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  • Legendary soccer rivalries on Ten Sports

    Legendary soccer rivalries on Ten Sports

    MUMBAI, April 6: With the FIFA World Cup football just around the corner, Ten Sports, the world’s number one sports channel for south Asians, will telecast the much acclaimed and awarded documentary on soccer rivalries, ‘Heights of Passion’.

    The documentary will be aired in four parts as part of the Ten Sports’ popular ‘Legends’ series. The first part of the series starts 9:00 pm IST on Friday, April 7. The first telecast of the remaining three parts will be aired April 14, 21 and 28 at the same time. Each episode will have repeat telecast during the week.

    From the exotic backdrop of South America to the sophisticated pulse of Europe, Height of Passion explores the culture, history and rivalry of the most exciting football derbies in the world. This multi-award winning football series captures not just the stars of today, tomorrow and yesterday, but the history, culture and social background of the leading teams and passionate fans throughout the world.

    The four 52-minute episodes entitled Italy, Spain, Argentina and Brazil, focuses on two particular clubs from the respective countries and the intense rivalry between them. It looks at the history that has enforced that rivalry and where they currently stand.

    Italy covers the giant Milan clubs AC Milan and International. The rivalry between these two clubs is one of the most intense in the world and splits the city in half. Spain covers the rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Argentina looks at the fanatical support and rivalry between Boca Juniors and River Plate. Brazil looks at another fanatical rivalry between Rio residents Vasco and Flamengo.

    The stars of each club are touched upon, including names like Ronaldo, Maradona, Edmundo, Romario, Raul – the list is endless.

    Only launched in April 2002, Ten Sports is watched by more viewers than any other sports channel in the Sub-continent. Ten Sports is available in over 48 million households via cable and satellite networks across the world. In just a short span of three years, Ten Sports has also become the world’s biggest producers of cricket.

    The Channel broadcasts cricket from Sharjah, the West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Morocco throughout the Indian sub-continent and Asia, as well as in Europe and the Middle East (except Pakistan cricket). Also, Ten Sports has broadcast cricket from India, the World Cup 2003 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2004 in certain territories.

  • Hindi news channels on high growth rollercoaster

    What’s on the news tonight? Well, pretty much the full spectrum – from ghouls to goons, politics, drama, comedy, tragedy, tragi-comedy… and everything in between. We’ve even had our own version of “Ripley’s Believe it or Not” LIVE as it happened beamed into millions of homes. Remember 5-year-old Prince from Haryana and his 50-hour ordeal down a pit that played out over all the television news networks. Some pundits have decried the carpet bombing coverage as indicative of the pits to which news reportage has descended but ask your average media planner / buyer and he’ll more likely tell you (off the record of course): “Bring it on.”

    Rescuers carrying 5-year-old Prince who fell into a 60-foot hole in Kurukshetra, Rajasthan. Zee News, which first broke this story, went all-out on its coverage of what became a national event.

    Because it is this smorgasbord of subjects of coverage, which offers something for everyone, that is driving up not just the ratings, but also revenues for Hindi news channels. And while there are those who wonder when the Hindi news engine will start to lose its steam, most are in agreement that it is not going to be any time soon.

    Just how much Hindi news channels clocked this year varies (depending on who you speak to) from a low of Rs 3 billion to over Rs 4.5 billion. What most seem to agree on though, is that growth is chugging at a fast clip with the expectations for this year being between 20-30 per cent.

    According to Meenakshi Madhvani, head of media audit firm Spatial Access Solutions, “From Rs 350 crores (Rs 3.5 billion) in the last fiscal, I think it (ad revenues) would go up to Rs 450 crores in this fiscal, an increase of 28.5 per cent in the genre. Hence a rate of growth significantly higher than the overall TV business.”

    Jan-06
    Jun-06
    Channel
    Share %
    Share %
    Aaj Tak    24.5    27.0
    Star News    21.3    18.5
    Zee News    14.8    16.4
    NDTV India    19.1    13.5
    Channel 7    6.9    10.0
    India TV    7.2    8.5
    Sahara Samay National    6.1    6.0
    TG CS15+ Hindi Speaking Markets (HSM) Source TAM Peoplemeter
    Giving his reasoning, MindShare managing director West and South R Gowthaman says, “The Hindi news genre is growing as there is still a significant appetite. However, I am not sure whether there is space for more channels now. 2006 over 2005/4 grew on the back of new channels coming on board, in the sense this was an organic growth. Not a reflection of ratings, but a reflection of supply. I would say, the category (Hindi news cluster) “heat” is just right with 10 channels… 

    “Overall share of Hindi News channel as a cluster can grow from now on only on the back of quality content, viz more local segments etc., which could help garner more share. Only garnering more share can provide fillip to increasing revenues…”

    OMS regional director Madan Mohapatra offers his view on the key aspects that are underpinning this phenomenal revenue and ratings growth.

