Sri. Unni Balakrishnan was born in 1969 in Alappuzha district of Kerala. He started his career in 1994 as a Sub-Editor in a reputed Malayalam Socio political Weekly – Kalakaumudi. In 1996 he joined Asianet Television as Sub-Editor and played an important role in establishing the first private satellite channel in Malayalam. In 1998 he was transferred to the New Delhi Bureau of Asianet. In the years that rolled by Sri. Unni Balakrishnan worked in the New Delhi bureau of Asianet in various capacities as Bureau Chief, Regional Editor etc. He was in New Delhi from year 1998 to 2010. While working in  the Delhi Bureau, he got many opportunities to report many important incidents/ events like the Kandahar Plane hijack, Kargil war, Delhi serial bomb blasts, Mumbai terrorist attack, General elections etc. In 2002 he visited Islamabad with the then Prime Minister Sri. A B Vajpayee and reported SAARC summit. He had visited Paris and reported the Indo French nuclear summit in 2005, the USA again in 2005 and reported the UN General Council and in 2010 he reported the Indo- Arab summit all accompanying the then Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh. Sri. Unni Balakrishnan is now with the Mathrubhumi News Television channel as Chief of News and had been there since 2012.

He hosts an interview program 'Chodyam Utharam' which is a well appreciated program among the Malayalee audience around the globe.

He is the proud recipient of the Kerala State Award for the Best Interviewer in 2015. He has also got important recognitions like Abudabi Kala Award, Dubai Asiavision Award, Delhi Malayalee Award etc.