# WION
**WION** (World Is One News) is an Indian international English-language news channel headquartered in Noida, India, owned by Zee Media Corporation Limited, part of the [Essel Group](https://www.edgepedia.org/essel-group).[1](https://dealroom.co/companies/wion/) • [2](https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/wion-world-one-news/) It was announced in March 2016 as India's first global English news channel, reporting world news from a South Asian perspective, and it now describes itself as present across 190 countries.[3](https://www.medianews4u.com/zee-media-to-launch-global-english-news-channel-wion-by-mid-2016/) • [4](https://zeemedia.in/channels)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | WION, World Is One News[3](https://www.medianews4u.com/zee-media-to-launch-global-english-news-channel-wion-by-mid-2016/) |
| Launches | Website June 15, 2016; TV channel August 15, 2016 as a free-to-air satellite service in 37 countries; commercial launch December 2016[5](https://cdn.featuredcustomers.com/CustomerCaseStudy.document/kentico_wion_None.pdf) • [6](https://admin.zeemedia.in/storage/1677312451investment.pdf) |
| Owner | Zee Media Corporation Limited, part of the Essel Group[2](https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/wion-world-one-news/) |
| Headquarters | Noida, India[1](https://dealroom.co/companies/wion/) |
| Positioning | India's first global English news channel, reporting global news from a South Asian perspective[6](https://admin.zeemedia.in/storage/1677312451investment.pdf) • [3](https://www.medianews4u.com/zee-media-to-launch-global-english-news-channel-wion-by-mid-2016/) |
| Reach | Present across 190 countries; 352 million monthly YouTube video views per the network[4](https://zeemedia.in/channels) |
| Third-party ratings | Media Bias/Fact Check: Least Biased (1.1), Mixed factual reporting (5.0)[2](https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/wion-world-one-news/) |
## Origins and launch
Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL) announced the channel in March 2016, slated for a summer launch. The company positioned WION as a mobile and digital-first platform that would evolve into an international television channel, with newsgathering teams equipped with mobile technology for an "anytime-anywhere" live approach aimed at a global, tech-savvy audience the company described as [Generation Z](https://www.edgepedia.org/generation-z) in values rather than age.[3](https://www.medianews4u.com/zee-media-to-launch-global-english-news-channel-wion-by-mid-2016/) The Zee Media annual report for 2015-16 framed the channel as a one-stop destination for news on the SAARC region, which the company said accounts for 21 percent of the world's population and 9 percent of global GDP, aiming to meet the aspirations of 2 billion South Asians.[7](https://stockdiscovery.s3.amazonaws.com/insight/india/4681/Annual%20Report/AR-16.pdf)
**Editorial leadership.** Veteran journalist Rohit Gandhi, a former CNN and CNBC journalist hired in August 2015, was appointed editor-in-chief and put in charge of all operations, reporting to Zee Entertainment MD and CEO Punit Goenka.[3](https://www.medianews4u.com/zee-media-to-launch-global-english-news-channel-wion-by-mid-2016/) Sudhir Chaudhary later served as editor-in-chief.[2](https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/wion-world-one-news/)
The website launched on June 15, 2016, and the television channel followed on August 15, 2016, India's 70th Independence Day, as a free-to-air satellite service in 37 countries.[5](https://cdn.featuredcustomers.com/CustomerCaseStudy.document/kentico_wion_None.pdf) • [8](https://indiantelevision.com/news-headline/zee-media-launches-global-english-news-channel-wion-2/) Essel Group chairman [Subhash Chandra](https://www.edgepedia.org/subhash-chandra) used the Independence Day date for the TV launch, having announced the project the previous year.[8](https://indiantelevision.com/news-headline/zee-media-launches-global-english-news-channel-wion-2/) After the soft launch, WION announced its formal launch on December 8, 2016 with a marketing campaign titled "WION - Be One With the World," including a roadblock across more than 40 channels of ZEEL and ZMCL on December 9.[9](https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/global-english-news-network-wion-announces-its-official-launch-605420706.html) The company's annual report dates the commercial launch to December 2016.[6](https://admin.zeemedia.in/storage/1677312451investment.pdf)
## Ownership
WION is owned by Zee Media Corporation Limited, an Indian news broadcaster that operates 16 television news channels, 3 digital news channels, and dozens of digital properties in 12 languages.[2](https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/wion-world-one-news/) • [10](https://zeemedia.in/) Zee Media is linked to the Essel Group conglomerate founded by Subhash Chandra.[2](https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/wion-world-one-news/) Revenue is derived through advertising.[2](https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/wion-world-one-news/)