    Based on Card Costs
    Rank    Top Advertisers
    1    Emami Limited
    2    Hindustan Lever Ltd
    3    Coca Cola India Ltd
    4    Tata Motors Ltd
    5    Biswanath Hosiery Mills Ltd
    6    Paras Pharmaceuticals Ltd
    7    Bhawani Textiles
    8    Surya Food And Agro Pvt Ltd
    9    Mahashiya Di Hatti Limited
    10    Action Shoes
    Source: AdEx India, A Division of TAM Media Research Period: Jan-June ’06
    Medium: Hindi News Channels
    Says Mohapatra: “Four years ago, advertisers looking to build reach turned to general entertainment channels. Three years ago, Hindi movies channels got added to the reach build proposition. Hindi news is currently in the phase where this genre is transiting from niche to reach build. And it was Aaj Tak which showed the way for the rest to follow. If the pace at which this genre is moving currently is maintained, one year down the line, live Hindi news will complete that transition (from niche to reach build).

    “Once this happens, the perception factor in determining rates will go down. This is already happening actually. For example, earlier, the faces on the channels made for a great built-in value add. Today, nobody is sure anymore which face will pop up on which channel. Thanks to this, channel perceptions are going to get evermore fragmented.”

    This could well sound a warning bell for channels like NDTV and CNBC, which enjoy a good mark-up on rates because of the “personalities” they carry. As Madhvani points out, “A channel like Aaj Tak is seen as delivering reach in the North, but when it comes to channel decisions, it is driven by personal choices. Because of which there is a lot of dichotomy. I have seen so many instances of people putting fairly large sums of ad money on CNBC, which doesn’t deliver anything in terms of numbers but is seen as a channel which decision makers watch and the channel that delivers corporate India to you. 
    There are these popular perceptions that some channels have very smartly exploited.

    “NDTV for instance, which has a fantastic marketing and sales team, is able to leverage these perceptions to get more than their fair share of advertising. That’s marketing!”

    No Softening of Rates
    The big question that flows out of all this of course is whether fragmentation will lead to effective rates going down in the near to mid-term? The answer is an emphatic NO!

    Jai Jawan: NDTV India trumpets its patriotic credentials.
    Why? Says Madhvani, “This is on account of rates being upped, more advertisers/ad categories being targeted and a greater level of effort being put in by the sales teams and less due to the launch of new channels!

    Mohapatra opines, “This is because the choice of clientele is proportionately growing. This year, I see sectors like property, infrastructure, education, retail, IPOs all contributing to this growth. There will be many first time advertisers as well. Add to that, now, because of the reach deliveries, even FMCGs are looking at news channels.

    Estimated Revenues Hindi channels achieved in FY2006
    Aaj Tak    Rs 1.4 billion
    NDTV India    Rs 900 million
    Star News    Rs 750 million
    Zee News    Rs 600 million
    DD News    Rs 400 million
    Channel7 / India TV / Sahara Samay    Rs 300 million
    “What will happen is that channels at the bottom of the spectrum will be able to up their rates. I see a flattening of rates across news channels happening. And those that can’t raise rates will simply increase the number of spots they carry. What we are also seeing across news channels is an increase in ad secondage per hour. If the average earlier was 10-12, today it is 14 and even higher in some cases.”

    Targeted Advertising
    Media planner Rahul Panchal says, “Today all channels in their own way, indulge in customized ads through lifestyle shows. Major brands like ICICI and Tata Motors spend approximately Rs 60 million to Rs 80 milllion on news channels through this avenue. Adds Panchal, “Customized shows provide mileage to the brands and the show without tampering with the core content.”

    Clients also target their ads. Aaj Tak primarily targets the middle class, servicing the north-east region. (Brands such as vest / undergarments are glaring on the Aaj Tak screen). Research indicates that Aaj Tak primarily brings in and engages male viewers, Panchal says.

