CNN-News18 has teamed up with Nippon India Mutual Fund to launch the CNN-News18 and Nippon India Mutual Fund Prime Time Studio, a new branded studio anchoring the channel’s weekday prime time block. The studio went live on 1 July 2026, airing every weekday from 5:55 pm to 9:55 pm.
The line-up brings together four flagship shows: Plain Speak with Shivani Gupta at 5:55 pm, Brass Tacks with Nabila Jamal at 6:55 pm, The Right Stand with Anand Narasimhan at 7:55 pm, and The Hard Facts with Rahul Shivshankar at 8:55 pm.
Rahul Shivshankar, Editorial Affairs Director at CNN-News18, said the partnership reflects the channel’s commitment to strengthening viewer trust through continuous investment in journalism and collaborations with like-minded partners, positioning the new studio as an elevated space for reporting, analysis and debate on India’s biggest stories.
Smriti Mehra, CEO – English and Business News, Network18, called prime time the moment where the day’s most consequential stories converge, and said the collaboration underscores CNN-News18’s push for editorial and technological innovation to deliver a premium, trustworthy viewing experience.
Kaiyomurz Daver, Chief Marketing Officer at Nippon India Mutual Fund, said investor trust is built through sustained engagement, and that the association allows the fund house to reach audiences through a credible news ecosystem while promoting informed, long-term investing conversations.
The partnership marks a fresh format for branded prime time programming, merging financial credibility with news authority.
