6 Highest Paid News Anchors In India

Journalism and news anchoring is no longer the road less taken in India. With several prominent news journalists like Arnab Goswami, Ravish Kumar, Sudhir Chaudhary, Anjana Om Kashyap and others, becoming a household name, more and more young minds of India want to pursue their dream of etching their name in this prestigious list.

Gone were the days when journalism was not considered a well paying jobs as opposed to conventional means of occupation like engineering, medical sciences, architect, etc. You will be surprised to know that these above mentioned news anchors and presenters are making fortune in the field of journalism. If you wish to pursue your dream of becoming a journalist, this list of ‘highest paid news anchors in India’ will inspire you to pull up your socks.

1. Ravish Kumar (Earning: 2.25 crores per annum)

Also known as the voice of people of Bihar and the youth of the country, Ravish Kumar is one of the most popular journalists in India. He is serving as the Managing Editor of NDTV India, which is a national news channel with its headquarters in New Delhi. He hosts a number of programs including Prime Time, Hum Log and Ravish Ki Report.

Recently he won the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2019 for his unparalleled contribution towards the body of journalism in India. Ravish Kumar has been conferred twice with Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award. Apart from news anchoring, he also writes with a number of books under his name. He has successfully authored books like The Free Voice, Ishq Mein Sheher Hona, and The Nation.

2. Arnab Goswami (Earning: Approx 12 crore per annum)

Arnab Goswami is another popular English news presenter in India who became famous for his one-liner ‘the nation wants to know’. After working as an Editor-in-Chief of Times Now for several years, Goswami stepped down to establish his own news channel Republic TV. Despite receiving widespread criticism for being biased towards reporting, Arnab Goswami continues to make fortunes in the field of journalism.

Apart from anchoring debates and TV shows, Arnab is also the President of News Broadcasting Association’s governing board.

3. Barkha Dutt (Earning: 3.5 crores per annum)

Barkha Dutt is a television journalist and news anchor who was part of NDTV’s team for 21 years until she left the channel in January 2017. It is said that the 43-year-old was given an approximate salary of Rs. 30 lakhs per month excluding perks.

4. Sudhir Chaudhary (Earning: 4 crores per annum)

Sudhir Chaudhary is a renowned media personality, often known as the face of national news channel Zee News. He is serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the channel and hosts the prime time show Daily News and Analysis in which he analyses and fact-checks viral news content.

Sudhir Chaudhary has been working in Indian media industry for more than two decades. After leaving Zee News in 2003, he rejoined the channel in 2012 where he currently hosts popular news show Daily News & Analysis (DNA).

5. Rajdeep Sardesai (Earning: 10 crores per annum)

Rajdeep Sardesai is one of the highest paid journalists in India. He is the consulting editor at India Today Group and hosts shows on the channel including the prime time show India Today Television. He founded his own company Global Broadcast News (GBN) in collaboration with American Giant CNN and Raghav Bahl’s TV18. He formed a news channel named CNN-IBN with himself as the Editor-in-Chief. However, in 2014, he along with the entire founding team resigned from the Network18 group.

Rajdeep Sardesai is the recipient of several accolades including Padma Shri in 2008, Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award in 2006 and ENBA Award in 2020.

6. Anjana Om Kashyap (Earning: Approx 1 crore)

Anjana Om Kashyap is one of the most followed journalists in India. She is the executive editor of the Hindi news channe; Aaj Tak. She started her career as a counselor at the Daewoo Motors but later resigned after finding her calling in journalism. Anjana is known for voicing strong opinions against reservations in India.

In 2019, Kashyap was criticised for entering the neonatal ICU at Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital during Bihar encephalitis outbreak. She was widely called out for her inappropriate behaviour which led to Indian Medical Association filing a complaint against her for endangering the lives of children.