    Crime Scene Investigation – Star News style.
    According to Panchal, Star News has a strong hold in Mumbai, while Zee News is strong in Delhi. When looking at Hindi news channels, clients pitch in their money according to frequency plan, besides perception and ratings, he avers. 

    “When a new ad campaign is unleashed on Aaj Tak, it has a high reach in the initial week. While in the following weeks it will witness a low incremental reach. On the other hand NDTV India, where the loyalty is less and it is more of a co-viewing, the incremental reach is high in the following weeks and not in the initial week.” 

    Meanwhile, when it comes to the gore factor, it is the crimes shows on Star News Zee News and Aaj Tak that advertisers flock to.

    Hindi News TG definition Blurring

    One function of the increasing spread of coverage that news channels are attempting is the blurring of distinctions as to what TG defines a Hindi news consumer. Points out Madhvani, “News channels always have the option of the mass route and the class route. The Hindi channels appear to have exploited this better than anyone else. Taking the Aaj Tak example, if Aaj Tak caters to mass markets (including a significant chunk of the class), Tez is specifically targeted at the upper end.

    Aaj Tak – Still leading after all these years.
    “I would say that Hindi news channels are the ‘male mass channels’ that compete with the Star Plus’ of the world. The genre is still evolving and putting a demographic TG to it (to possibly differentiate it from the English news genre) will not do justice to it.”

    Avers Gowthaman, “Currently the content seems to be targeted towards, self employed professionals, traders and to some extent broadly to the chief wage earner of the house. However, I still believe there is no clear cut focus on content that could clearly distinguish the target. All the channels look the same and they cover pretty much the same topics.”

    Distribution Issues Will Drag Down Revenues
    The biggest issue that all news channels are confronting is the ever rising costs of distribution. And with more and more players coming in, there is just no respite from that.

    This is inevitably going to result in the flattening of the growth curve over the next two years. Particularly on the distribution side, revenues coming in look unlikely except on addressable platforms like DTH, digital cable, IPTV, mobile TV, etc.

    An industry observer sums up the situation aptly when he says, “Earlier channels paid carriage fees. Then it became carriage + placement fees. Today, even displacement fees (of rival channels) have come into the picture.” 

    Says Madhvani, “Those who get the distribution game right will rule. Geographic expansion (whether urban, rural, national or international) is dependent on it. And with CAS/DTH in the offing in India, penetration will become a key issue for all players, in urban as well as rural markets.

    “Primary drivers of viewership for a news channel could include variety of coverage, relevance and immediacy (and of course distribution); however it is credibility that sustains viewership and will drive growth in the long run.

    “Channels that have the right mix of all elements and can still differentiate from the rest in terms of content and presentation will thrive.”

    The right mix. That is easier said than done. To quote McCann Erickson India president Santosh Desai from his column – The Last Word – in the 30 July edition of The Week: “Market forces seem to push channels away from balance and not towards it. The moment the success of news channels gets evaluated in terms of its viewership, and not the credibility and impact of its coverage, news becomes a spectacle and channels strain every fibre to keep people hooked.”

    In the near term at least it could well be that spectacle will rule. The billion rupee question is really – will credibility take centrestage in the long run? The road the news channels are taking currently offers no credible assertion that it will.

  • B’cast Bill likely to skip domestic content clause for English movie channels

    B’cast Bill likely to skip domestic content clause for English movie channels

    NEW DELHI: The government is likely to exempt English movie channels from sourcing 15 per cent of their total weekly programming from India.

    “We realize that not enough of English movies are made in India and mandating such sourcing of films from India for English movie channels would be difficult,” an official of the information and broadcasting ministry has told Indiantelevision.com.

    This would mean that the likes of Star Movies, HBO, Zee Studio, MGM and TCM (the last two are available on Dish TV’s DTH service) can breathe easy.

    The draft Broadcasting Bill 2006 had said that all TV channels should source from India 15 per cent of their total content broadcast every week.

    For Indian channels, dishing out primarily Indian entertainment programmes, this clause in the draft Bill should not cause much of a problem, but for foreign news and kids channels (Cartoon Network, BBC, Disney, etc) and niche ones like Discovery Travel and Living, Animax, it would mean reworking programming line ups.

