CNN-IBN is a partnership between Global Broadcast News (GBN), a Network18 Company, and Turner International (Turner) in India.

The 24-hour, English-language news channel is spearheaded by renowned television journalist Rajdeep Sardesai as the Editor-in-Chief. He is backed in the venture by the strong foundation of Network18's newsgathering experience and infrastructure in India and bolstered by CNN's eminent and extensive global news network.

IBNLive.com is the online arm of GBN with hard news as its core offering and interactivity as its key component. Along with a plethora of mobile- and multimedia-enabled content, IBNLive is a multi-platform offering that, for the first time, provides viewers/users an opportunity to contribute to the news process and interact with editors and reporters. Manned 24x7, IBNlive.com is powered not just by CNN-IBN journalists but also by Network18's team of over 1,000 news professionals.

CNN-IBN will serve robust and high quality news from every corner of India and relevant global news from CNN, the world's news leader, on the same platform with an aim to provide the discerning viewers with a complete commitment to the needs and aspirations of the Indian viewer, while CNN International will continue to deliver global news to Indian viewers.

As elaborated by Mr Sardesai, the Editor-in-Chief, "The news channel is built on the age-old ethic that editorial sovereignty is inviolable - and this shall be a cornerstone of GBN's partnership with CNN. It will be a journalist-driven channel rooted in the realities of modern India. With nationwide news gathering capabilities, superior journalistic talent, and a passion for news, the new service will endeavour to get the news first and direct from the ground. In a fast-globalising India, access to CNN's global news network will add immense value for our audiences."

"This service will complement CNN International's global news offering and marks another milestone in CNN's efforts to move closer to its audience though local partnerships. The coupling of CNN's global resources and GBN'S local expertise will take news broadcasting in India to a whole new level," said Chris Cramer, Managing Director, CNN International.

"The alliance is the first of its kind for CNN and Turner in the Asia Pacific. The service will leverage the combined international and local journalistic expertise of each partner to provide Indian news viewers unparalleled coverage of global and local events as they unfold, from an Indian perspective," said Anshuman Misra, Managing Director, Turner International India Pvt Ltd.

Headquartered at a world-class facility in New Delhi, the channel is supported by over 20 bureaus nationwide, along with a team of experienced newspersons and production staff, backed by Network18's state-of-the-art broadcast infrastructure and newsgathering technology.

GBN, a Network18 Company, is a 74:26 joint venture between the Network18 and professionals - Rajdeep Sardesai, Sameer Manchanda and Haresh Chawla. GBN's charter is to launch channels in the general news space under the editorial leadership of Sardesai, one of India's most renowned TV journalists. The Network18 Group is India's leading and most successful business news broadcaster in both English and Hindi.

CNN International is the world's leader in 24-hour global news and information. CNN's combined branded networks and services are available to more than two billion people in more than 200 countries and territories in six different languages.

CNN International can be seen in more than 198 million television households and hotel rooms, including over 30 million in the Asia Pacific, in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, via a network of 38 satellites.

CNN.com's news web sites include international and US editions of CNN.com as well as five local language sites in Arabic, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. The web sites also support mobile services, including a PDA service on AvantGo and a breaking news SMS news alert service.