Journalist Arnab Goswami’s news channel Republic TV launched at 10 am on Saturday. The channel became the first one in India to be aired live on Star India’s digital platform Hotstar.
The Rajeev Chandrasekhar-backed news channel also launched its website republicworld.com on Saturday.
To watch Republic TV live on your smartphone you can download the Hotstar app, or to beam it on your laptop or desktop, visit Hotstar.com. One this page, you can log in with your Hotstar or Facebook account.
To watch Republic TV live on your smartphone you can download the Hotstar app, or to beam it on your laptop or desktop, visit Hotstar.com. One this page, you can log in with your Hotstar or Facebook account.
"Dear viewers, you've supported me over the years & Republic is the result of your faith. I am happy to tell you that Republic TV is a free to air channel. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Northeast to Gujarat, Republic TV is FTA (FREE TO AIR). My young, passionate, idealistic & committed news team needs your support. This committed news team is putting out a FREE TO AIR channel for you. Back them, contact your cable/DTH provider now," Goswami had said a day before.
Arnab: Happy to tell viewers that Republic TV is a FREE TO AIR channel. Contact your cable/DTH provider to connect you now #RepublicLiveSoon
— Republic (@republic) May 4, 2017
Arnab: From Kashmir to Kanyakumari and North East to Gujarat, Republic TV is a FTA (Free to Air) channel #RepublicLiveSoon
— Republic (@republic) May 4, 2017
Arnab: My young, passionate, idealistic & committed news team needs your support. Contact your cable/DTH provider now #RepublicLiveSoon
— Republic (@republic) May 4, 2017
On Thursday, it tweeted about its latest distribution tie-up with direct-to-home (DTH) platform Tata Sky. “Republic TV is coming to your homes soon as a free-to-air channel. Check your cable/DTH operator now,” the post read.
#RepublicLiveSoon on @TataSky https://t.co/wyFDaYDcbK
— Republic (@republic) May 4, 2017
Earlier this month, Republic TV also announced a tie-up with Microsoft as its technology partner and veteran actor Kamal Haasan as the voice of Republic TV for the channel launch.
Recently, Goswami held a session on Reddit, inviting people to ask questions. The questions redditors asked varied from Goswami's favourite interview and the car he drives, to Republic TV's international plans.
On a question about Indian mainstream media having a politically left-liberal bias, he said, the whole left-liberal phrase is a charade. How can the Delhi Gymkhana circuit be leftist? Leftists cannot be liberal and those who are liberal cannot be leftists. So it is also an oxymoron.
The channel, owned by Arnab Goswami’s own company, ARG Outlier Media, has been mired in controversies since the announcement of its launch. Business Standard had earlier reported that Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a Rajya Sabha MP and vice-chairman of the National Democratic Alliance in Kerala, is one of the largest investors in the venture.
In January, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Executive member and Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy had written a letter to the Secretary, Ministry of I&B, asking them how a tv channel could be allowed to use the name Republic as the usage of the term is restricted under the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950. (Read more)
In April, Times Group had sent a legal notice to Arnab Goswami asking him not to use the phrase, “nation wants to know”? The catch-phrase was popularised by the former Times Now anchor. Times Now is a channel owned by the Times Group and they said the phrase is their intellectual property, Business Standard had reported.