ITV

Tag: Aaj Tak

  • BARC week 24: Hindi news ratings plunge further

    BARC week 24: Hindi news ratings plunge further

    BENGALURU: Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) sum of weekly ratings of top 5 Hindi news channels across the Hindi speaking urban – HSM (U) and rural – HSM (R) as well as the combined HSM (U+R) were lowest ever in week 24 of 2019 (Saturday, 8 June 2019 to Friday, 14 June 2019, week or period under review). BARC recommenced publishing of data in the public domain in week 13 of 2019 after a hiatus of seven weeks to allow ratings to stabilise after implementation of TRAI’s new tariff order, and the ratings for week 24 were the lowest ever since then.

    The sum of weekly impressions of the top 5 Hindi news channels was 457.884 million weekly impressions in HSM (U+R); 187.489 million weekly impressions in HSM (R); and 275.549 million weekly impressions in HSM (U). Comparatively, the 11 week average (between weeks 13 and 23 of 2019) of the sum of weekly impressions of the top 5 Hindi news channels in HSM (U+R) was 653.192 million; in HSM (R) it was 288.937 million and in HSM (U) it was 367.834 million.

    Of the reasons that this drop could be attributed to is BARC having reverted to the earlier process of treatment of landing page beginning with week 23.  Added to this is the fact that the timings of the ongoing cricket tourney by the ICC World Cup 2019 in England and Wales overlap primetime of most channels, including Hindi news, could have affected viewership ratings. Many in the industry feel that BARC reverting to the old treatment of landing pages and filtering out data from outliers is better.

    There was no change in the list of channels in HSM (U+R) and HSM (U) except for shuffling of ranks. In the case of HSM (R), India TV re-entered BARC’s list of top 5 Hindi news channels. Living Media (India Today Group) flagship Hindi news channel Aaj Tak continued its supremacy at rank 1 of the Hindi news genre in urban, rural as well as combined urban and rural markets. Aaj Tak was the only channel among the top 5 that saw ratings in week 24 of 2019 climb as compared to week 23.

    HSM (U+R)

    With 115.088 million weekly impressions in week 24 of 2019, Aaj Tak led BARC’s weekly list of top Hindi news channels as compared to 110.763 million weekly impressions. Continuing on at second rank was Network18’s News18 India with 93.574 million weekly impressions in the week under review as compared to 97.484 million weekly impressions in the previous week.

    Climbing up a place to third rank in week 24 of 2019 was Rajat Sharma and Ritu Dhawan’s India TV with 87.283 million weekly impressions as compared to fourth rank and 88.807 million weekly impressions in week 23. Dropping a rank to fourth place in week 24 of 2019 was ARG Outlier Media’s Republic Bharat with 81.129 million weekly impressions as compared to third rank and 90.570 million weekly impressions in week 23. At fifth rank in week 24 of 2019 was Zee Media’s Zee News with 80.790 million weekly impressions as compared to 88.617 million weekly impressions in the preceding week.

    HSM (R)

    At rank one in HSM (R), Aaj Tak garnered 49.718 million weekly impressions in the Hindi speaking rural market in week 24 of 2019 as compared to 50.815 million weekly impressions in week 23. Climbing up a place to second rank was the erstwhile Ananda Bazar Patrika’s ABP News in week 24 of 2019 with 35.906 million weekly impressions as compared to third rank and 38.881 million weekly impressions in the previous week.

    Dropping a rank to third place in HSM (R) during the week under review as Republic Bharat with 34.764 million weekly impressions as compared to second rank and 40.454 million weekly impressions in week 23. News18 India also climbed a place to fourth rank in HSM (R) with 33.721 million weekly impressions as compared to fifth rank and 34.771 million weekly impressions. Re-entering BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Hindi news channels list for HSM (R) was India TV with 33.370 million weekly impressions in week 24 of 2019.

    HSM (U)

    Aaj Tak regained its first place in the urban Hindi speaking market in week 24 of 2019 with 65.370 million weekly impressions as compared to second rank and 59.948 million weekly impressions in the previous week. Dropping a place to second rank was News18 India with 59.873 million weekly impressions as compared to first rank and 62.713 million weekly impressions in week 23.