    Channels like Animax, Disney, Toon Disney, Cartoon Network and Pogo would have to make more programmes in India or source them from here, which is not done up to the proposed 15 per cent.

    The government official explained that the proposed clause, which is based on similar laws elsewhere in the world, was more aimed towards addressing the concerns of the Indian animation industry.

    A section of the growing Indian animation industry, led by some big companies, had petitioned the government some months ago that foreign channels, especially kids’, should be directed to source a certain quantum of their programming from India.

    However, the government doesn’t propose to specify the quality of sourced programmes as and when the Broadcast Bill is enacted into a law. “That’s up to a respective channel to decide,” the official said.

    Even foreign news channels like BBC, CNN and Euro News need not worry unnecessarily.

    The proposed 15 per cent local programming does not mean live news, as had been envisaged buy some channels.

    It could be in the form of even current affairs pro

  • ‘Lost’ interactive game gathering steam













    MUMBAI: In a bid to enhance the brand of the action adventure television show Lost US broadcaster ABC had launched an interactive web-based game Lost Experience in May in the US, UK and Australia.


    Currently in phase three of five of the interactive challenge, the meaning behind the numbers 4 8 15 16 23 42, which play a significant role on the television series, will be revealed.

     

    So far, the Lost Experience has unveiled information regarding the Black Rock. The Lost Experience will continue to the premiere of the third season revealing secrets behind the mysterious Alvar Hanso and the Hanso Foundation.


    Those wishing to participate can do so by viewing a synopsis at blogs.abc.com/inside_the_experience/ which allows new participants the chance to enter into the Experience with ease.


    For the uninitiated, the Lost Experience follows a parallel storyline not featured in the television broadcast and is designed so that both fans of the series and those unfamiliar with the show can participate. The Experience provides insight to unlock some of the island‘s secrets for those savvy enough to collect the clues, make the connections and find the answers.


    Although the Lost Experience is internet-based, participants should not assume that clues and story content will be limited to the online world. Any and every platform has the potential to contain hidden secrets. Given the different broadcast windows around the world, this challenge is designed in a manner that is not dependent on information specific to either Season One or Season Two, allowing those who have not yet seen either season of Lost to participate.


    Indian fans might be interested to know that the second season will see new characters coming in. Mr. Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), joins the cast as a resident of the island whose story is one of the mysteries that will be explored as the season progresses. In addition, one will discover that there are more previously unknown survivors of the crash of the ill fated flight 815 who all crashed in the tail section of the plane – Ana Lucia playde by Michelle Rodriguez who starred in the films Girlfight, The Fast and the Furious — the mysterious woman Jack met at the Sydney airport bar, Rose‘s husband Bernard (Sam Anderson), Libby (Cynthia Watros)


    The most mysterious, and perhaps most important of all the new characters is Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick), who begins the second season inside the hatch, explaining the importance of the button before taking off into the woods.

     

    The Lost Experience is a collaboration between the executive producers from Lost, ABC, Channel 4 in the UK and Channel 7 in Australia. Lost deals with the travails and experiences of a group of survivors from a plane crash.


    Talking about the online extension in the US, UK and Australia ABC senior VP marketing Mike Benson says, “The reward we‘ve always promised from the Lost Experience is information, which is currency to anyone who is a fan of the show or a participant in this game.


    “This additional form of storytelling allows us to engage current and new fans in a genuinely innovative way while delivering the same extraordinary content that ‘Lost‘ provides as a television series.”


    In India, the second season of Lost will air on Star Movies from 3 August at 9 pm.


    Also Read


    ABC to roll out ‘Lost Experience‘ game in UK, U.S. & Australia


    Second season of ‘Lost‘ kicks off on Star Movies next month

  • Rajshri Media to create humorous content for telecom networks













    MUMBAI: Rajshri Media has tied up with humorists, Shailesh Lodha and Navneet Hullad, for the creation and development of humour content for telecom networks.


    The company is in the process of producing exclusive audio and video content, specifically catering to the 100 million plus telecom user base in India, which it says is growing at a rapid pace and is increasingly demanding entertainment ‘on the go’.

     

    The mobile phone is fast emerging as the preferred device for entertainment, communication and information for this consumer base.


