With changing times and technological advancement, people find new ways of doing things. It is more like an adaptation in the lifestyle of people. Reading news and information online is one of the new adaptive behavior of the people at present times. The traditional way of reading news printed on papers is on a decline. On the contrary, the number of people reading news online via news portals is increasing day by day. It shows growth in the popularity of digital media among the mass.
This gradual shift in people's behavior is thanks to affordable internet connectivity available in Nepal. The internet has helped connect many online news portal websites and readers in new ways. Digital media is the newest trend in the market these days. This is a new shift in human behavior and a positive one as well. The traditional way of delivering news and information to the people was more of a hassle and time-consuming. People needed to get their hands on the newspaper in order to know what was going on around the globe. It takes time and a lot of manpower to collect and publish news in the newspaper as compared to publishing online.
Online news portals and sites are a much-more quicker and efficient way of sharing news to the people. Today we can read news from around the world in an instance via news portal websites. It is more user-friendly and convenient as well. Convenient in the sense that newspapers can either be collected from the shops and stationaries or you get it delivered to your home every day and you need to store them properly if you want to go through them again in the future. News Portals saves you from going through all these troubles just to get the news, you can easily update yourself with every major event across the world in an instance from your internet-connected device. Also, you can go through news that were published a few days ago, or a few months ago or even a few years back. News are updated faster on the news portals.
In Nepal, the trend of reading news online is gradually gaining pace as internet connectivity is improving and becoming more affordable to the general public. At present, there are many news portals and sites contributing to the growing trend. We have handpicked top 10 news portals of Nepal that are gaining popularity among masses with their rich news and accessibility.
Here is the list of top 10 news portals of Nepal base on public reviews, quality of contents and websites user-friendliness:
ekantipur is one of the most viewed news portals in the country. It is the online version of the most popular daily newspaper Kantipur. ekantipur delivers the latest national and international events and issues including politics, sports, business and entertainment in the form of texts, audios and videos. Kantipur daily is the first privately owned newspaper daily that started its service in Nepal in February 1993. Now it has become the largest and most influential daily newspaper in the country. Kantipur daily is owned and managed by one of the most prestigious media houses of Nepal, Kantipur Media Group. Mr. Sudheer Sharma is the editor in chief of the Kantipur daily.
The Kantipur Media House firmly believes and fights for people's right to the right information. It has the widest coverage of reporters across the country as well as in a few other countries that directly work under the Kantipur Media Group. The reach of the Kantipur Media Group is far and wide. People solely rely on them to get the latest updates on countries affairs, international affairs and for entertainment.
They are also present on Facebook. Their official Facebook page ekantipur is the most liked Facebook page among the news portals of Nepal with 3.7 million likes. This clearly shows how popular it has become. It is not just a news platform rather it is a mixed bag of news and entertainment. This is the plus point of ekantipur news portal over its competitors.
Readers can also download and install ekantipur mobile app. The mobile app is also popular among Nepalese newsreaders. The mobile app has been downloaded more than half-a-million times from Google play store and has a user rating of 3.9-stars which is more than enough of a reason for this news portal to make it at the top of our list.
Official website: www.ekantipur.com.
Onlinekhabar is among the most influential news portal in recent times. It is growing in popularity at a fast pace. It was established more than a decade ago on 1st November 2006. Now it has become the most browsed web portal as of 2019. OnlineKhabar is mainly popular for its news segments relating to national and international politics, lifestyle, business, travel, entertainment, interviews, public feedback and so on. The news events are available in both Nepali and English languages. At present, it is available in 141 different countries in the world where Nepalese reside. No other Nepali news web portal offers such a wide coverage. Their head office is located in New Baneshwor, Kathmandu.
Readers can feel their presence on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. The official OnlineKhabar Facebook page is a hit among readers and has so far been liked 1.2 million times. They also target mobile platform users and have launched their own app which is available on Google play store. It is free to download app. So far it has been downloaded 100k times and have been rated 4.0-stars by the users.
Ratopati has been able to make a name for itself among news readers across the country in a very short period of time. It is among the leading online news portal of Nepal and is run by Discovery News Network from the capital city Kathmandu. It brings the latest news to its hundreds of thousands of readers from within the country and abroad. The news is published in Nepali and English language both for taking into consideration of reader's convenience for the news.
Ratopati is well known for its exclusive news coverage on Nepalese politics. It also covers a wide range of news from national and international affairs to entertainment and sports and news on different other genres.They also have an official Facebook page named Ratopati which is popular among Facebook users. So far the official Facebook page of Ratopati has got 891 thousand likes on its official Facebook page.