    India TV retained rank three in week 24 of 2019 with 53.913 million weekly impressions as compared to 54.765 million weekly impressions in week 23. Also retaining its previous week’s fourth rank was Zee News with 50.028 million weekly impressions as compared to 53.451 million weekly impressions in week 23. Completing the quintet in HSM (U) was Republic Bharat in week 24 of 2019 at its previous week’s rank 5 with 46.365 million weekly impressions as compared to 50.116 million weekly impressions.

  • Aaj Tak brings its studio to you, the viewer; Launches ‘Chunav Studio’

    Aaj Tak brings its studio to you, the viewer; Launches ‘Chunav Studio’

    MUMBAI: With the General Elections of the world’s largest democracy, round the corner, India’s number one news channel, Aaj Tak has planned an innovative style of bringing the pre-election momentum and excitement from across the country through a pop-up studio called – ‘Aaj Tak Chunav Studio’.

    With an interesting concept of a roving studio inside a container, the mobile studio of Aaj Tak, Chunav Studio will travel across 7 states and 26 cities in India over a period of 6 weeks covering over 8000 kilometers.

    The studio will be featured in ‘Raj Tilak’, a daily show on Aaj Tak which will be aired on weekdays in the evening at 8PM. The show will have local leaders from various parties along with live audience discussing various issues which could have an impact on the outcome of the upcoming elections.

    Announcing the Chunav Studio initiative, Ms. Kalli Purie, Vice-Chairperson, India Today Group said, “General Elections is the biggest festival of democracy, and the fervor pervades every nook and corner of the country. Aaj Tak reaches out to the masses and reports from right in the midst of them, bringing ‘Sabse Tez, Sabke Beech’ this Election. Making everybody’s voice heard through Chunav Studio, this industry first is set to be another benchmark in innovation.”

    The Chunav Studio will start its journey from Ahmedabad on April 1, covering various cities like Jaipur, Lucknow, Amethi, Ayodhya, Patna, Varanasi, Kolkata, Delhi, Asansol, Gwalior, Delhi and Azamgarh to mention a few.

    Besides the programming, Aaj Tak will also conduct a host of on-ground activities like anchor hunt, painting, selfie booth, quiz etc. to drive engagement with the people.

    The anchor hunt event will be called ‘Mai Bhi Anchor’ and will give the participants a chance to become an anchor. They will have to read news for a minute like an anchor in a small news studio set-up. The best videos will feature on Aaj Tak’s digital platforms on a daily basis.

    In addition, a painting activity will also be arranged under the branding ‘Rang De India’. The participants will get to paint on a huge canvas installed at the spot. They can paint their emotions on the India they want to see, the current scenarios, issues to be highlighted or anything else they wish.

    A selfie booth will also be installed along with cut-outs of Aaj Tak’s celebrity anchors wherein people can come and click selfies with their favourite anchors.

    Apart from the above, there will be quiz sessions and some cultural performances too.

    So, gear up for a loaded pre-election drive with the Chunav Studio, only on Aaj Tak. Stay Tuned.

  • Kings XI Punjab welcomes on board Aaj Tak as title sponsor

    Kings XI Punjab welcomes on board Aaj Tak as title sponsor

    MUMBAI: Kings XI Punjab has launched its new jersey and announced a range of partners that will support the team this season in the VIVO Indian Premier League.

    On board as the title sponsor for the season is Aaj Tak. The news channel will occupy its place on the front of the Kings XI Punjab Jersey this year.

    Other sponsors include Bageshree Infratech, V.I.P. Industries, along with Jio, Fena, Royal Stag and Finale Cables, who continue to back KXIP from last season.

    Kings XI Punjab CEO Satish Menon said, “We are delighted to unveil the new jersey and announce our partnership this year with the news channel Aaj Tak, a TV channel known as much for its in-depth analysis delivered in double quick time as for its credibility. A brand of that repute coming on board is a proud endorsement of Kings XI Punjab's intrinsic values. We head into IPL season 12 with optimism and enthusiasm as we have the right brands with us on the journey. Their support is our strength as we aim to excel on the field with our performances played in the true spirit of the game.”

