‘Eight people arguing at 6pm, 12 by 10pm’: US ambassador calls out chaos of Indian news channels at ET forum

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor found a new way to unwind after work in New Delhi: watching Indian prime-time news descend into a shouting match.

“I love getting back home and watching Indian TV news shows. The later it gets, the crazier the shows become,” Sergio said at the Economic Times World Leaders Forum in New Delhi on Monday. 

“At 6 pm you have eight people arguing on the show. At 10pm, there are 12 people who are all speaking at the same time. You can’t hear a single one of them…it’s unbelievable that no one gets interrupted,” he added.

For an American diplomat accustomed to the often combative world of US cable news, Sergio’s description amounts to an amused discovery of an even louder television tradition. 

His comments offered an unusually light-hearted glimpse into how India’s prime-time debates look to an outsider, where competing voices, heated exchanges and simultaneous arguments can become part of the nightly spectacle.

But Sergio’s appearance at the forum also touched on more serious matters, including a behind-the-scenes account of a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump at the G7 summit in France on June 17.

Sergio said India’s Ministry of External Affairs had requested that the media be allowed into the meeting but that no questions be taken.

According to Sergio, Trump had agreed.