ITV

Tag: Arnab Goswami

  • What’s exciting Times Now’s Arnab Goswami these days

    What’s exciting Times Now’s Arnab Goswami these days

    MUMBAI: With the explosion in social media such as Twitter and Facebook, the very nature of news is being redefined. New news icons have emerged, whether personalities or organisations, in the digital ecosystem having as many followers  – if not more – as a TV channel. One tweet or update – on most occasions sent out even before traditional print and TV news – is enough to send shockwaves running through the globe.

     

     

    The digital shift has resulted in cord cutting with many subscribers preferring the cheaper OTT services in many other parts of the world. India is going through its digitization pangs. Internet penetration complemented by aggressive growth of smartphone has grabbed the attention of many wealthy investors to invest in digital assets and Mukesh Ambani’s visionary weapon to overcome bandwidth issue Reliance Jio looks set to rejuvenate the entire ecosystem.        

     

    But all this does not faze Times Network (Times Now, ET Now and Magic Bricks Now) news president and editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami at all. He believes that television is “super young in India” and he is hedging his bets on it being the first medium of choice at least for the foreseeable future.

     

     

     “As a medium TV will continue to be dominant,” he says. “I think for the next 10 years TV will lead and digital will follow. In the coming six to seven years TV and Digital will co-exist, which it does now days also.”

     

     

    To shore up his argument he points towards the viewership his prime time show Newshour notches up. “While the digital interaction counts between 10000 to 20000, through television we reach out to millions,” he explains.

     

     

    According to the flamboyant journalist there is a huge room for innovation in news television – something which existing players are hardly exploring. “If you ask me what are the innovations that we are doing in the television news space, I don’t think there are any. Innovations are key to prosperity. Newshour was an innovation, and we keep innovating with it. We open up phone calls, use social media to make it interactive. Emergence of digital will bring in way more innovations,” asserts Goswami.

     

    Sharing his assessment on demographic segmentation Goswami says, “I believe the people who are over 25 will consume TV and ones below 20 will prefer digital.”

     

    Despite being upbeat about television Goswami is not ready to leave any stone unturned to establish his news network as the leader in the digital space. The Times Now app which at this stage has approximately 700,000 downloads (as per Times Now) is what he has trained his eyes on.

     

     

    A specialist team of 25 people has been put in place to expand The Times Now digital presence. “If there is an audience between 10-20 years which is a digital-only audience, I don’t want to lose them. That’s why we are aggressively innovating in the digital space,” informs Goswami.

     

     

    The most successful part in the mobile app as per Goswami’s observations is the Newshour Shorts, a section where small clips consisting key moments of a debate are uploaded.

     

     

    And it’s not just video, Goswami and his team have enabled an audio only feed of Newshour to cater to the bandwidth impoverished. Says he:  “The story of our country is we have poor bandwidth even in cities, so what about the guys in the rural area who don’t have the bandwidth to buffer the audio visual feed. They are taking the audio feed and enjoying Newshour as a radio series. We find that at 9 o’clock, a huge number of people tune in to the app to enjoy the audio only version of Newshour.” 

     

     

    What’s engaging him these days is the quickly evolving consumer, he confesses. “People now want to watch content when they want and how they want. We service providers cannot be arrogant and say we will only be on TV if you want to watch us tune in at 9. It is important to be appealing to each and every segment.”

     

    Marking one of the moments of 2015 television audience measurement body Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India started rolling out its rural data from week 41. Even as advertisers and media planners are waiting for the viewer panels and data reportage to settle down, still every one expects air time pricing to enter a new dynamic.

     

    Times Now has had a tendency to attract urban advertisers, mainly because it is an English news channel and is perceived to have premium audiences. So the fact that the rural monitoring would start coughing out viewership numbers needn’t have perturbed Arnab.

     

     

    But the TV scribe says he spent sleepless nights before week 41 data. He reveals: “People from the fraternity told me to relax as the advertisements and revenues come from the urban areas. But my question was: What is the point of being relevant at urban areas if nobody watches in rural areas? I am a journalist, advertising can come from urban areas but if people don’t watch in small towns I will feel that I don’t have the impact in those areas. If I am doing a story on Lalitgate I want people from Bongaigaon as well as Bombay to watch it. I was very nervous but next day I was thrilled that in terms of viewership, rural is higher than urban. I thank BARC (India) for doing us a great service by breaking the myth that English news is consumed only in metros by males.”

     

     

    Despite not being on social media, Arnab Goswami often turns out to be the trending topic amongst Indian netizens across platforms. And he points out that he promotes every hashtag with optimum zest.

     

     

    “The hashtags are important to us,” he says. “For me conversation is important. I feel like involving the audience up to the time where they feel like sharing their opinion. Even if you agree or disagree I want to involve you in it and that’s where the hastags play a vital role.”

     

     

    But it’s not as if only positive hastags relating to Arnab go viral on social media. Often irked netizens, have expressed their angst in a flood against the channel’s and Arnab’s views. One such scenario was #ShameonTimesNow which trended for four days after the news broadcaster aired a Newshour debate #ShameinSydney describing the performance of Team India in Cricket World Cup semifinal.

     

    “The performance of Team India was shameful and I had no fear in calling it so, I will not change my opinion even now. But people talked about the episode because they watched it and I am happy that they watched it. I want to have that conversation and I want to track the conversation, and go back and read the tweets. I may not change my point of view, but I am aware of what other people are thinking. I do follow lot of conversations so it gives me sense of how it works and what is going on” Goswami asserts.