    India Today Group vice chairperson Kalli Purie said, “India Today Group is really excited to partner with the most anticipated cricketing event of 2019. This partnership of Aaj Tak with Kings XI Punjab is a coming together of the biggest in news with the biggest in sports. All the best to the Kings XI team, looking forward to an amazing tournament and like Aaj Tak, may the ‘Sabse Tez’ team win.”

    Along with these, KXIP welcomes onboard other partners as well. These include:

    Kingfisher – Good Times Partner

    Coca Cola – Official Beverage Partner

    Beardo – Associate Sponsor

    Prayag – Official Bath & Kitchen Fitting Partner

    T10 – Official Kit & Merchandise Partner

    Welspun – Official Partner

    Dream11 – Associate Partner

    boAt – Official Audio Partner

    cricfig – Official Figurine Partner

    The Souled Store – Merchandise Partner

    Big FM – Radio Partner

    CASHUrDRIVE – Outdoor Partner

    Zomato – Official Partner

  • Aaj Tak sets new viewership record in Week 9

    Aaj Tak sets new viewership record in Week 9

    MUMBAI: India’s leading Hindi news channel Aaj Tak on Thursday added another feather to its cap in week 9 of 2019 as per the BARC data released to its subscribers.

    According to Aaj Tak, it fared better than Hindi GECs during the four-day period when the national discourse was dominated by India’s air strikes in Balakot and the news surrounding wing commander Abhinandan’s capture and return to India.

    When it came to news channels, Aaj Tak commanded more than 40 per cent higher viewership than its closest competitor in week 9. Interestingly, that margin went up 47% in the last four days. According to the channel, it reached 21 crore consumers in week 9 across genres.

    Aaj Tak dominated the chart with 4,62,693 impression ‘000s in week 9, followed by ABP News on the second position with 3,30,055 impression ‘000s. During the last four days, Aaj Tak remained in pole position with 3,30,055 impression ‘000s.

    “Since demonetisation in November 2016, Hindi news has been going up. The numbers that we saw last week have been tremendous. Nearly half of the Hindi speaking market in India, which is about 280 million people, watched Hindi news. Normally people watch 40 minutes of Hindi news per day, this week they watched 68 minutes daily. All the channels did a good job of covering the events, and hence the numbers,” BARC India CEO Partho Dasgupta told Aaj Tak.

    Aaj Tak says it was the no.1 TV channel in India, beating the likes of Star plus, Star Sports Hindi and Sun TV,  on the day wing commander Abhinandan returned to India (Source: BARC, Market: India, TG:2+, Date: 01st March'19, Gross Impression in 000s)

  • Analysis: Top South Indian news channels in 2018

    Analysis: Top South Indian news channels in 2018

    BENGALURU: South Indians consumed more news  of the top 5 channels in their local languages than their Hindi speaking brethren of top 5 Hindi News channels  in their respective markets in 2018. Amongst the four south Indian languages spoken in six states, Malayalis’ (Denizens of Kerala, language Malayalam) consumed more news per household (HH) and per capita on the top 5 Malayama News channels than their South Indian brethren in 2018.  Overall, Kannadigas’ (People from Karnataka, language Kannada) consumed more volume of news in terms of average weekly impressions during the 52 weeks of 2018 on the top 5 Kannada News channels than the consumers of news on top 5 channels in the other three South Indian languages. The four South Indian languages are (in alphabetical order) Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu.

    It may be noted that this analysis is based on Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) weekly data of top 5 News channels for each of the four South Indian languages and Hindi News as per the following demographics:

    Kannada News: Karnataka  Urban and Rural or (U+R): NCCS All: 2+ Individuals
    Malayalam News: Kerala (U+R): NCCS All: 2+ Individuals
    Tamil News: Tamil Nadu/Puducherry (U+R): NCCS All: 2+ Individuals
    Telugu News: Andhra Pradesh or AP/Telangana (U+R): NCCS All: 2+ Individuals
    Hindi News in HSM Markets (U+R): NCCS All 15+ Individuals

    To arrive at the per capita viewership or consumption, the author has considered the 52 week average number divided by the respective population of the respective market as per BARC India, Households and Individuals Universe Estimate – 2018 (BARC Population Estimates 2018). BARC considers HSM or Hindi Speaking Market as All India without the four South Indian markets. Hence, the author has subtracted the NCCS 15+ population of the four South Indian markets from the All India NCCS 15+ population to arrive at the HSM 15+ population numbers. In the case of per capita consumption for South India, the author has taken the sum of average weekly impressions of the top 5 channels for each language and then added the four sums to arrive at the total average weekly impressions for South India, this total average has then been divided by the 2+ population figures for each of the four languages/six states as per BARC Population Estimates 2018.