    Rajshri Media MD Rajjat A. Barjatya says, “Humour has always been a big attraction on the cinema and TV screens, in both films and TV shows. With mobile phones evolving into personal entertainment devices and with consumers increasingly consuming entertainment ‘on the move’, the age of ‘made for mobile’ content has arrived.


    “After having studied user habits and consumption patterns on this new medium, we have begun creating a large bouquet of original entertainment content customized for the ‘smallest screen’ in people’s lives. Both Shailesh Lodha and Navneet Hullad are hugely talented artists and we are delighted to be associated with them in our endeavor to brighten up the moods of millions of telecom/mobile consumers in India.”

     

    Rajshri Media has produced audio and video content with both the artists, which would be made available on wap and voice portals across all leading mobile networks. Short audio and video clips will be available for downloading and/or streaming as ring tones, ringback tones, video clips, audio clips and other innovative products.

  • Arianespace to launch Arabsat’s BADR-6 satellite

    MUMBAI: As part of its upcoming ambitious fleet renewal and expansion program for the next 3 years, Satcom operator Arabsat has selected Arianespace for the launch of its recently ordered BADR-6 satellite in 2008.

    BADR-6, a fourth-generation satellite, will be built jointly by EADS-Astrium and AlcatelAleniaSpace for the communications payload, based on the Eurostar 2000+ platform. Weighing 3,400 kg at launch, the satellite will be fitted with 24 C-band and 20 Ku-band transponders with a design life of about 15 years. BADR-6 is designed to primarily provide video broadcasting services for the entire Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region from Arabsat’s 26°East geostationary orbital location and by far the MENA region’s leading video neighbourhood.

    Co-located with the rest of the BADR constellation of satellites at Arabsat’s “hot-spot” for DTH entertainment, it will be reaching an audience of 130 Million viewers from Morocco to the Gulf and a large part of sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, BADR-6 will also provide Arabsat with additional in-orbit back-up capacity for its core television and radio customers, as well as a significantly larger number of options for optimising its telephony and data transmissions.

    Arianespace CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall says, “Arianespace is very proud and honoured to have once again been chosen by the leading operator Arabsat. We have maintained a preferred relationship with Arabsat since launching the Arabsat-1A satellite in 1985. Furthermore, being chosen for this new satellite launch right when Arabsat has announced an ambitious deployment plan is a clear recognition of the top quality and excellence offered by Arianespace’s launch service. We consider it as a significant milestone, hopefully strengthening our cooperation in the close future”.

  • Hero Honda revamps corporate website

    MUMBAI: The corporate website of the two-wheeler major Hero Honda Motors Ltd (HHML) has undergone a makeover. The new website reflects the company philosophy ‘we care. committed to a better environment‘. Its belief ‘in harmony with nature‘ is also reflected in the revamped site www.herohonda.com.


    The site provides a complete outdoors feel with wooden signboards with the sounds of nature in the background adding effect to it, states an official release.


    This new homepage and site has been developed by Mumbai-based web designer BC Web Wise. The revamped website is not targted only for their consumers and shareholders but to the entire world, adds the official release.


    The homepage has sections, which includes corporate, investors, products, customer care, biker zone, media and contact us. The biker zone brings in games, great espaces, screensavers and wallpapers.


    The product section has a 360 degree view of all the bikes and doubles up as an online showroom. The customer care section addresses needs of the customer, while the biker zone aimed at the biker in everyone has biker destination articles and biking games.


    Investor relations is addressed in a navigation-friendly section on financials and detailed corporate information that addresses everything an investor or analyst would want to know about the company. Likewise the media section is well-categorised into sub-sections that would help the visiting journalist access information most relevant with a click or two of the mouse.


    Hero Honda DGM director secretariat Rakesh Vashisht says,“A website is an essential medium to reach your customers. As the customer spends a reasonable time on a website looking for information he / she wants. It won’t be incorrect to treat it akin to a showroom where actual sales happen. Therefore a website for a company like ours needs to deliver an equally good experience. Hence it became important to revisit the old website and add value in terms of content, look and feel and other stuff which would deliver the desired experience.”


    He further adds, “Design is a tool to achieve what you cannot do in words. Hence the concept and the design of the website put forth the real essence of the world No 1 two-wheeler company in holding tremendous value for its customers, stakeholders and the community.


    BC Web Wise MD and CEO Chaya Brian Carvalho offers, “Indian companies are eager to leverage the Internet, which is reflected in the exciting and challenging projects we have in the pipeline. Interactivity and a focus on communities is changing the way people view and know websites.”