     

     

    The English News genre as per the Ficci-KPMG 2015 report has 0.1 per cent of total television viewership. As against that, five per cent of the entire TV adspend of Rs 155 billion is spent on the genre.

     

     

    And even in this space Times Now is setting the pace. “In terms of revenue through advertising Times Now is a clear number one in the English News genre,” informs a senior media planner. He further adds, “The primetime show Newshour charges approximately double when compared to the other competitors.”

     

     

    The rate for a 10 second slot during Newshour is over Rs 45,000, and there are close to 12 advertisers on board, “We have more advertisers than we can accommodate and I am grateful to the advertisers for helping us do what we do,” says Goswami.

     

     

    Looking back at 2015 Goswami terms it as one of the best years in recent times. And that’s broadly because of four reasons, he states, pausing for a few seconds.

     

    “Four things make me term this as one of the best years. Firstly Times Now has got 90 per cent channel share multiple times in terms of viewership. Secondly Times Now has over 50 per cent channel share despite some channels trying to change their names in the market where there is no number two. Thirdly, the new innovation The National Debate, got over 91 per cent of viewership share. And lastly we were able to increase the viewership of ET Now by 15-20 per cent after taking over. So now I have three shows Newshour, Frankly Speaking, and The National Debate. I am excited about them,” he says, signing off with a confident smile on his bespectacled face.

  • Times Now preps for Bihar election battle with 3 new data analytics salvos

    Times Now preps for Bihar election battle with 3 new data analytics salvos

    MUMBAI: At a time when all national news channels are going in full throttle to win the ratings race as the high octane drama unfolds for the upcoming Bihar Assembly election day, Times Now has armed itself with technical innovations and three proprietary live analytic data tools namely Cluster, Firewall and Spectrum.

     

    Starting at 7 pm on 7 November, the news channel will launch 36 hours of discontinuous live reporting led by editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami. Along with a team of experts, Goswami will analyse the news, exit poll indications and results through exclusives and hard hitting interviews.

     

    Joining Goswami on the panel will be experts such as Sunil Alagh, Saba Naqvi, Sankarshan Thakur, R Rajagopalan, Kumar Ketkar, Hartosh Singh Bal, Ajoy Bose, Arati Jerath, Shahid Siddiqui and Neerja Chowdhury.

     

    Goswami decodes the three proprietary live analytic data tools one at a time. Speaking about them he says, “Cluster is a graphical tool, which analyses results on the basis of social, demographic or political similarities and the profile of a constituency. The second tool Firewall, gives live data analysis that tells you whether any individual constituencies are bucking the overall trend,” informs Goswami.

     

    “For example,” Goswami explains, “if there is a constituency that, say, the Janata Dal has won three times in a row, it is a ‘firewall’ constituency — because for anyone to breach that constituency from the other side will be doubly difficult. So if the exit polls indicate that trend is being bucked, Firewall throws it up, with details of the candidate or party challenging the favourite, and the others in the constituency. While people do this kind of an analysis 10 to 12 hours after the results, on Times Now, it will be done live.”

     

    The third tool in Times Now’s inventory is Spectrum, which has been designed to emulate the concept of a spectrum, putting the result out literally on a band and colour-coding it.

     

    “For example, saffron for the NDA and green for JDU. So the band is colour coded, and as the results come in, the band gets filled with colour. So you can compare the band of this election to the band of last elections and visually a viewer can understand if colour-wise this election is looking like the last election or otherwise,” explains Goswami, adding that the info-graphic will simplify the exit poll analysis for the viewers.

     

    Also keeping the channel on top of its game is its recently announced exclusive partnership with social media giant Twitter to launch a global video service. Understanding the need of the hour, Goswami has no qualms in even dumping full shows on the Twitter owned video curation service Periscope.

     

    “In India, the PMO site and Times Now alone were chosen partners for global video launch of Twitter. In fact, I will be doing the first ever exclusive news show on Periscope, that will go live before the TV coverage commences this Saturday (7 November, 2015) evening,” Goswami reveals in parting.

  • News channels gear up for Battle for Bihar 2015

    News channels gear up for Battle for Bihar 2015

    MUMBAI: Even as the Bihar battle speculated between the two major alliances, BJP led NDA and Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal United-led Grand Alliance (Mahagatbandhan), goes underway, English and Hindi news channels alike are gearing up for it with special programming.

     

    The Bihar Legislative Assembly Elections has commenced with more than 66 million voters eligible to cast their ballots in 243 seats across the occupancy. The voting is divided into tenure of five phases starting from 12 October, 2015 to 5 November, 2015. The final counting will take place on 8 October, 2015.

     

    Adding to the allure of the elections and to give out information with multiple angles to it, many news channels have come up with special shows only focusing on the Bihar elections 2015.

     

    Here’s a look at what’s in store from the news networks:

     

    Aaj Tak

     

    The channel has strategically planned its programming for covering the Bihar ballot. When asked about the number of newsmen sent to cover the referendum, Aaj Tak managing editor Supriya Prasad said, “We have deployed around 50 reporters and anchors to cover the elections extensively.”

     

    The channel has also kick started special programmes such as Patliputra, which is a special series on the political history of Bihar. Panchayat Aaj Tak – Bihar Elections wherein a day long political conference was held in Patna with all senior leaders of political parties, who discussed the election.

