ABP News
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television broadcasting, News media |
| Predecessor | Star News |
| Founded | 18 February 1998 |
| Founder | ABP Group (majority), Star India (minority) |
| Headquarters | India |
Area served | India |
Key people | Avinash Pandey (COO, from November 2016) |
| Products | Television news channel |
| Owner | ABP Group |
ABP News is a Hindi-language television news channel in India that operates on a free-to-air basis and is owned by the ABP Group. Originally launched in 1998 under the name Star News, the channel was subsequently acquired by ABP Group.
In 2022, it received the accolade for Best Hindi News Channel at the 21st Indian Television Academy Awards.
The channel has been subject to allegations of partiality and association with Hindutva, the ideology linked to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and is often categorized within the group labeled as "Godi media".
History
The channel commenced operations as STAR News on 18 February 1998, a venture initiated by Star India in collaboration with NDTV, initially offering bilingual content in both English and Hindi. Upon the conclusion of Star's partnership with NDTV in 2003, it transitioned to broadcasting exclusively in Hindi.
In response to a 2003 government directive capping foreign ownership in national news outlets at 26%, Star India—then fully owned by Hong Kong-based Satellite Television Asia Region Ltd. (Star TV)—entered into a joint venture with Ananda Bazar Patrika Group (ABP Group). This led to the establishment of Media Content and Communications Services Pvt. Ltd. (MCCS), which assumed control over Star News operations, with ABP holding a majority share of 74% and Star India retaining 26%.
On 16 April 2012, ABP Group and Star India terminated their brand licensing agreement. Subsequently, ABP purchased Star India's minority stake in MCCS and rebranded the channel as ABP News. This rebranding extended to regional channels: Bengali-language Star Ananda became ABP Ananda, Marathi-language Star Majha was renamed ABP Majha. Additionally, a Punjabi-language channel, ABP Sanjha, was launched in 2014 under license, followed by the Gujarati-language ABP Asmita debuting on 1 January 2016.
In November 2016, Avinash Pandey took on the role of chief operating officer (COO) at ABP News.
During the latter half of 2020, ABP's suite of channels underwent significant rebranding efforts. In July, ABP News Network was renamed ABP Network. On 16 December, all channels unveiled refreshed logos and visual identities crafted by Saffron Brand Consultants. ABP News enhanced its production capabilities by adopting 1080p recording technology and introduced an HD feed; concurrently, its SD feed was converted into a downscaled widescreen version of the HD broadcast. Prior to this, an HD test feed was available via streaming service Disney+ Hotstar and ABP’s digital platforms; however, this consisted of an upscaled SD signal. Despite these updates, regional language channels continued broadcasting in standard definition with a 4:3 aspect ratio.
Satellite interruptions during the show Masterstroke
In 2018, former presenter Punya Prasun Bajpai alleged that ABP News experienced satellite transmission disruptions whenever he critiqued a prime ministerial initiative aimed at aiding impoverished farmers during his program Masterstroke. Reports from previous employees indicated that channel management exerted pressure on Bajpai to resign, after which the satellite issues ceased. Another anchor, Abhisar Sharma, who raised concerns about Modi’s public safety policies on ABP News, was dismissed on the same day amid similar pressures to depart.