GlobeNewswire is a commercial press release distribution service founded in 1998, originally as PrimeNewswire, and renamed in 2008 to reflect its international reach. It was owned by Nasdaq from 2006 to 2018, then by West Corporation under the Notified brand, and Notified was acquired by Equiniti in 2025. Companies use GlobeNewswire to send official announcements to newsrooms, financial platforms, databases and websites in North America, Europe and beyond. It is paid distribution, not editorial coverage, and suits Indian companies announcing news to international customers, partners or investors.
GlobeNewswire at a glance
- Founded: 1 June 1998, with the aim of releasing financial news to all media at the same time.
- Name: PrimeNewswire until 2008, when it became GlobeNewswire.
- Ownership: a Nasdaq subsidiary from 2006 until April 2018, then part of West Corporation, whose communications business became Notified. Equiniti completed its acquisition of Notified in May 2025.
- Use: corporate news, earnings, financial disclosures and multimedia releases for media, investors and the public.
How a commercial newswire differs from a news agency
News agencies such as PTI and ANI employ journalists who decide what to report. A commercial newswire like GlobeNewswire works the other way: the company pays to issue its own announcement, the service checks it against its editorial and formatting guidelines, and then distributes it word for word.
The result is a dated, public record of your announcement carried by sites and databases that take the wire feed, often finance and business portals. Journalists may see it and choose to write about it, but nobody is obliged to.
When GlobeNewswire makes sense for an Indian company
- International launches: entering the US, UK, Europe or other markets.
- Funding and partnerships: announcements that overseas investors, partners or customers should find.
- Listed companies: results, corporate actions or disclosures that need a widely accessible public record, alongside the filings required by Indian regulators.
- Global audiences: SaaS, technology, export and services businesses whose buyers are mostly outside India.
For news aimed only at Indian readers, Indian outlets and networks are usually a better fit and cost less.
Writing a release for international distribution
- Dateline: start with the city, the date and the wire name, which the service adds in its standard style.
- Headline: state the news plainly, including your company name.
- First paragraph: answer who, what, when, where and why in two or three sentences.
- Context for foreign readers: explain Indian terms, use international units and give currency in both rupees and US dollars where it helps.
- Quote: one meaningful quote from a named spokesperson.
- Boilerplate: a short, factual description of your company with its website.
- Media contact: a name, email and phone number that will be answered.
Listed companies often add a forward-looking statements disclaimer. Check this with your legal or compliance team.
Timing and multimedia
Choose a release time that suits your audience’s time zone, not just Indian working hours. Morning in New York is evening in India. Adding a logo, product image or short video can make the release more useful to the sites that carry it, though extra media may cost more.
Editorial review before release
Commercial wires review releases before they go out. Expect questions if a release lacks a clear company identity, makes claims that look misleading, uses heavy promotional language or misses contact details. Releases about regulated topics such as financial products, health or cryptocurrency may need extra checks or may be declined. Leaving time for this review avoids last-minute delays on announcement day.
What to expect from a GlobeNewswire release
- Realistic: distribution through the wire, copies on sites that carry the feed and a pickup report listing them.
- Not realistic: a promised news story, interview or ranking boost.
- Search value: syndicated copies are duplicates of the same text, and links in them do not pass ranking value. The benefit is visibility and a credible record.
- Follow-through: publish the release in your own newsroom page and share it with your contacts directly.
Compare ACCESS Newswire, or see Indian options such as PTI and all PR and press release services.