News18 Advertising

Who reads News18?

News18 is the digital news network of Network18. It runs News18.com in English, a large Hindi site, and a set of Indian language sites covering markets such as Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Punjab. Readers range from English-reading metro professionals to Hindi and regional readers in smaller towns, mostly on mobile.

On Comscore data for March 2025, as reported by Storyboard18, News18.com had 251 million unique visitors on a total digital population basis that includes social. The same report put News18's Indian language websites at 182 million unique visitors, and the wider Network18 group at 315 million. Social reach is a big part of those numbers. We give deal-level reach estimates for your chosen sites during planning.

Why advertise on News18?

The main reason is language coverage under one roof. Most brands do not need all of India. They need four or five states, each in its own language. News18 lets you buy exactly those markets with one set of deals and one frequency cap.

Here is a typical case. A Tamil FMCG brand expanding into Kerala and Karnataka can run the Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada sites together. It gets local language reach in each state and still reads one report at the end.

What ad formats can you buy, and what do they cost?

Indicative News18 ad rates are ₹150–400 CPM for PG and private deals. Open auction display runs ₹40–120, rich media ₹90–220 and in-stream video ₹120–280. The minimum spend is about ₹5 lakh.

English metro pages and election days usually sit at the higher end. Some regional sites can come in lower, depending on demand. Final rates are confirmed per campaign, and GST is extra.

When should you advertise on News18?

National elections and state polls drive heavy traffic, and state elections hit the matching language site hardest. The Union Budget lifts business pages. India cricket matches lift sports pages in every language.

Regional festivals are where News18's spread pays off. You can run Onam on the Malayalam site, Pongal on Tamil, Ugadi on Telugu and Kannada, Durga Puja on Bengali and Navratri on Gujarati. Each one lines up with local shopping. The Diwali quarter is busy everywhere, so book it early.

How do you measure News18 campaigns?

We report impressions, reach, frequency and viewability for each language site, plus completion rate for video. When you run many languages, look at cost per result by site. One market may deliver leads at half the cost of another. Tag your site with Floodlight or your own pixel before launch. Brand lift is available where the campaign qualifies.

How does News18 compare with other news networks?

ABP News is strong in Marathi and Bengali. Aaj Tak is a big Hindi brand with strong video habits. News18's advantage is the number of languages it covers and a lower starting budget. For finance audiences, Network18's Moneycontrol pairs well with a News18 buy.

Tips for better results

Write a separate headline for each language rather than one translated line. Use local faces and places in regional creatives. Start with the two or three states that matter most, then add more once you see results. And keep one frequency cap across the network, because readers often visit both the English and a regional site.

One more practical note. Regional language pages often cost less than English metro pages, but delivery can be thinner on small sites. If a market matters a lot, lock it with a PG deal. Use Preferred deals or open auction for the extra markets where you only want added reach.