    Overall, across their four languages South Indians averaged 2.32 impressions per person per week of news  on the top 5 News channels in their respective language and territories in 2018 as compared to just 0.99 impressions per person per week of Hindi news on the top 5 Hindi News channels consumed in the HSM (U+R).  The combined average weekly news consumption of the top 5 news channels in each of the four South Indian languages was 6,00,473.88 thousand (000s) weekly impressions in their respective markets as compared to 4,92,359.25 (000s) weekly impressions viewership of the top 5 Hindi News in the HSM (U+R) market.

    Please refer to the figure below:

    Across the 52 weeks of 2018, viewership ratings of South Indian News channels was different when compared to viewership of Hindi News Channels. Even within the four South Indian languages, viewership ratings across weeks trended differently. South Indian news viewership in the respective South Indian markets peaked during weeks 32 and 33 of 2018 . In week 32, floods in Kerala and the death of the Tamil leader K Karunanidhi on 8 August 2018 spiked viewership in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Like the HSM, Television news viewership peaked in week 33 in the South Indian markets also, and was relatively higher than HSM news viewership of top News channels in the respective markets.  Week 33 of 2018 was the week when Indians celebrated Independence day on 15 August and the former Indian premier Atal Bihari Vajpayee passed away the next day of 16 August. Please refer to the figure below

    South Indian News channels Trends

    As mentioned above, per capita local television Malayalam news consumption in Kerala is the highest amongst the four languages, while in terms of absolute viewership Kannada News in Karnataka scores the most average weekly impressions. The figure below is a scaled part of the figure above.

    Kannada News channels in Karnataka

    There were four news channels that appeared in BARC’s list of top 5 Kannada News channels during all the 52 weeks of 2018 – they were TV9 Kannada, Public TV, Suvarna News 24×7 and News18 Kananda. TV9 Kannada was by far the most watched Kannada News channel in Karnataka with average weekly impressions of 78,059.65 (000s), about 64 percent more than the next most watched Kannada News channel in Karnataka – Public TV which scored an average of 47,622.5 (000s) weekly impressions during the 52 weeks of 2018. Suvarna News 24×7 was next with an average of 30,951.44 (000s) weekly impressions followed by News18 Kannada with a weekly average of 21,724.06 (000s) weekly impressions during the 52 weeks of 2018. Two other channels appeared in BARC’s weekly list of top 5 Kannada News channels during the 52 weeks of 2018 – they were Dighvijay 24×7 News (45 weeks) and BTV (7 weeks). Please refer to the figure below.

    As is obvious, Kannada News channels viewership in Karnataka peaked during the announcement of the drama laced results of the Karnataka State Assembly Elections in week 20 of 2018.

    Malayalam News channels in Kerala

    There were three Malayalam News channels that appeared in BARC’s weekly lists of top 5 Malayalam News channels during all the 52 weeks of 2018 – they were – Asianet News, Manorama News and Mathrubhumi News. Asianet News was by far the most watched Malayalam News channel in Kerala during all the 52 weeks of 2018 with average weekly ratings of 44,453 (000s) weekly impressions. Manorana News was next with an average of 23,157.13 (000s) weekly impressions, or about 52 percent of the ratings of Asianet News. Mathrubhumi News was next with average weekly impressions of 18,168.36 (000s) weekly impressions. Four other channels also appeared in BARC’s weekly lists of top 5 Malayalam News channels during the 52 weeks of 2108 – In no particular order, they were – News18 Kerala (43 weeks), Media One TV (42 weeks), Janam TV (12 weeks) and People TV (7 weeks).

