Network18 launches local news portal 'News18.com'

News18.com to focus on news at the state and city level, News18.com was launched on January 26. Available on the web, on mobile phones and tablets, and as downloadable apps for iOS and Android devices, News18.com currently covers seven states:  Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. It will expand to the remaining states of the country over the next 18 months. News18.com draws on the unparallelled local news-gathering expertise of the ETV network of news channels, whose Hindi services cover these seven states. The deep reach of ETV News into every corner of these states generates a rich and unique stream of news, updated by the minute.

People can now follow all of these news reports, in the form of engaging video clips, instant updates, and snappy text stories, on News18.com. Local news will break fast – and first - on News18.com, and in-depth coverage of local developments and issues will keep users fully informed about their home state and city.

Highlighting the importance of local news, Lakshmi Narasimhan CEO, Web18 said, "News18 is a completely fresh approach to covering news online. With Internet penetration and smartphones users galloping in tier 2 & 3 towns, it is important to provide a convenient platform to consume news. This is the information century, with content consumption at an all time high. For somebody living in Bihar or Rajasthan it is no longer sufficient to simply know what is happening in Delhi. News18 brings you closer to your world and gets you news that truly matters to you."

Arunava Sinha, Head, IBNLive.com & News18.com is confident that readers will enjoy the interactive user-experience of the site. "News18.com will give readers a totally fresh and unique content experience. Watching live TV on the mobile and on the dektop, keeping track of the latest developments through live tickers and smart app alerts, sharing the news of one’s choice with friends on Facebook and Twitter – users will be able to do it all.”

By taking local news beyond its borders and making it available everywhere, News18.com turns the local into the national and international. And with its availability of computers, tablets and mobiles – the first online news offering from India to be available on all three devices from day one – it brings local news within easy reach of people wherever they are.