The Ratopati team has also recently come up with an android app targeting a large number of android users in the country. The Ratopati app on Google play store has been downloaded five thousand times and is rated 3.9-stars from the users.
Official website: www.ratopati.com.
Annapurna Post is another name in the Nepalese news portal known throughout the country. It is the online version of the popular newspaper daily, The Annapurna Post which was first published in 2002. It is owned and managed by Nepal News Network International Pvt. Ltd. Their head quarter is located in Corporate Tower, Tinkune Kathmandu. The news portal has both Nepali and English language news options available, which is another strong point behind its popularity.
It can be your one-stop guide to all the different news on politics, business, society, entertainment, technology, automobiles, travel and much more. They also have an official Facebook page targeted to Facebook users. Their official Facebook page has got more than 1 million likes so far.
There is also an Annapurna Post app available on Google play store targeted to android and IOS users. The app is rated 4.1-stars by the public and has been downloaded five thousand times from the play store. This shows their popularity among the Nepalese newsreaders.
Official website: www.annapurnapost.com.
Setopati is a popular choice for those interested in the latest political issues and events. Their articles on social issues are admired by the Nepalese community worldwide. It is truly an online news portal website unlike those that have newspaper edition with the same name and is popular among readers for its news, views, reviews, blogs, audios, and videos on various topics. It is operated by Setopati Sanchar Pvt. Ltd. located in Jhamsikhel, Lalitpur.
This news portal is available in two language options i.e. Nepali and English language. The users are free to choose the language of their preference from the news portal homepage. The website is well sorted and covers varieties of news from politics, society, business, entertainment, sports, blogs, etc. Users can also like their official page on Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to their YouTube channel to get up to date with the daily news.
Official website: www.setopati.com
Ujyaalo Online brings a different approach to the online news portal websites in Nepal. It is more like an online radio portal where news lovers from around the world can listen to many different radio stations available on the news portal website. The ujyaalo online focuses on delivering the latest and hot news bulletins from around the world with as much unbiased view possible. It provides news on national and international politics, business worldwide, national economic, sports and games and many other matters.
The Ujyaalo Online news portal is user-friendly and much more interactive than any other news portal website. They urge users to help them become more user-friendly by making suggestions and submitting complaints about the different aspects of their website. Users can also contribute to LiveOnlineRadio.net the biggest online radio station directory by submitting new radio stations.
Official website: www.Ujyaaloonline.com
The Himalayan Times is founded by International Media Network Nepal Pvt. Ltd. It is one of the popular and most-viewed websites in Nepal. It is the online version of the English daily newspaper with the same name, The Himalayan Times, founded on 23rd of November, 2001. Its head quarter is located in Anamnagar, Kathmandu. The Himalayan Times is among the few English news portals available in Nepal. With an excellent editorial team to back the news portal, they are able to generate high-quality contents both rich in quality and quantity. The news portal website itself is of international standard.
The homepage of the news portal is much more user-friendly. The news is sorted under different categories. It makes it easier for the user to get to their desired news content. Readers can easily enjoy news and information of their choice just by clicking on the categories of their choice. These categories include Home, Kathmandu, Nepal, World, Health, Sports, Lifestyle, Entertainment, Technology and so on. This saves time for the readers which is very crucial for people with a busy lifestyle.
For those who like to read the news while scrolling through their Facebook feeds, they can simply like the official Facebook page of The Himalayan Times and get updated about all the latest news instantly. So far their official Facebook page has received 87 thousand likes, which quite a good number for Nepalese news portals.
Official website: www.thehimalayantimes.com.
Owned by Nepal Broadcasting Channel Pvt. Ltd (NBC), News24Nepal is a popular name among newsreaders in Nepal. The news content of this site is based on News24 TV, a well-known name among TV channels in Nepal. This news portal is known for its rich news content based on the social sector of Nepal. Users have the freedom to read and watch the news from this news portal.
News24Nepal.TV is targeted towards typical Nepali language readers who prefer their news to be addressed in the Nepali language. They also have an official Facebook page with the same name. It is a hit across social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Their official Facebook page has got more than 1 million likes so far.
The News24Nepal app is available on the Google Play Store for free to download. The News24Nepal app has got a 4.6-star rating from the users and has been downloaded more than ten thousand times from the play store. Once you install the app you can enjoy all the news and information from your smartphone with just a few taps here and there. It is much more convenient if you are someone who spends much of the time on the smartphone.
Official website: www.news24nepal.tv.