     

    Boat Yatra will cover almost all the big cities through a boat yatra. On the other hand, Rajtilak is a series of audience based debates showing more than 20 districts of Bihar, while Ye Jo Bihar Hai is a travelogue where senior journalist Punya Prasun Bajpai will travel across the state to cover the polls. Kiska Hoga Rajtilak is a daily half hour news show covering Bihar election related stories.  Abki Baari Shekhar Bihari is a daily half hour political satire show with actor Shekhar Suman.

     

    The channel has tied up with Cicero for its exit polls.

     

    ABP News

     

    Nukkad Bahes and city debates orchestrates ABP’s Bihar election coverage. “We have already covered more than 50 cities. On the marketing side, we have tied up with Hindi Hindustan to run print campaign and also cover all debates, polls. In addition to this, we are also doing canter activity in multiple cities for a month driving the campaign Sahi Rajnitik Rai Banane Ke Liye Dekhiye Kaun Banega Mukhyamantri,” says a company spokesperson. 

     

    For today’s (12 October) polling the channel deployed 10 reporters with live units and OB vans and similarly for every phase there will be deployment of reporters. ABP News flagship election programme Kaun Banega Mukhyamantri  is on-air since September. Apart from that there will be a series of opinion polls and exit polls. 

     

    “Other than this we are also doing Bihar Ka Neta Kaisa Ho– a special programming with youth, Ghosnapatra– a discussion on political manifesto with key political leaders in Bihar who are going to play a critical role in government formation and Pratistha Ki Seat – special programming on the VIP seats,” a spokesperson adds.

     

    The channel has tied up with Nielson for their exit polls.

     

    CNN-IBN

     

    CNN-IBN has come up with a show, Reporters Project, with two female journalists travelling across the state of Bihar and bringing two different perspectives to an election that could be very close to call. On the other hand, IBN7 has plans of unleashing six new shows that will provide in-depth analysis of the Bihar elections with news updates, special debates, exit poll and counting day coverage to impart vital information to the viewers. 

     

    ITV Network

     

    The ITV Network has different news branches under its umbrella, which will entrust the exhaustive coverage of the Bihar ballot. 

     

    India News has bagged special programming for broadcasting the Bihar elections in depth. The show Kissa Kursi Ka – CM Kaun? anchored by India News editor-in-chief Deepak Chaurasia will witness some top political personalities from the Bihar political landscape debating burning issues in the upcoming elections that will add a new outlook to the state politics and the choice of voters. 

     

    The one hour special show will be aired live and exclusively on the channel from multiple constituencies. 

     

    The other channel of the network, NewsX began its comprehensive coverage right from pre-election days. The extensive coverage will continue till the government formation.

     

    NDTV Network

     

    “The Bihar election has fascinating national implications as well as new state coalitions of social forces. NDTV is going beyond the political tu tu main main to bring you the real stories of this landmark election, with an interesting mix of daily programming in an effort to simplify these rapid and bewildering changes for its viewers. India’s most credible and best known journalists, Prannoy Roy, Barkha Dutt, Sreenivasan Jain, Ravish, Manoranjan Bharti and many more will be where the action is with on the ground reports, opinions and views from political leaders on the campaign trail and those whose vote will decide who the ainners are,” said NDTV Ethics Committee editorial director and president Sonia Singh. 

     

    The network has assigned 14 journalists from both channels – NDTV India and NDTV 24×7 to cover all phases of the voting and counting process.

     

    A special programmes that NDTV has prepared for the election is Battleground Bihar with Dr. Prannoy Roy focusing on the key issues behind the opinion poll, exit poll, data and trends. 

     

    Dr. Roy will be seen interacting with a panel of experts to discuss election survey data in the context of the amalgam of the politics and contradictions of each major state. 

     

    The other major show is The Buck Stops Here: Bihar Edition hosted by Barkha Dutt where she will be seen travelling extensively out of the studio to the field to look at the hard politics and national implications of the Bihar election. 

     

    Truth Vs Hype in Bihar moderated by Sreenivasan Jain will be a documentary show bringing the reality of the Bihar story in front of the viewers. 

     

    The other dominant show, And The Winner Is, will crunch the numbers and analyse voting trends to bring the story of the elections, winners & losers for the viewers.

     

    When questioned about the exit polls and the opinion polls that the channel will annex into, Singh says, “Prannoy Roy and Dorab Sopariwala will forecast the winners and losers for the Bihar Assembly. The exit polls will be based on a random sample of names chosen from the voter electoral rolls, ensuring far greater accuracy than what other polls can command. With fieldwork by Hansa Research, NDTV’s exit polls, led by Prannoy Roy, the on-air analysis and presentation have, in election after election, drawn top guests and the widest audiences.”

     

    NDTV India’s special programming includes Prashna-Kaal with Shahnawaz Hussain, Tejasi, Nitesh Kumar, Manjhi and Chirag Paswan on the show. 

     

    The other show is titled Mera Gaon, Mera Desh where 10 reporters go to their villages in Bihar and do personalised ground reports on how things have changed and what is needed to make it better. 