    As in the case of Kannada News, Malayalam News viewership in Kerala also peaked in the face of local events – on 8 August 2018 ( during week 32 of 2018) Kerala was hit by some of the worst floods in its history due to excessive rainfall. In its neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu, one of India’s senior most politicians – K Karunanidi had passed away the previous day.  These events led to the surge in Malayalam News television ratings during the week. Please refer to the figure below.

    Tami News channels in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry

    Two channels appeared in BARC’s weekly lists of top 5 Tamil channels during all the 52 weeks of 2018. They were Poliimer News with average weekly impressions of 42,361.37 (000s) followed by Thanthi TV with 24,498.6 (000s) average weekly impressions during the 52 weeks of 2018.

    Four other channels – Puthiya Thalaimurai (50 weeks), Sun News (41 weeks), News18 Tamil Nadu (27 weeks) and Seithigal (1 week) also appeared in BARC’s weekly lists of Top 5 Tamil News channels during the 52 weeks of 2018.

    Like its Kannada and Malayalam news counterparts, Tamil News ratings peaked in Tamil Nadu/Puducherry in week 32 of 2018. On 7 August 2018 (week 32 of 2018) one of India’s senior most politicians and a former chief minister of the state – K Karunanidi had passed away. Also, floods in the neighbouring state of Kerala could have added to the viewership during week 32 of 2018. Please refer to the figure below.

    Telugu News channels in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

    Like all the other South Indian counterparts, Telugu News channels viewership in Andhra Pradesh/Telangana spiked upwards for local events – the biggest spike coming in week 50 of 2018, the week in which results of the assembly elections in Telangana were announced.

    Four channels appeared in BARC’s weekly lists of top 5 Telugu News channels during all the 52 weeks of 2018. They were: TV9 Telugu with average weekly impressions of 49,830.42 (000s) followed by NTV Teleugu with an average of  36,230.21 (000s) weekly impressions or about 72.7 percent of the viewership of TV9 Telugu. TV5 News was next with average 30,915.17 (000s) weekly impressions followed closely by V6 News with an average of 29,752.38 (000s) weekly impressions during the 52 weeks of 2018.  Four other Telugu News channels also appeared in BARC’s weekly list of Top 5 Telugu News channels during 2018. They were  T News (24 weeks), Sakshi TV (16 weeks), 10 TV (8 weeks) and ABN Andhra Jyothi (4 weeks). Please refer to the figure below.

    Conclusions

    South Indians watch more local news on the top 5 channels of their respective languages than their Hindi speaking counterparts do in the case of Top 5 Hindi News channels in Hindi speaking markets.

    Per capita local news consumption of top 5 News channels in Kerala is highest among the four South Indian languages. Overall, in terms of impressions, more Kannada news on the top 5 News channels in Karnataka is consumed than any of the other three South Indian languages.

    Viewership of South Indian languages news channels spikes when local events occur. The highest spikes in viewership of the Top 5 News channels in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh/Telagana happened in the weeks when state assembly elections were announced in their respective markets. The highest spikes in viewership of Malayalam News and Tamil News channels happened during a calamity and death of a great political leader respectively.

    Viewership in respective markets of South Indian News channels also spikes in the case of a national event – such as Independence Day celebrations and the death of a national figure such as the former prime minister happen.

  • DD India topples Republic TV from pole spot in week 5 of BARC data

    DD India topples Republic TV from pole spot in week 5 of BARC data

    MUMBAI: DD India in its third week of being in top 5 list climbed up to the number one spot casting aside the likes of Republic TV in English news genre in BARC India week 5. This week all the genres saw a spike in impressions as the seven days consisted of Republic Day and Budget Day. Zee News witnessed some movement in terms of positioning in Hindi news genre rural and urban market.

    English news

    The genre saw a spike in viewership on the back of Republic day and Budget day. DD India’s viewership almost tripled from 596 impressions ‘000 to 1503 impressions ‘000 which assisted the channels to climb at number 1 spot, leaving behind Republic TV which was dominating the genre since its launch in 2017. India Today Television and CNN News18 are at fourth and fifth position after interchanging their positions.

    Week 5: Saturday, 26th January 2019 to Friday, 1st February 2019

    English business news

    The English business news genre saw no changes in terms of position, but the top two players CNBC TV18 and ET Now saw good spike in the impressions.

