NDTV Metronation, the Delhi-focussed news and lifestyle channel from NDTV Ltd, has downsized staff by more than 50% after talks with at least one potential investor failed. Of the channel’s 90 staffers, only 35-40 will be retained, according to a person familiar with the development, who asked not to be named. The channel will now primarily run on the bank of programming NDTV has accumulated in the course of running Metronation. Only fresh programming will be hourly news bulletins. The channel’s much-publicized mobile studio (‘The Metronation Bus’) has been converted into a mobile election studio to be used by the broadcaster’s 24-hour news channels NDTV 24X7 and NDTV India.

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“We are not shutting down MetroNation Delhi but scaling it down. The TRPs of MetroNation Delhi have been excellent and it’s the most watched english news channel in the NCR region, ahead of other national english channels. Plans to launch Chennai MetroNation are on track,” an NDTV spokesperson said in an emailed statement.