## Programming and coverage
The channel launched premium programs including *Tech-it-Out* (a technology show), *WION Pitstop* (an auto show), and *Gravitas* (a daily primetime show).[6](https://admin.zeemedia.in/storage/1677312451investment.pdf) Its flagship property, the "World Is One - Global Leadership Series," featured exclusive interactions with world leaders including Bashar Al Assad ([President of Syria](https://www.edgepedia.org/president-of-syria)), Recep Tayyip Erdogan ([President of Turkey](https://www.edgepedia.org/president-of-turkey)), Pervez Musharraf (former [President of Pakistan](https://www.edgepedia.org/president-of-pakistan)), and Hamid Karzai (former President of Afghanistan) on issues affecting their countries and their relations with India.[6](https://admin.zeemedia.in/storage/1677312451investment.pdf) The channel's early coverage included the 2016 US elections and the war against terrorism in Iraq.[6](https://admin.zeemedia.in/storage/1677312451investment.pdf) In 2020 the company stated that WION brought the largest coverage of the US election that year to India.[11](https://admin.zeemedia.in/storage/1673704168investment.pdf)
WION also runs thought-leadership events such as the Global Climate Summit, which brings global leaders together to discuss issues affecting the world.[4](https://zeemedia.in/channels)
## International expansion
WION established bureaus in Asia, the USA, and the UK after its commercial launch.[6](https://admin.zeemedia.in/storage/1677312451investment.pdf) By February 2018 it had launched in seven African countries, Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Botswana, and Rwanda, followed by a Middle East debut.[12](https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/indias-first-global-news-network-wion-spreads-its-wings-673303263.html) In 2020 the WION app launched in the UK market on November 14, and the channel expanded to [West Asia](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-asia) in mid-December of that year.[11](https://admin.zeemedia.in/storage/1673704168investment.pdf)
## Audience and ratings
Within India's English news genre, WION held a 17.9 percent market share among eight English news channels in the weeks 10-13 of 2022, measured in megacities among 22-30 year-old men.[13](https://specials.indiatoday.com/aajtaknew/download/TVTN_Annual_Report_FY_2021-22.pdf) Zee Media states the channel is the leading English news brand on YouTube with 352 million video views monthly.[4](https://zeemedia.in/channels)
Independent assessments of the outlet differ in emphasis. Media Bias/Fact Check rates WION Least Biased, citing reasonably balanced editorial positions and minimal use of loaded language, while rating its factual reporting Mixed due to a lack of hyperlinked sourcing in most articles and the promotion of Covid-19 misinformation in 2020; it lists failed fact checks including a March 2020 story on a "new virus" named hantavirus (rated False) and a story on a Portuguese nurse dying two days after a Pfizer Covid vaccine (rated Misleading).[2](https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/wion-world-one-news/) Ad Fontes Media rates the outlet's factuality as low, and Media Bias/Fact Check rates it mixed.[14](https://mediabias.news/sources/wion) A headline-based analysis of WION's 2026 output found coverage led by the United States, Iran, and India, dominated by diplomacy and military affairs, and consistently favorable toward India and its leadership.[15](https://www.worldbrief.info/sources/wion)
## References
1. [WION (World is One News) company profile, Dealroom](https://dealroom.co/companies/wion/)
2. [WION (World is One News) - Bias and Credibility, Media Bias/Fact Check](https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/wion-world-one-news/)
3. [Zee Media to launch Global English News Channel WION by mid-2016, MediaNews4U](https://www.medianews4u.com/zee-media-to-launch-global-english-news-channel-wion-by-mid-2016/)
4. [Zee Media Corporation Limited - Channels](https://zeemedia.in/channels)
5. [WION News case study, FeaturedCustomers/Kentico](https://cdn.featuredcustomers.com/CustomerCaseStudy.document/kentico_wion_None.pdf)
6. [Zee Media Corporation Limited annual report (investment document)](https://admin.zeemedia.in/storage/1677312451investment.pdf)
7. [Zee Media Corporation Limited Annual Report 2015-16](https://stockdiscovery.s3.amazonaws.com/insight/india/4681/Annual%20Report/AR-16.pdf)
8. [Zee Media launches global English news channel Wion, Indian Television Dot Com](https://indiantelevision.com/news-headline/zee-media-launches-global-english-news-channel-wion-2/)
9. [Global English News Network, WION Announces its Official Launch, PRNewswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/global-english-news-network-wion-announces-its-official-launch-605420706.html)
10. [Zee Media Corporation Limited - India's Largest News Network](https://zeemedia.in/)
11. [Zee Media earnings release, quarter ended December 31, 2020](https://admin.zeemedia.in/storage/1673704168investment.pdf)
12. [India's First Global News Network WION Spreads its Wings, PRNewswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/indias-first-global-news-network-wion-spreads-its-wings-673303263.html)
13. [Market share among English news channels, TV Today Network Annual Report FY 2021-22](https://specials.indiatoday.com/aajtaknew/download/TVTN_Annual_Report_FY_2021-22.pdf)
14. [WION media bias and reliability, MediaBias News](https://mediabias.news/sources/wion)
15. [WION: bias, ownership and what it covers, WorldBrief](https://www.worldbrief.info/sources/wion)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Broadcasting and journalism › Broadcast organizations and stations › Broadcast networks and channel brands › Cable and satellite television networks › Cable and satellite news channels*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license