News18 Marathi
News18 Marathi is a 24-hour Marathi-language news television channel based in Mumbai, India, formerly branded as News18 Lokmat.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
News18 Marathi is a 24-hour Marathi-language news channel serving audiences in Maharashtra and Marathi-speaking communities across India. The service is associated with the Network18 Group and the Lokmat Group, publisher of the Marathi newspaper Lokmat, through their joint venture arrangement. Its editorial and programming focus is Marathi-language coverage of regional, national and international news, with particular attention to Maharashtra’s politics, public affairs, business, culture and social issues. The channel began broadcasting on 6 April 2008, coinciding with Gudi Padwa, the Marathi and Hindu New Year festival. At launch it used the name IBN Lokmat, linking it to the IBN television-news identity used by Network18 and to Lokmat’s established newspaper presence in Maharashtra. The launch represented a television extension of the partners’ media activities and positioned the service as a dedicated Marathi news outlet rather than a general Hindi- or English-language channel. The brand was renamed News18 Lokmat on 6 November 2017 as part of Network18’s broader consolidation of its television news properties under the News18 identity. The change retained the Lokmat association, which remained important for the channel’s Marathi-language and Maharashtra-focused positioning, while placing the service within the wider News18 network of regional and national news brands. On 10 January 2026, the channel was rebranded again as News18 Marathi. This name places the language designation directly in the brand and distinguishes the service within the News18 portfolio. The rebranding does not change the channel’s core identity as a Marathi-language television news service based in Mumbai. Available reference material does not establish a separate corporate entity, a public listing, a current executive roster, or detailed financial information for the brand. The associated website uses the Lokmat.News18.com address, while the channel’s primary business remains television news and related digital publishing.
History
News18 Marathi is a Marathi-language television news channel headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was established through the media relationship between Network18 Group and Lokmat Group, the publisher of Lokmat, one of Maharashtra’s prominent Marathi newspaper brands. The channel’s creation brought the partners’ news capabilities into a dedicated Marathi television service and gave Marathi-speaking audiences a channel focused on regional as well as broader news. The service launched on 6 April 2008, the date of Gudi Padwa. It originally operated under the name IBN Lokmat. The IBN element reflected Network18’s then-existing television-news branding, while Lokmat connected the channel to the newspaper group’s Marathi-language identity and regional reach. From its inception, the channel’s core editorial territory was Maharashtra, including state politics, elections, civic administration, public policy, business, crime, culture and social affairs. It also provided national and international news in Marathi. A significant identity change took place on 6 November 2017, when IBN Lokmat became News18 Lokmat. The rebranding followed Network18’s effort to organize its television news properties under the News18 master brand. Retaining “Lokmat” preserved the association with the Marathi newspaper group and the channel’s regional positioning, while “News18” connected it with the wider Network18 news ecosystem. The channel underwent a further naming change on 10 January 2026, when News18 Lokmat was rebranded as News18 Marathi. The new name foregrounds the language of service and creates a more direct match between the brand and its audience proposition. The change marks the latest stage in the channel’s brand evolution from IBN Lokmat to News18 Lokmat and then News18 Marathi. The brand operates across television and associated digital publishing. Its website is hosted at lokmat.news18.com, supporting online Marathi news content alongside the television service. Publicly available reference material identifies the joint-venture relationship and key branding milestones but does not provide a complete list of executives, financial results, standalone ownership percentages or a separate listed-company status for the channel brand.
- 2026
Rebranding as News18 Marathi
[1]On 10 January 2026, the channel changed its name from News18 Lokmat to News18 Marathi.
- 2017
Rebranding as News18 Lokmat
[1]On 6 November 2017, IBN Lokmat adopted the News18 Lokmat name as part of the News18 television-news branding structure.
- 2008
Launch as IBN Lokmat
[1]The Marathi-language news channel began broadcasting on 6 April 2008, on Gudi Padwa, from Mumbai.
Products and positioning
A Marathi-language regional news service combining Network18’s television-news network with Lokmat’s established Marathi media presence, with a strong editorial focus on Maharashtra and Marathi-speaking audiences.
Television news · 2008
News18 Marathi television channel
A 24-hour Marathi-language news channel based in Mumbai. Its programming covers Maharashtra-focused developments alongside national and international news, including politics, public affairs, business, society, culture and breaking news. The service was launched as IBN Lokmat in 2008, became News18 Lokmat in 2017 and adopted the News18 Marathi name in 2026.
Digital news
News18 Marathi digital news
Marathi-language online news and video content associated with the channel and published through the Lokmat.News18.com web platform. The digital offering extends the brand’s regional-news proposition beyond television, although detailed product specifications and launch information are not publicly established in the supplied sources.
Brand decisions
2026
Rebranding as News18 MarathiStrategyBackground
The channel had been known as News18 Lokmat since 2017.
Action taken
On 10 January 2026, the brand was changed to News18 Marathi, placing the language descriptor directly in the channel name.
Aftermath
The service continued under an identity that clearly communicates its Marathi-language focus.
2017
Adoption of the News18 Lokmat identityStrategyBackground
The channel had operated since 2008 as IBN Lokmat, combining the IBN television identity with the Lokmat name.
Action taken
On 6 November 2017, the service was renamed News18 Lokmat as Network18 consolidated its news channels under the News18 brand architecture.
Aftermath
The channel continued as a Marathi-language news service while becoming more visibly integrated with the wider News18 portfolio.
Recent events
- 2026
News18 Lokmat is rebranded as News18 Marathi[1]
Other
On 10 January 2026, the channel changed its name from News18 Lokmat to News18 Marathi, making its Marathi-language identity explicit in the brand.
- 2017
IBN Lokmat is renamed News18 Lokmat[1]
Other
The Marathi news channel adopted the News18 Lokmat name on 6 November 2017 as part of the broader News18 branding structure.
- 2008
IBN Lokmat launches as a Marathi-language news channel[1]
Product launch
The channel began broadcasting in Mumbai on 6 April 2008, launching as IBN Lokmat under the partnership associated with Network18 Group and Lokmat Group.
Sources3 sources
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