Sanket Upadhyay is a veteran Indian TV journalist, best known for his long run at NDTV and Times Now, his 2023 exit from NDTV, and his November 2025 departure from the YouTube news platform he co-founded, The Red Mic.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Full name | Sanket Upadhyay |
| Profession | Journalist, news anchor, digital content creator |
| Known for | NDTV, Times Now, CNN-News18, co-founder of The Red Mic |
| Father | Madhukar Upadhyay, BBC Hindi Radio journalist |
| Wife | Palki Sharma Upadhyay (journalist) |
| Children | One daughter |
| Left NDTV | October 2023 |
| Co-founded The Red Mic | December 2023 |
| Left The Red Mic | November 2025 |
| Net worth | Not independently verified |
A Career Built Over Two Decades
Sanket Upadhyay didn’t start out on television. He began as a print reporter with the Indo-Asian News Service in 2002, then moved to Jaipur to cover city news for the Hindustan Times.
Television came calling in 2005, when he joined NDTV’s city desk and was soon made Lucknow bureau head of NDTV 24×7 — a serious leadership post for someone only 23 years old at the time.
By 2008, he’d shifted to Delhi to join Times Now, working his way from principal correspondent to deputy news editor over roughly five and a half years. From there he moved to CNN-News18 as deputy executive editor, before returning to NDTV in 2019 for a second stint as consulting editor — this time anchoring shows like Muqabala, The Big Fight, and Khabaron Ki Khabar.
Why Sanket Upadhyay Left NDTV
In October 2023, after roughly four and a half years back at NDTV, Sanket announced his resignation on social media, telling followers he’d soon have “a new professional address.” He didn’t publicly detail an exact reason beyond signaling a career shift was coming.
The Red Mic Years
Two months later, in December 2023, he teamed up with fellow ex-NDTV journalists Saurabh Shukla and Sunil Saini to launch The Red Mic, a YouTube news platform built around the idea of “authentic journalism” without a big broadcaster’s constraints. The channel grew quickly, crossing roughly 700,000–950,000 subscribers within about two years.
Why Sanket Upadhyay Left The Red Mic
Sanket left The Red Mic in November 2025, stepping down from his role as director and co-founder. He described the decision as personal — he wanted to spend more time with family, a choice that came shortly after his mother’s death. He hasn’t announced a fixed next step, saying only that journalism “will always be my love.”
Where Is Sanket Upadhyay Now?
As of the most recent reporting, Sanket Upadhyay hasn’t joined a new organization. He’s described his current chapter as independent journalism and content creation, without committing publicly to a specific platform.
Sanket’s Wife: About Palki Sharma
Sanket Upadhyay’s wife is Palki Sharma Upadhyay, herself a well-known journalist who began her career around the same time as Sanket. The couple married in 2008 and have one daughter together.
Is Sanket Upadhyay Still Married?
This is where reporting gets murky. Several entertainment and lifestyle outlets have mentioned unconfirmed reports that the couple has separated, but neither Sanket nor Palki has issued a public statement confirming a divorce or separation. Until one of them addresses it directly, any claim about their current marital status should be treated as unverified.
Sanket Upadhyay’s Father
Sanket Upadhyay’s father, Madhukar Upadhyay, was himself a respected BBC Hindi Radio journalist — giving Sanket a direct family lineage into the profession before he ever filed his first report.
Sanket Upadhyay Net Worth
No financial disclosure or credible audited figure for Sanket’s net worth is publicly available. What’s verifiable instead is the professional foundation behind his earnings: over two decades in senior editorial and anchor roles at some of India’s biggest networks, followed by a founder’s stake in an independent digital venture. Treat any specific dollar or rupee figure you see online as speculation, not fact.
FAQs
1. How old is Sanket Upadhyay?
His exact birth year isn’t consistently confirmed across sources; what’s documented is that he was 23 when he took charge of NDTV’s Lucknow bureau in 2005, which places his birth around the early-to-mid 1980s.
2. Is there a Sanket Upadhyay Wikipedia page?
There isn’t a well-established, verified Wikipedia entry for him at this time. His career details are best sourced from media-industry outlets like Exchange4media.
3. Did Sanket Upadhyay and Palki Sharma work together?
They didn’t work at the same organization simultaneously in a notable public capacity, but both built parallel careers in Indian TV journalism starting around the same period.
4. What does Sanket Upadhyay do now?
He’s currently working independently in journalism and content creation, without a confirmed new employer.
5. How many children does Sanket Upadhyay have?
He and Palki Sharma have one daughter.
6. Why did Sanket Upadhyay leave NDTV the second time?
He resigned in October 2023 without detailing a specific public reason, framing it as a move toward a new professional chapter.
Conclusion
Sanket Upadhyay’s journalism career spans print, English and Hindi television, and independent digital media — from IANS and Hindustan Times, through NDTV and Times Now, to co-founding The Red Mic. His November 2025 exit from that platform marked another turning point, driven by personal reasons rather than a confirmed new job offer. His marital status and exact net worth remain unconfirmed publicly, and this article treats them accordingly.