     

    Kurukshetra is a battle-ground type show, explaining the reality of caste with data and how it affects voting patterns. While the show titled Bihari Bab, Chunavi Chaska is a collection of 10 stories about the fun and colour of elections. Bihar Special Primetime hosted by Ravish Kumar and his roving camera make for a selling combination by telling untold stories of the people of Bihar. Hum Log Bihar Special: Naghma will be an audience based show that will shed light on the political drama that this election has to offer.

     

    News24

     

    Sharing News24’s election plan, B.A.G. Films managing director Anuradha Prasad said, “We had started our groundwork from the day the election campaign began. We are covering every bit of the election intensively.” 

     

    Six reporters from the News24 channel are on their toes to give away the particulars of the election instantly on their channel. The network has also pioneered special programmes on the channel like Itihaas Gawah Hai, Kisko De Vote, Everyday, concentrating only on the elections. 

     

    “We will do the exit polls but not the opinion polls. We have Today’s Chanakya whose forecasting turns out to be prophetic every time. It will follow as soon as the elections get over,” added Prasad.

     

    Times Now

     

    Times Now will start its run up with two national election debates hosted by Times Now editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami. In addition, a special half hour show Access will take viewers up close and personal with the big faces in this election. Apart from special programming, the teams will report live during every phase of the election, speaking to key candidates and bringing to the viewer issues that matter. 

     

    The channel has sent a team of 12 reporters to Bihar, reporting from almost all districts of the state. In addition to that, reporters across the nation will be following the key parties and faces behind the election. 

     

    The channel will also showcase an exit poll on 5 November 2015, after the last phase of election comes to a close. The exit poll will be conducted by C Voter in partnership with IndiaTV. On 8 November 2015, Goswami and his team of experts will analyse the results live starting at 7 am leading up to a prime time debate that evening on the contours of the result.

     

    Bihar saw brisk voting in the first phase of assembly elections. Tight security arrangements have been put in place to ensure peaceful polling in 13212 polling stations in the first phase. The first phase of voting ended peacefully at 5 pm with 57 per cent polling. The elections saw an increase of 6.15 per cent since last assembly polls. Female turnout to be estimated at 59.50 per cent whereas male turnout at 54.5 per cent.

     

    *The channels are listed in alphabetical order.

  • Zee is India’s most attractive media brand: MAB 2015

    Zee is India’s most attractive media brand: MAB 2015

    BENGALURU: Dr Subhash Chandra’s Zee has been ranked no 1 in the media category in Blue Lotus Communications’ Most Attractive Brands 2015 Report (MAB 2015) by the TRA (formerly Trust Research Advisory), which was released recently. 

     

    Zee also ranks no 1 in the Media TV category with MAB rank of 209, out of the 1000 listed brands. The Times of India (TOI) too found a place far behind at 704, which is ranked fourth in the Media-Print category.

     

    Further, among the Hindi GECs Zee is placed first followed by Star Plus with a MAB 2015 rank of 273. Colors is at no 3 within the category with a MAB 2015 rank of 312.

     

    As per the MAB 2015 report, the print media segment is headed by – DNA, which again is a brand that has a Zee (Essel) connect. DNA with an overall MAB 2015 rank of 468 was followed by Mid-Day with a MAB 2015 rank of 512. Dainaik Bhaskar ranked at 670, followed by TOI.

     
    English News channel from the Times Network – Times Now helmed by Arnab Goswami is conspicuous with its absence in the top 1000 brands. In the Hindi News category, ABP News is placed first with a MAB 2015 rank of 349, Zee News with a rank of 498 and Aaj Tak with a rank of 564. BBC with a MAB 2015 rank of 20 finds a place in Media –TV category, while CNN IBN (Media TV category rank 25) finds a place among the top 25 in the same category with a MAB 2015 rank of 972.
      

    The Radio industry is represented by the big three in the Top 1000: 92.7 Big FM takes the lead with a MAB rank of 607, Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM is placed second in the category with a MAB rank of 652, whereas Red FM 93.5 took the third spot in the category with a MAB rank of 760.

     

    The MAB 2015 was released as an attempt to bring the world of brand communications in India to a measurable matrix. The second in its series, the 2015 report is the result of comprehensive primary research conducted on the proprietary 36-traits of Attractiveness Quotient of TRA (formerly known as Trust Research Advisory) says TRA CEO N Chandramouli.  

  • “60% of ad inventory on Property Now already sold”: MK Anand

    “60% of ad inventory on Property Now already sold”: MK Anand

    MUMBAI: The growing number of skyscrapers and commercial parks in the country and the announcement of initiatives like ‘Smart Cities’ and ‘Affordable Housing’ by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set the ball rolling in the real estate sector. But, for dreams to be accomplished, transparent dialogues between various stakeholders is needed and to give the desired impetus, Times Network is set to launch a 24 X 7 real estate channel Property Now, starting October, 2015.

     

    The real estate industry sees over Rs 3000 crore of advertisement, which is mostly dominated by print. Times Network CEO and MD MK Anand, at the ongoing Big5 Construct India, 2015 said, “Real estate is the industry which produces 20 per cent of India’s employment and contributes 6 per cent to India’s economy, but is never spoken about. All the stories that we see about the real estate sector are negative and no one speaks about the positive side of the fraternity which builds India. Now, through Property Now, the top of the pyramid will know the positive stories of the sector.”

