, North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Darjeeling, Siliguri, Cooch Behar, and Murshidabad. Supporting features include the Impact Shorts AI-curated short-video feed, an astrology sub-brand (জ্যোতিষকাহন / Astro), a casual games section (Chess, Tetromino, Sudoku, Square), photo and video galleries, and a dedicated WhatsApp Channel for breaking news distribution. The platform is operated as a language-specific edition within the broader 12-language News18 network of Network18 Media and Investments Ltd, a publicly listed Indian media conglomerate that also owns Moneycontrol, Firstpost, CricketNext, CNBCTV18, and holds CNN licensing arrangements.

Underlying technology centers on a digital news and multimedia delivery platform with AI-powered personalization for both text articles and short-form video, location-based local news surfacing, and live TV streaming integrated into the website and mobile app. AI capability is applied across text and video modalities through recommendation and curation, but no proprietary models, research outputs, or differentiated training pipelines are disclosed. Information security is governed by ISO 27001 certification audited by BSI. Distribution is multi-platform: website, mobile app, live TV, e-paper, RSS feed, and five social media surfaces (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp).

The business model is free-to-consumer, ad-supported digital media. All news content, live TV, videos, and articles are provided at no charge, with revenue generated through display advertising, video ads, sponsored content, and promotional articles delivered to the website and mobile app inventory. The company monetizes two primary customer segments: (1) Bengali-speaking general consumers across West Bengal and the broader Bengali diaspora seeking native-language news, local district coverage, live TV, and multimedia content, and (2) local and regional advertisers targeting Bengali-speaking audiences. The horizontal segmentation — broad consumer reach plus fragmented regional advertiser demand — is consistent with a volume-based, programmatic-led ad revenue model. Headcount is approximately 112, the entity was founded in 2015, and the parent company is publicly listed on Indian stock exchanges. Specific revenue figures, ownership percentages, funding rounds, M&A history, and named enterprise advertiser disclosures for the Bengali edition are not present in the source data, limiting standalone financial visibility.

Name

News18Bangla

Legal name

Network18 Media and Investments Ltd

Website

https://bengali.news18.com

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

News18Bangla is a Bengali-language digital news platform serving West Bengal with AI-personalized news, live TV, e-paper, and hyperlocal coverage across 21 districts, monetized through digital advertising under Network18 Media and Investments Ltd.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital News Media

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

Community, Ethnic & Multilingual News Publishers (MPAJADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

News Streaming Platforms (MPACAAAF), News & Current Affairs Aggregators (MPACAKAA), News & Content Aggregation Portals (BPAMAAAI)

Keywords

• Bengali news portal
• Regional news media
• Digital news platform
• Local news coverage
• Live TV streaming

Headquarters

HQ city

India

HQ country

India

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: Digital advertising including display ads, video ads, sponsored content, and promotional articles across the website and mobile app
2. App Downloads and User Engagement: Over 1 crore downloads generating advertising inventory and user engagement metrics for ad revenue

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

News18 Bangla is a Bengali-language digital news platform that delivers regional, national, and international news across politics, sports, entertainment, business, technology, lifestyle, education, and astrology verticals. It distributes content via a website, mobile app with AI-powered personalization, live TV streaming of 15+ channels, and an e-paper, with particular depth in West Bengal local district-level coverage across 20 districts.

Product overview

News18 Bengali is a comprehensive Bengali-language multimedia news platform operated by Network18 Media and Investments Ltd. The core offering is the News18 Bengali Website (bengali.news18.com), a regional news portal covering West Bengal and national/international affairs across multiple content verticals. This is complemented by the News18 Bengali Mobile App (with 1 Cr+ downloads), which extends the platform with AI-powered personalized news feeds and live TV streaming across 15+ channels. Supporting products include the E-Paper (News18পেপার) for digital newspaper access, Local18 for hyper-local district-level reporting across 21 West Bengal districts, Impact Shorts for AI-curated short video news, a Games section (Chess, Tetromino, Sudoku, Square), and a WhatsApp Channel for direct news distribution. The platform also features live TV, video galleries, photo galleries, astrology content, and an education section. The network is part of the larger News18 and Network18 group, cross-promoting with sister sites including Moneycontrol, Firstpost, CricketNext, CNBCTV18, and MTV India.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Local18: Local news platform providing hyperlocal news coverage across various districts of West Bengal
• জ্যোতিষকাহন (Astro)