  • Verizon, GN Netcom bring broadband headsets to US market













    MUMBAI: Verizon, which operates a wireless network and works in the area of delivering broadband services in the US and GN Netcom which deals with hands-free audio solutions have announced a licensing agreement.


    This will introduce a series of Verizon-branded headsets for use with broadband services and applications, including online gaming and IP telephony

     

    The headsets complement the retail sale of Verizon broadband products and services and leverage the capabilities of Verizon’s networks, including high-speed DSL and the company’s new, advanced fiber-optic network which delivers high-quality voice, data and video services at unprecedented speeds. GN Netcom will produce, ship and provide technical and customer support for the broadband headsets.

     

    Verizon VP brand management and media services Andrea Fant-Hobbs says, “We will enhance our customers’ broadband experiences by offering them innovative headsets that are hands-free, convenient and have superb sound quality.


    “The headsets are the perfect complement to our services, including online gaming, music, video and other entertainment services. Our relationship with GN Netcom directly supports our commitment to provide our customers richer, deeper, broader communications experiences.”


    GN Netcom US senior VP. GM David Wood said, “As the use of broadband applications continues to rise, so does the need for high-quality headsets. Together with Verizon, we are responding to this increased demand as more consumers realise the benefits of headsets, including increased freedom and functionality across broadband applications.”


    The licensing agreement provides Verizon and GN Netcom with a complementary distribution opportunity in the marketplace, while allowing GN Netcom the opportunity to further penetrate and expand into new headset segments such as telephone accessories, online gaming, VoIP and Web calling.

  • 2929 Entertainment CEO Wagner in Mipcom’s keynote lineup

    2929 Entertainment CEO Wagner in Mipcom’s keynote lineup

    MUMBAI: The television event Mipcom, which takes place in Cannes, France in October has added 2929 Entertainment founder and CEO Todd Wagner to its roster of speakers.

    He will present the digital media distribution keynote Rethinking Hollywood on 10 October. 30 sessions presenting 100 speakers over four days will cover the key issues for TV and content industry professionals, from the Future of TV Commissioning to the Impact of User-Generated Content on the TV business.

    Wagner will share his vision of the future of the Hollywood film industry and discuss how his companies – which include 2929 Productions, Magnolia Pictures/Home Entertainment, Landmark Theatres, HDNet, HDNet Films and HDNet Movies – operate within and outside of the Hollywood system. Wagner’s work includes the collapsing of release windows, a leadership role in the development and roll-out of digital cinema, as well as a slate of critically lauded films such as Good Night and Good Luck and Akeelah and the Bee.

    The companies pioneering ‘day-and-date’ release strategy was successfully launched with the release of the Oscar nominated documentary Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room in theatres and on TV on the same day last year and then again with the acclaimed Steven Soderbergh film Bubble earlier this year.

    Mipcom’s digital media distribution day will explore these new developments through a series of conferences that will kick off with Todd Wagner’s keynote and will be followed by a Superpanel exploring emerging opportunities for digital distribution business for film and television.

    Afternoon sessions will highlight the intricacies of internet movie distribution including business models and presentations from internet TV delivery market leaders.

    Mipcom’s Reshaping Media conferences will focus on four key areas of changing TV landscapes, namely Advertising and Programming, Digital Media Distribution, Mobile TV and User-Generated Content and the Impact of Social Networks.

    The week will feature 6 top keynotes, including Disney’s Anne Sweeney, MGM’s Harry Sloan, Orange’s Sanjiv Ahuja, NBC Universal’s Beth Comstock, and ESPN’s George Bodenheimer in addition to Todd Wagner.

  • Ric Bailey is the BBC’s new political adviser

    Ric Bailey is the BBC’s new political adviser

    MUMBAI: Ric Bailey has been appointed as the UK pubcaster BBC’s chief political adviser. He will leave his post as deputy head of political programmes to take over the role from David Jordan, who became BBC controller of editorial policy in December 2005.

    Bailey has been the executive editor for Question Time for the past six years, overseeing programmes such as the leaders’ election special and editions from China, Russia, the Middle East, the United States and across the UK.

    He also developed and led the Schools Question Time Challenge project, a citizenship initiative which saw the first member of the public on the panel of Question Time earlier this month.