Nagarik News is another popular news portal of Nepal that offers its services in the Nepali language. It was established on 29th April 2009 by Nepal Republic Media (NRM) Private Limited, one of the leading media houses in Nepal. It’s headquarter is located in JDA complex, Bagdarwar, Kathmandu. Nagarik News is the sister publication of The Republica, a similar daily news portal in the English language.
It is also available in the Google Play Store for free to consume by the general public. The news app is popular among the Nepalese readres and so far has been rated 3.7-stars and has been downloaded more than 100k times. It shows how popular this news portal has become in recent times.
Official website: www.nagarkinews.com.
Etajakhabar is another Nepali news portal growing in popularity every day. It is a new name added to the long list of online news portals in Nepal. It is run by Taja Media Pvt. Ltd. Their head office is located in Aloknagar-1, Min Bhawan, Kathmandu. The news portal is available only in the Nepali language.
It provides collective news from many different popular news portals of Nepal such as Onlinekhabar, Annapurna post, etc. It is operated by a small team of energetic and enthusiasts. Ms. Rupani Ghartimager is the chief editor of the etajakhabar news portal.
This news portal is still in its growing phase and yet has caught the attention of the readers for its customized news contents which include news from different genres such as society, entertainment, economic trading, politics and so on. The presence of this news portal on social networking sites is quite remarkable given that is it a comparatively small and growing news portal. So far the official Facebook page named Taja Khabar has been liked 3.1 million times. A remarkable feat indeed.
They also have a mobile app named Taja Khabar Nepali which is available in the Google play store. It has been downloaded more than 50 thousand times do far and is rated 4.7-stars by its users. Readers can benefit from this app since they provide a collective insight into the matters which is compiled from many different trustworthy news portals.
Official website: www.etajakhabar.com.
[Note: The news portal listed above might not be in the same order as listed on other sites. It is simply because of the fact that different people use different parameters to compare these sites.]
Verdict:
These above-listed news portals are among the best news portals available in Nepal at present times. There are few other news portals that deserve our attention. They are:
PurbeliNews.com
Medianp.com
Nayapatrika
Imagekhabar
There are many different types of readers of the news and feeds. Some are concerned with politics, some with business and economics, while others desire fun and sports. Not all news portals cover every topic that is out there. So, it is totally up to the users to select the best news portals that meet their daily dose of news and entertainment.
For someone who is more of a brand person and is faithful to the brand name, ekantipur will be the best choice for them. Kantipur Media Group is the largest media house in Nepal and also is trustworthy. They have been providing service to the general public for more than 26 years. They are also the very first private newspaper daily.
For someone who is more concerned with the facts and figures, OnlineKhabar is the one to go for. Onlinekhabar has made a good reputation for itself for it’s true to the story contents featuring texts, audios, and videos on the matters. It is also the most searched website in Nepal and has extended its service across 141 countries of the world.
For English language readers there are a few good choices like The Himalayan Times, Onlinekhabar, Ratopati, Annapurna post, and Setopati. Any of these five news portals can serve rich news content in the English language.
For those who seek news as well as entertainment, we strongly suggest ekantipur, Annapurna post, and Setopati. As these news portals are also known for their daily entertainment doses along with news and feeds. And if you have no preferences rather are only concerned with getting all the latest news from within the nation and around the world, you can just visit any of the news portal websites listed above.
Conclusion:
The changing technology and people's increasing desire for a digital world has changed the way things are done. Reading the news via news portals is one of such changes. It is not a negative change though. With different environmental protection organizations protesting to ban the use of paper in order to save trees and ultimately save mother earth, it is an admirable step towards a better future. In fact, it has already become a reality in some developed countries of the world. People now use electronic devices instead of paper to satisfy their hunger for news and entertainment.
Not publishing news on paper means not using papers to share news anymore. Instead, making use of the digital platform to share the latest news and feeds is a better option. In fact, it is a solution for reducing the use of papers in our day to day life. This is a good sign for both the readers and media houses. The readers can benefit from quicker and vast news content across different news portals and the news portals can benefit from an increase in the daily readers of their websites. It is a two-way benefitting process.
The complete transformation is yet to take place. It will take some time since reading news via news portal is only possible when everyone in the country has an electronic device on their hand and has access to the internet. But changes are happening and at a rapid rate too. Now more people can afford to have an electronic device since they have gotten cheaper with fierce competition among tech giants in marketplace. Not only electronic devices but more and more people are gaining access to the internet across the country realizing the Nepalese government's vision for a digital Nepal. The time for complete transformation is arriving soon enough. The media houses have played an important role in this transformation. We should be thankful to them for all the hard work that they have done in order to provide news and entertainment to the readers.
