Prime time international news on Indian television: Frames, Valence, and Geopolitical visibility

This study examines patterns of international news coverage in prime time broadcasts across five major Indian television networks, including the public broadcasters DD News and four private channels: Times Now, India Today, Aaj Tak, and India TV. Using a constructed week sampling method over a 6-month period (September 2017-February 2018), the study analyses 2131 news items, of which 347 were international in orientation. Drawing on framing theory and global news flow research, the study investigates patterns of geographic representation, valence of international news coverage, and duration. Findings reveal that international news receives limited prime time attention and is disproportionately concentrated within elite-centred frames, particularly Geopolitical Power and Conflict-Security narratives. Country representation is highly uneven, with Pakistan and the United States dominating coverage. Stories with negative valence constitute the largest share of international reporting. While negative items display longer average duration, this difference is interpreted descriptively due to substantial variability. The findings suggest that international news on Indian television is structured around geopolitical salience, national relevance, and elite-centred framing, with coverage concentrated on a limited number of countries and issues.