     

    Reports and survey indicate that around 11 crore homes need to be constructed to fulfill the dreams, and hence infrastructure is indeed a key sector. Also, the sector has no regulatory body and consumers have often suffered because of the loop holes in the self regulatory system. In such a scenario, Property Now can emerge as a perfect medium to ensure reduction of incumbency. Mumbai, for example, has several unoccupied affordable houses and illegal chawls. The existence of both at the same time indicates there are some flaws in the system which need to be converted to a dialogue and Property Now, being a venture from the largest media conglomerate in India, can easily indulge into that.

     

    “Dialogues, debates and awareness about the real estate sector will ensure smoother growth and that’s what is in the agenda of the channel. Property Now will educate, inform and make people aware about the sector,” asserted Anand.

     

    The network has tied up with Amagi for separate beams in separate regions. There are a very few builders who are present all over the country and so having a pan India channel with same feed and inventory might pose limitations when it comes to revenue generation. The to-be launched channel will have multiple feeds and will thus be able to rope in different advertisers for different regions. “We already have the infrastructure ready in Pune and now we can have different feeds for not only Property Now, but also Times Now and ET Now,” informed Anand.

     

    Property Now is currently eyeing the target audience of ET Now and thus will be working on similar distribution strategies. “The distribution process will be gradual and we will eventually expand our base. We have already signed deals with a few multi system operators (MSOs) and we will be gradually present on all the platforms,” said Anand.

     

    Times Network plans to back the channel digitally and will thus launch an app too.

     

    According to Anand, over 60 per cent of the ad inventory for the upcoming real estate channel has already been sold. “It is a record of sorts. The response has been amazing and we have a few launch partners already with us. We are yet to start selling FPCs and I already see a lot of positives,” he said.

     

    Times Network Real Estate and Personal Finance editor Faye DSouza will be heading the channel. “Faye has been a great resource and her experience and insights played a vital role in our decision to launch Property Now. In-depth debates and analysis will be immensely prominent on the channel. Faye will report to Times Now and ET Now news president and editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami,” said Anand.

     

    Talking about the editorial strategy, DSouza said, “It’s still early days. We will have bulletins, but the focus will be on advices regarding tax, home loans etc. There will be debates and a lot of dialogues involving Urban Development Ministry. We will also have weekend features on interior designing, Fenshui, Vastu and other after possession developments. Fundamentally we will help consumers invest smartly.”

  • BARC India to roll out rural data; calamities on news most watched

    BARC India to roll out rural data; calamities on news most watched

    MUMBAI: Even as the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India is planning to roll out its rural India data, it has been noted that natural calamities, sudden deaths and political outrage remains the most watched content on news channels in India. A recent analysis of BARC India found Nepal earthquake as the first topic to boost news channels’ ratings since its inception.

     

    Between week 16 to 20, the coverage of first earthquake in Nepal reached over 800 (000s Sum) and gradually declined to over 500 (000s Sum). During the same period, the Salman Khan trial saga was on. The day he was sent to jail saw news channels garnering over 600 (000s Sum), his bail day was not far behind as the coverage helped news channels garner over 500 (000s Sum). The coverage of the second earthquake in Nepal observed close to 700 (000s Sum).

     

    Those numbers seemed to be innocuous when the ratings of Missile man Abdul Kalam’s last rite coverage came out. The sudden demise of the former president forced every Indian to tune in to news channels. Yakub Memom’s hanging also took place at the same time, whereas the Gurdaspur terror attack took place just before that. All these incidents resulted in high viewership on news channels, the number went up to as high as 3000 (000s Sum) in All India 1 lakh + market.

     

    The analysis also proves Times Now’s reliance on its editor-in-chief and news president Arnab Goswami. His three days of leave resulted in a 60+ per cent decline in the channel’s ratings. What’s more, during that period other channels successfully managed to up their ratings too. 

     

    On the other hand, currently the number one channel in General Entertainment Channels (GEC) category – Colors also faced a major setback after funny man Kapil Sharma’s departure. While the channel lost one in three eyeballs, it strategically uplifted the scenario and is currently in the numero uno spot.

     

    The line between India and Bharat is blurring with time as brands are no longer satisfied with urban figures and hence rural numbers are gaining importance. 

     

    Based on this insight, BARC is also considering the roll out of its rural data soon. 

     

    The rural analysis done so far shows:          

     

    · Consumer durables are growing at 25 per cent CAGR while All India is 17 per cent.

    · Tele Density is 50 per cent while all India is 76 per cent.

    · More than 80 per cent of the FMCG products posted faster than in Urban.

    · FMCG consumption grew at 12.5 per cent during 2013 – 14. All India accounts for 50 per cent of rural spending.

    · Rural markets are found to be bigger in many categories.

    · 36 per cent of mobile app users are from Rural India.

    · Rural India shows 75 per cent growth when it comes to TV households, while Urban growth rate is 20 per cent.

    · Rural India is estimated to have 75 million TV owning households.

    · 30 minutes gross impressions goes up 2.5 times with the inclusion of Rural India.

    · Average reach goes up by three times with the inclusion of Rural.

     

    From marketing strategy to prime time shift, after BARC India starts rolling out rural data there can be many a paradigm shifts. Also it remains to be seen if broadcasters rope in content to make a mark in Rural India’s minds.

  • “Any channel that we launch in the future, will be successful in year one:” MK Anand

    “Any channel that we launch in the future, will be successful in year one:” MK Anand

    Heading the broadcasting expertise of a media conglomerate, which has been operating in India since 1838 is certainly a job of immense pressure. But there is someone who has been doing it with élan and that too at a time when every day gives birth to a new trend, every month, a new competitor enters and claims to be different. He is none other than Times Network CEO and MD MK Anand.