    Hindi news (U+R)

    The Hindi news genre saw no changes in terms of position, but all the channels witnessed spike in the impressions.

    Hindi news rural

    Zee News and ABP News are at third and fourth positions after interchanging their position compared to last week.

    Hindi news urban

    Zee News and India TV climbed up a slot to second and third position. News18 India dropped two slots to the fourth position but witnessed a slight spike in impressions.

  • TV Today numbers flat, radio segment shows improvement

    TV Today numbers flat, radio segment shows improvement

    BENGALURU: The owners of the most watched news channel in the country, TV Today Network Limited (TVTN), reported 11.6 percent increase in operating revenue and a reduction in loss from its Radio Broadcasting segment for the quarter ended 31 December 2018 (Q3 2019, quarter or period under review) as compared to the corresponding year ago quarter (Q3 2018).

    Overall, TVTN reported 6.3 percent higher year on year (y-o-y) operating revenue for Q3 2019 at Rs 199.43 crore as compared to Rs 187.54 crore. Total Income in the quarter at Rs 205.99 crore was 6.9 percent higher y-o-y as compared to Rs 192.76 crore. The company reported standalone profit after tax or PAT of Rs 39.19 crore for Q3 2019, almost flat (1.2 percent higher) as compared to Rs 39.73 crore in Q3 2018. Standalone total comprehensive income for the period under review was also 1.2 percent higher y-o-y at Rs 39.19 crore as compared to Rs 38.74 crore in Q3 2018.

    Simple operating EBITDA was 2.1 percent higher y-o-y in the quarter under review at Rs 61.61 crore (30.9 percent of operating revenue) as compared to Rs 60.32 crore (32.2 percent of operating revenue.

    TVTN has three segments – Television Broadcasting (TV); Radio Broadcasting (Radio); and ‘Others.’ The company’s TV segment is the largest contributor to its numbers. Among the news channels TVTN has is the Hindi News channel Aaj Tak, which is the most watched news channel in the country going by Broadcast Audience Research Council of India weekly data.

    TVTN reported 3.9 percent y-o-y increase in revenue for its TV segment at Rs 170.52 crore in Q3 2019 as compared to Rs 164.14 crore. The company reported 4.3 percent y-o-y fall in the segment’s operating profit at Rs 51.91 crore in Q3 2019 as compared to Rs 54.26 crore.

    As mentioned above, TVTN reported 11.6 percent y-o-y increase in operating revenue for its radio segment for Q3 2019 at Rs 7.01 crore as compared to Rs 6.28 crore. The radio segment’s operating loss fell to Rs 2.15 crore during the period under review from an operating loss of Rs 6.10 crore in Q3 2018.

    TVTN reported 29.1 percent y-o-y increase in operating revenue for its ‘Others’ segment at Rs 22.24 crore as compared to Rs 17.24 crore. Operating result of the ‘Others’ segment for the quarter increased 17.5 percent y-o-y to Rs 5.74 crore from Rs 4.88 crore.

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by TVTN

    Standalone total expense in Q3 2019 increased 7.7 percent y-o-y to Rs 145.59 crore from Rs 135.16 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Standalone production cost increased 7.2 percent y-o-y in Q3 2019 to Rs 19.81 crore from Rs 18.48 crore in Q3 2018. Standalone employee benefit expense during the quarter under review increased 10.2 percent y-o-y to Rs 55.37 crore from Rs 50.2 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year. Standalone other expenses in Q3 2019 increased 7.1 percent y-o-y to Rs 62.65 crore from Rs 58.52 crore in Q3 2018.

  • Arnab Goswami, with Republic Bharat launch, eyes Hindi news supremacy

    Arnab Goswami, with Republic Bharat launch, eyes Hindi news supremacy

    MUMBAI: Dominating the English news genre from early 2018 with Republic, Arnab Goswami is ready to take on the bigger Hindi news genre now. The Goswami-led network is launching a free-to-air (FTA) Hindi news channel, Republic Bharat in a cluttered market of more than 20 channels. The network’s target is to reach 150 million people on day one.