Products and services

• News18 Bengali Website The primary Bengali-language news portal delivering regional, national, and international news across categories including Kolkata, West Bengal, national affairs, business, sports, entertainment, technology, lifestyle, astrology, and education. Features live TV streaming, e-paper access, video galleries, and district-level local news coverage for West Bengal districts. Targeted at Bengali-speaking general consumers.
• News18 Bengali Mobile App A multimedia mobile application available on Android and iOS with 1 crore+ downloads and a 4.4-star rating. Offers AI-powered personalized news feeds, 15+ live TV channels, breaking news push notifications, location-based local news, short videos, photo galleries, and Impact Shorts. Supports 12 languages and is targeted at Bengali-speaking consumers seeking mobile-first news consumption.
• News18 E-Paper (News18পেপার) Digital newspaper edition that allows readers to access the electronic version of the print publication, downloadable via the website and mobile app. Targeted at Bengali-speaking readers who prefer the traditional newspaper reading experience in digital format.
• Live TV Streaming Live streaming television service offering 15+ live news channels accessible via the website and mobile app, including Bengali-language news channels. Targeted at viewers who want real-time news broadcast access on digital platforms.
• Local18 Hyper-local news aggregation platform providing district-level news coverage across 20+ West Bengal districts including Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, and others. Targeted at consumers seeking granular local news from their specific district.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 Crore+ app downloads with 4.4 star rating
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• MoneycontrolminorOthersSister company under Network18 Media and Investments Ltd. Moneycontrol is a financial news platform in the Network18 group network.
• FirstpostminorOthersSister news portal under Network18 Media and Investments Ltd, part of the same media group ecosystem.
• CricketNextminorOthersCricket-focused news platform in Network18 group, cross-promoted on News18 Bangla sports section.
• CNBCTV18minorOthersBusiness news channel and website in Network18 media group, part of cross-platform news network.
• CNNminorOthersLicensed content relationship. CNN name, logo and associated elements are registered marks of Cable News Network LP, LLLP. News18 operates under Network18 which has licensing arrangements for CNN branding.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Anandabazar Patrika: Bengali-language newspaper and digital news site from the ABP Group, the largest circulated Bengali daily. It competes head-on with News18Bangla for Bengali readers and local advertising in West Bengal.
• Ei Samay: Times Group's Bengali-language digital news portal, offering comparable news, video, and lifestyle content to Bengali-speaking audiences and competing for the same digital ad budget.
• Aaj Tak Bangla: India Today Group's Bengali digital news arm, distributing Bengali news across web and video, and competing directly with News18Bangla for both audience time and brand advertising in West Bengal.
• ABP Ananda: ABP Group's 24-hour Bengali news TV channel and digital news portal, providing direct competition in Bengali-language news, video, and live TV against News18Bangla in West Bengal.
• Zee 24 Ghanta: Zee's 24-hour Bengali news TV channel and digital platform, one of the leading Bengali news brands and a direct head-to-head competitor to News18Bangla in the West Bengal market.
• TV9 Bangla: TV9 Network's Bengali-language digital news site, providing video-led regional news coverage and competing with News18Bangla for Bengali-speaking audiences and advertisers.
• The Telegraph India: Eastern India-focused English daily with a strong Kolkata base and a digital edition. Overlaps with News18Bangla on Kolkata and West Bengal news, especially for premium and English-comfortable Bengali readers.
• Republic Bangla: Republic Media's Bengali digital news edition, offering opinion-led and video-driven Bengali news, and competing for the same politically engaged Bengali digital audience.

Broad incumbents

• India Today: National digital news platform of the India Today Group with a pan-India audience. It competes with News18Bangla for nationally driven digital ad budgets reaching West Bengal readers, though it is not regional-language focused.
• NDTV (Adani Group): National English-language digital news leader now backed by the Adani Group, with regional coverage that overlaps News18Bangla on national and political stories consumed in West Bengal.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/news18bengali
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbf0XHULBkTfv2hBjaaDw9Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/News18Bangla
• Instagraminstagram.com/news18bangla
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/news18bangla

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 News18Bangla