     

    Not long back, acknowledging the emergence of digital and new media, Anand spearheaded a staggering move in which the Times Television Network was transformed into Times Network. Despite having an English movie channel championing the ratings week after week, he marked the launch of another channel in the same genre, with a bigger and better philosophy. Under his leadership, various channels of the network secured pole position on numerous occasions in their respective genre. 

     

    Speaking exclusively to Indiantelevision.com’s Anirban Roy Choudhury, Anand shares his vision for the media industry especially the English entertainment industry and the road map ahead for Times Network. 

     

    Excerpts:

     

    Can you give an overview of Times Network’s news and entertainment channels and which segment is priority?

     

    Being in niche broadcasting, I believe all sectors need attention because it’s a highly competitive industry with some strong players. So innovation needs continuous attention. Our leadership position has been good in both English movies and news space. On the other hand, Zoom needed some specific product attention in the first quarter with reference to the re-launch, marketing etc.

     

    What next for the news sector? Property Now is launching soon and you already have Times Now and ET Now. Is there a Hindi news channel foray on the cards?

     

    Not really. I don’t think there is sense in it right now. The portfolio that we already have needs to be adequately and correctly monetized. I think there is headroom for both in subscription as well as ad sales, which we have seen in the past six quarters or so. We have been able to continuously move the needle on that and until we exhaust that, I don’t think there is sense in stretching and going into a different language all together.

     

    As of now, we are leaders and I feel we will be able to sustain this leadership in the top end category of the broadcast audience. There is a lot to be done there before we move into regional news etc.

     

    The network already had a English movie channel in Movies Now, what was the reason behind launching MN+? Was it to attract advertisers?

     

    I don’t think it is right to launch products for consumers because you have an advertising business opportunity. You launch products because you have consumer demand. So, the launch of Movies Now and now MN+ is to acknowledge the fact that with DAS Phase I and II and now as we go to Phase III and IV, the potential to launch more and more niche channels and to reach out to specific viewers is better and cheaper than it was with analog.

     

    Niche is the way to go. Niche is to acknowledge that specific groups in a large population and vast universe have different tastes. Movies Now is more descriptive as it caters to the whole English viewership but within that there is romance, action and slow movies sector. When you acknowledge the specific niches, you can come up with products like MN+. These channels come up because of niche recognition not because of advertising opportunities.

     

    What has been advertisers’ reaction so far to MN+?

     

    We are delighted with advertisers’ reaction. It is one of the channels, which has almost reached a maturity level in the shortest period of time.

     

    Speaking of the English entertainment genre as a whole, a few international channels have found it difficult to find a foothold in India. On the other hand, we have Colors Infinity and MN+ launching in the wake of the HD boom. What do you think is the need of the hour when it comes to English entertainment in India?

     

    The HD market is definitely growing. It is the natural progression of television viewing just like black and white went to colour, terrestrial went to cable and satellite. Similarly, HD technology is getting diffused and being adopted.

     

    The top of the pyramid is obviously the best place for advertisers to be, whether it is in print or television and therefore the returns on HD from an advertiser’s point of view will be much more than the other areas. HD is the future of all broadcasting. In fact, soon there’ll be someone launching a 4K channel and then 4K will be the future. So technological advancement per se will be the future of all broadcasting.

     

    English entertainment was mainly targeted at the metros at one point of time. Do you see the target group growing now given the fact that we are seeing growth everywhere?

     

    All this is happening because of digitisation. More channels per cable allows for better penetration. Secondly, in the past when TAM in its panel change introduced LC1, there was a rush to reach those markets.

     

    I think advertising optimized distribution and the way niche channels or networks distributed in the past is now gradually changing. One of the reasons why the base is expanding is because of digitization and the possibility that subscription revenues will eventually start flowing from consumers to cable operators in a more transparent manner and through MSOs and DTH operators to broadcasters. 

     

    Broadcasters know that in the next two to five years, subscription revenue will be a lot more transparent. From that point of view, it is a bet that we take and go to those markets.

     

    OTT player HOOQ armed with English entertainment content has entered the Indian market. With Netflix speculated to launch in India next year, do you think OTT services are a threat to traditional television model in a country like India?

     

    There will always be a huge base of Indian consumers who will be consuming English news, English entertainment, English GEC content. It could be through Netflix or it could be through Movies Now or MN+. The fact of the matter is that consumption is not going to go down.

     

    So if you’re asking me whether broadcasters should now stop investing in content because Netflix is coming in; I don’t think so.

     

    Just because a YouTube exists, does it mean that other apps are not going to survive or will get lost? These are all businesses, which have been built over the last ten years. You never know what’s going to happen in the next ten years. A Netflix equivalent or a bigger player may be coming out of India in the next ten years. However, that will happen only when Indian entrepreneurs – whether it is broadcasters or otherwise – play in that market with their own hands. So we won’t fade away because some competitor is coming into play.

     

    Do you think the time is right for India to create original English entertainment content? What is the scope for such content?

     

    That has already started with the infotainment segment whether it is travel or lifestyle type of content. There is a lot of stuff, which is made for India and can also travel across. However, creating entertainment content for Indian production companies will take some time and even if it happens, those will have wings to fly only when they are produced for the global market and not for the Indian market alone. The Indian market is not big enough for that as of now.