    The channel will launch on 2 February at 6 am. Goswami believes that being FTA will give it a huge advantage over other existing pay channels. TV Today Network’s Aaj Tak has been the market leader in this category for quite some time. “I don’t think rural audiences will watch pay channels any more. So, compared to pay channels like Aaj Tak we have a huge advantage,” he says.

    Talking about the Hindi news genre, Goswami says, “The differentiator is simply the fact that, the Hindi news channels, especially the so called leading channels, have given up on news. I don’t see any news on Hindi news channels and they only produce all kinds of strange programming and then call themselves news channels.  These channels show vulgar dances, lewd performances and make shows out of it. I don’t think there are any news channels in Hindi today. We are the first news channel in Hindi today. All other news channel used to be news channels may be 15 years back.”

    The campaign of the channel is around the theme of nationalism with the line ‘Rashtra Ke Naam’. Goswami boasts, “We are already number one in terms of perception before our launch and I think, everybody in the Hindi news space has understood that the number one player has come and we have had a fantastic response.”

    The necessary government permissions for the channel came through in the last quarter of CY2018, but the network decided to wait for a concrete editorial plan to be in place. The timing to launch the channel right before the elections is also likely to benefit it.

    For the state elections of 2018, he claims that the network saw equal amount of people tuning in on virtual screens and TV. “We are doubling the reach rather than eating into the reach. We have a team of 150 dedicated reporters. We have strategic alliances with CVoter and Jan Ki baat and are spending the money because we are building the brand and are entering the market to be the leader,” he says.

    Viewers will now get to watch Goswami on primetime on both Republic and Republic Bharat.

    This is the first channel of the network in for which the entire design and production is being done in-house.  The channel will deploy massive technologies in terms of news gathering and will also include this in news presentation later. For now, the focus will be on using high-end technology for uplinking from different centres.

    “From our perspective, the changes in the tariff regime, whether they are implemented or not, we are really agnostic and we will support any regulatory structure that the government proposes to bring in. We are not going to be impacted by any changes in the present regulatory system and we are prepared to comply either which way,” he concludes.

  • DD India in top 5 list of BARC ratings for 2nd week

    DD India in top 5 list of BARC ratings for 2nd week

    MUMBAI: DD India held onto its second position in the English news genre in BARC India week 4 data. All the broadcasters in the genre witnessed a dip in viewership apart from DD India and CNN News18. English news, Hindi news (U+R) and Hindi news rural markets saw slight change in positions where as English Business news and Hindi news urban didn’t witness any change.

    English news

    All the channels in the genre witnessed a decline in their respective viewership apart from DD India and CNN News18. CNN News18 climbed up a slot to fourth position with a slight spike in viewership and India Today Television dropped a slot to fifth position.

    Week 4: Saturday, 19 January 2019 to Friday, 25 January 2019

    English business news

    The English business news genre saw no changes in terms of position, but the genre leader saw a slight fall in the impressions.

    Hindi news (U+R)

    Zee News and India TV climbed a slot each to third and fourth position respectively, compared to last week. ABP News dropped two slots to fifth position in week 4.

    Hindi news rural

    News18 India and ABP News are at second and third positions after interchanging their position compared to last week.

    Hindi news urban

    The Hindi news (urban) genre saw no changes in terms of position.

  • DD India enters English news top five in BARC week 3

    DD India enters English news top five in BARC week 3

    MUMBAI: When all the private news broadcasters are contesting for the pole position in English news genre, pubcaster DD India has made a surprise entry in the third week of BARC India rating at second position. Zee News and News18 India saw some movement in their position in both Hindi News (U+R) and urban market.

    English news

    With the entry of DD India, all players, except Republic TV that maintained its top spot, moved down a slot which resulted in NDTV 24×7's exit from the top 5 list.

    Week 3: Saturday, 12th January 2019 to Friday, 18th January 2019

    English business news

    The English business news genre saw no changes as always.

    Hindi news (U+R)

    Zee News dropped two slots to the fourth position compared to last week. News18 India and ABP News climbed a slot to second and third positions respectively.

    Hindi news rural

    The Hindi news (rural) genre saw no changes compared to previous week.

    Hindi news urban

    News18 India climbed two slots to the second position, whereas Zee News and India TV dropped to third and fourth spot respectively.