     

    Do you foresee digital overtaking television when it comes to news consumption? Or do they complement each other? Arnab Goswami recently said that by 2020, digital will probably overtake television. What is your viewpoint?

     

    In some sectors like news, yes, digital is likely to overtake television, but certainly not in all sectors. News will be travelling across multiple platforms.

     

    Brands like ZoOm and Times Now, which started on the broadcast medium, can now co-exist on the mobile platform with the emergence of the digital medium. I am not very sure if that will be the case with other genres. Maybe in the next elections, we will have a lot more apps giving competition to the broadcast platform. At the same time, television channels will also have a lot more viewership on apps. In the foreseeable future, both the platforms will complement each other and happily co-exist.

     

    What kind of push and emphasis is the network giving to the digital medium?

     

    We are ready to go full-fledge in terms of the launch of Times Now app. Video-on-demand (VOD) totally depends on Intellectual Property (IP) and we have some very strong IP in terms of Times Now’s News Hour and Frankly Speaking. However, to venture into VOD, we will need more IP. 

     

    Arnab is someone who every CEO would love to have in his team but do you sometimes feel that he is becoming bigger than the brand?

     

    (Laughs) That is like asking a production company if they were happy to have Johnny Depp or Salman Khan in their team. What I would say is that we are happiest to have him inside rather than outside. 

     

    Times Network recently promoted Arnab as the editor in chief of ET Now. What is the road ahead for ET Now and what role will Arnab play?

     

    ET Now has completed six years. The channel, in its first three and half years of existence, was able to challenge CNBC and become number one. The fact that we have been able to challenge CNBC is a big achievement.

    Getting numbers, viewership or reach is not what we want out of this market. ET Now’s challenge is something larger, which is to be appealing to a broader base than just the so-called ‘stock market players’ or ‘business viewers.’ And that is exactly where Arnab would be useful. 

     

    Can you throw some light on ZoOm’s positioning and the way forward?

     

    When we had launched ZoOm, music formed 80 per cent of the programming mix, whereas now that number has come down to 60 per cent. So 40 per cent of the channel’s programming is now content. Ideally, as we go forward, I see almost 65 per cent of the channel’s content comprising Bollywood trends, lifestyle and trivia. And viewers will be able to consume this content on the broadcast platform, as well as on platforms like digital and social media.

     

    Is the Indian media and entertainment industry moving towards more subscription and less ad revenue model? What is the scenario at Times Network?

     

    In the industry, we are already subscription positive. When it comes to Times Network, we are yet to shake off the burden of carriage fees and hence, we are still advertising led. Moreover, that is also because we don’t have a large channel, which at times is a handicap when it comes to distribution. 

     

    But yes, over the last two years, significant headway has been made. DTH operators and MSOs have started acknowledging the fact that we are a useful bunch to increase ARPUs. When it comes to the high-end consumers, you cannot have a distribution and subscription pack without including the Times Group channels. We have subsequently been able to use that to our advantage to improve our carriage versus subscription position. Our net income has improved. We are sure that it will continue to improve and we will get to a positive situation in a year or so and that’s big.

     

    Going forward what is the road map ahead for Times Network? Will there be any new launches?

     

    We would like to launch at least one or two channels every year complementing our catalogue. Property Now is a complement to ET Now, whereas MN+ complements Movies Now. So we will launch a new channel wherever we feel a need gap, which can be profitably filled.

     

    One thing I am sure of – both the channels that we have launched or any channel that we launch in the future, will be successful in year one.

     

    For the next couple of years, what we need to articulate is the fact that the sum is a lot more than individual parts. What I mean by this is, when you look at the holistic picture, we are talking to top two per cent of Indians. India’s population is 134 crore and India’s monthly English viewership is 2.6 crore, which is exactly two per cent of country’s population.

     

    On a regular basis, we are talking to 1.3 crore people, which means that we reach out to one per cent of India every day. However, when you look at that one per cent, it’s not just any one per cent. We are serving India’s most influential broadcast audience, and that is very important because that’s not just any audience. We are reaching to the decision makers. Last year, we managed to secure 30 per cent growth. My primary target is to secure 30 per cent CAGR for the next two years as that will take us to a very strong position as a network.

     

    What is your take on the digitisation progress so far?

     

    Given the size of the market, its ability to pay for boxes and the current state with reference to the mostly unorganized sector, DAS Phase I and II have really happened at commendable speed. Now we need to wait and watch the progress that takes place in the Phase III and IV. However, I am not very satisfied with the way Phase III has progressed.

     

    Has the new government addressed key issues bothering the media and entertainment industry? 

     

    I don’t think we are in a situation where things can be changed overnight. What we all are now looking at is Phase III and IV of digitization. The most important contribution I expect from the new government is to pace up the economy. If the pace is good, media will be good. Businesses like ours are very heavily advertising led and advertising follows the economy. As of right now, if we have done so well last year as well as this year until now, it’s because of the new government.

     

    What’s your take on BARC?

     

    I am very happy with BARC fundamentally because we have been able to hold on to our leadership. Moreover in the case of ET Now and Movies Now, our ratings have improved.

     

    Overall, the transition was smooth. And even though there have been some teething issues, I think things will get sorted in time. The management team and the technology are able and good.

     

  • Rakhi Sawant takes on Arnab Goswami, Lalit Modi while getting bajaoed on #fame

    Rakhi Sawant takes on Arnab Goswami, Lalit Modi while getting bajaoed on #fame

    MUMBAI:  The outspoken and blunt Rakhi Sawant is back with her bold statements on #famebollywood. The queen of controversies takes on the tweets about her on social media and stylishly replies to a few chosen ones.

     

    She is funny, vulnerable and absolutely endearing as she gets #Bajaoed!  The actress outdoes herself each time she opens her mouth. This time her target is the Bollywood’s sultry siren, Sunny Leone. She also takes on Arnab Goswami when she is told ‘Rakhi is the replacement of Arnab Goswami in the entertainment world.’ Rakhi’s hilarious response when she is asked about her ‘genetic connection with Lalit Modi’. All this and more will leave the viewers in surprise!

     

    Not known to mince her words, she reacts to the tweets; ‘Rakhi’s comparison with the Delhi Government that does nothing… Rakhi being called the Pamela Anderson of Bollywood and advised to start a show named ‘Bai-watch’ and Rakhi’s born to expose cleavage!

     

    Watch Rakhi Sawant lashing out on the nastiest, funniest and craziest things you’ve read about her on social media. So whether it’s about her plastic face to her infamous kiss with Mika Singh, she is upfront and takes a dig on all of them.

  • Times Now celebrates richest Indians in the Middle East

    Times Now celebrates richest Indians in the Middle East

    MUMBAI: Times Now, India’s leading news channel felicitated 15 successful Indians in the Middle East, at the second edition of Arabian Indian Czars Award. The awards night was graced by Devendra Fadnavis, Hon. Chief Minister of Maharashtra, T.P. Seetharam, Hon. Indian Ambassador to the UAE, Sheikh Ahmad Bin Byat, CEO, Dubai Holdings, Anurag Bhushan and Hon. Consul General of India to UAE.

     

    Hon. Chief Minister of Maharashtra and a delegation comprising teams from MMRDA, MADC and MIDC met officials in the UAE with regard to the “Make in India” initiative by the Government of India.

     

    A total of fifteen awardees for the night were, B R Shetty, Chairman-NMC group, Dr Azad Moopen, Chairman-B M Healthcare, Dr Ravi Pillai, Chairman-Aarti Group of Companies, FerozAllana, Director at IFFCO, Harshad Mehta, Chairman-Seven Seas Diamonds, Micky Jagtiani, Chairman-Landmark Group, PNC Menon, Founder- Shobha Developers, Raghuvendra Kataria, Chairman-Kataria Holdings, Rizwan Sajan, Founder & Chairman-Danube, Nawab Shaji Ul Mulk, Founder & Chairman-Mulk Holdings, Sunny Varkey, Founder & Chairman-GEMS Education, Tony Jashanmal, Group Executive Director Jashanmal Group, Yusuffali M.A. Managing Director-Lulu Group, Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil, Managing Director of VPS Healthcare and Sunil Vaswani, Group Chairman, Stallion Group.

     

    The prominent business tycoons were from, different sectors of Construction, Education, Engineering, Finance & Banking, Real Estate, FMCG, Retail, Jewellery, Telecom, Textile, Healthcare and Petroleum& Chemicals. On this occasion Hon’ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Phadnis said ”Achieving Excellence requires continuous improvement and long term perseverance. A rare trait indeed. We firmly believe that individuals and organizations should lay emphasis on building institutions that value excellence and propriety. We are happy to be associated with Times Now and the ”Arabian Czar Platform” for recognizing Leaders across GCC who have built great companies and created value for all their stakeholders.”

     

    Naveen Chandra, Head of International Business for Times Network said, ”Indians in most countries, they choose to adopt have achieved great success with their grit and perseverance. The rules of doing business in various countries don’t have a home advantage so it is doubly remarkable that they have achieved such heights of glory. This is our endeavor to recognize them and we hope to be able to expand the scope of these awards in the years ahead.”

  • “2021-22 will see a convergence of television and digital:” Arnab Goswami

    “2021-22 will see a convergence of television and digital:” Arnab Goswami

    MUMBAI: “Twitter has opened up avenues and forced people to be more spontaneous,” said Times Now and ET Now news president and editor in chief Arnab Goswami. He was speaking at #RiseWithTwitter, organised by Twitter India on the occasion of ‘World Social Media Day.’

     

    Goswami, who himself has stayed away from Twitter, unlike his counterparts, further said, “The channel has been getting million impressions since we broke the Lalit Modi scandal, which subsequently saw Lalit-gate trending. Though, these numbers are highly helpful, I don’t get swayed by it. I like to be focused and let my craft which is journalism and storytelling, do the talking.”

     

    The veteran journalist did touch upon the emergence of digital and predicted a point of convergence around 2021 -2022. “Television gives me five times more viewership compared to digital and certainly is the largest medium at this point of time. So I would request people to neither overestimate nor underestimate the power of digital. The kids in kindergarten now will mark the real emergence of digital and that will happen once they start earning their livelihood, which will take time,” added Goswami.

     

    Goswami informed the audience of how the behaviour of journalism in Delhi had almost forced him to take a decision to leave journalism. He said, “In 2001, I had almost decided to quit journalism. But today, thanks to the stories and a few moments, I feel journalism is the best profession for me to be in.”