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Tag: Avinash Kaul

  • Network18’s structural and programming changes during COVID-19

    Network18’s structural and programming changes during COVID-19

    MUMBAI: News channels are at the forefront of this war against COVID-19. Providing news, busting myths and allaying people’s worries – they are doing it all. This even when they too are facing social-distancing challenges.

    Network18 CEO Avinash Kaul says that employee priority is one of its top concerns. “We have come up with a corona response team to provide assistance to our colleagues and their families. Our human resource and admin teams are working tirelessly to keep a tab on all the employees’ health through a unique self-declaring tool called 'symptom tracker’, which is made accessible to all employees,” he says.

    The government, while declaring 21-day lockdown across the nation, added news media under the essential services category. Hence, news channels across languages are operational 24×7 with a reduced workforce or via work from home.

    “The network’s news channels have brought about new working protocols and offered flexibility to its employees. Similarly, the editorial teams are working round the clock and from different locations to stay on top of the COVID-19 story,” says Kaul.

    Since more and more people are watching the news for the COVID-19 update, Network18 has tweaked its programming to cater to the changing demand wherein a special line-up of shows providing healthcare, fitness tips are broadcasted for the viewers.

    Busting myths and countering fake news is also a task for news channels. Kaul says, “We are providing helplines and are ensuring that the viewers have information on their fingertips, be it counselling through doctors, helping the viewers on separating fact from fiction and allaying general fears of the public.”

    The group has a bouquet of 14 regional channels, two business news channels in English and Hindi and two general news channels in both English and Hindi. The network gives 360-degree covering socio-economic and political aspects of news to viewers related to the pandemic.

    In this regard, Kaul says: “CNBC cluster has been focusing on analysing the economic impact of the pandemic. CNN-News18 has lined up a set of special programmes that include Corona Warriors, Corona Files, Corona Control Room and Doctor Call-In which dwell on various aspects of COVID-19. News18 India attempts to give clarity on myths related to the virus through a show called Khabar Pakki Hai.”

    Even though news viewership is at an all-time high, it isn’t translating into ad revenue. “Advertising in April has seen a slow start for sure but one has to compare it in the context of a pre-existing slowdown in the economy, end of a financial year with plans of new fiscal being made and different way of working through online apps,” he says.

    Kaul mentions that it takes time for things to adjust to the new way of working and Network18 is already seeing a lot of interest by various advertisers, who are looking at various creative ways of reaching out to audiences. “We are actively engaging with clients to help them with innovative solutions to gain from the huge rating upsurge that news is seeing. We remain optimistic about the future too,” adds Kaul.

    Additionally, channels have taken the onus of creating campaigns to reduce panic among viewers. One such is Network18’s #MakeYourOwnMask which aims to create awareness about basic infection prevention and control measures by wearing masks outdoors.

    He adds, “We also launched #IndiaGives, a campaign to financially support the country’s most vulnerable citizens during the coronavirus lockdown. As a first step, the over 6000 employees of the Network18 group have contributed a day’s salary to the PM’s National Relief Fund, to be used to provide succour to daily-wage workers whose livelihoods have been affected due to the shutdown.”

  • Network18 urges citizens to stay safe with #MakeYourOwnMask campaign

    Network18 urges citizens to stay safe with #MakeYourOwnMask campaign

    MUMBAI: Network18 has launched a nationwide campaign exhorting people to make, wear and distribute home-made masks under #MakeYourOwnMask initiative. This is the latest initiative in a series that includes #StayHome and #IndiaGives, devised to battle the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

    “The campaign, announced last week, has three major planks — spreading consciousness among people to wear masks when outdoors, making those masks at home to reduce the stress on medical-grade masks that are in short supply and much-needed by medical workers and unleashing creativity and a spirit of involvement among people to produce these masks,” reads an official statement.

    This is the second public awareness and engagement campaign regarding the current health crisis by the group after #IndiaGives, in the wake of the global health crisis. Network18 chief executive officer — Television News Avinash Kaul says: “Network18 takes its responsibility as a corporate citizens and a force for good in society very seriously. It has always been involved with causes that are aligned with nation-building, and given we are India's largest news network with three weeks’ lockdown reach at 50 crores unduplicated viewers, it is imperative that our campaigns are aligned with the issues of the day to create maximum impact.”

    The campaign, an editorial initiative, will showcase a series of programs and videos across all its news channels and digital properties on ways to make masks using easily available material at home.

    The channels will also telecast short DIY #MakeYourOwnMask tutorials throughout the day at the end of each bulletin to make this essential product accessible to everyone in their homes. In addition, the team of anchors and reporters will support the cause by wearing their homemade masks to further encourage the viewers about safety.

    A digital campaign has been planned wherein people can log onto Firstpost and News18 websites to find DIY tutorials, graphics and social media feed of the campaign catching steam on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

    Viewers will be invited to share their selfies, photographs, videos and stories of making masks at home, which will be further amplified across the channels and digital media.

    Network18 president – digital & corporate strategy Puneet Singhvi says, “The digital news fronts are already seeing a surge of a new audience and higher engagement driven by a need to keep up with updates and developments around the situation. This is true especially for a media house like ours that has a backing of the largest news network combined with massive digital reach. Through this campaign, we are looking at setting new standards of audience engagement.”

    With this initiative, Network18 aims to spearhead wearing of masks a social norm and lead a definitive journey to ensure good public health. For more information, the group urges viewers to log onto http://www.news18.com/makeyourownmask

  • A+E Networks | TV18’s Avinash Kaul on branded content, investment & growth of infotainment genre

    A+E Networks | TV18’s Avinash Kaul on branded content, investment & growth of infotainment genre

    MUMBAI: Producing original shows on issues of contemporary local significance like surgical strikes, national elections, Ganesha festivals, marvels and mysteries of India; that’s how History TV 18 aims to stand out in the niche segment of infotainment channels in India.

    “Very consciously we are going towards the direction of original local content because that is what will make our brand stand out in India,” says A+E Networks | TV18 MD and Network18 CEO Avinash Kaul in an interaction with Indiantelevision.com. He also spoke on the need for creating original content in infotainment space, challenges faced by the genre, impact of NTO on niche genres, economic slowdown, channel’s growth trajectory and plans for 2020.

    Kaul believes that factual and lifestyle channels offer the best branded content options. “Factual entertainment is something which enables all kinds of genres to flow, and all kinds of brand stories to be told. So that's the proposition that we are trying to go with. It is a very robust platform because of its availability in multiple languages. The channel cannot compete with the ratings of GECs but it enables a brand environment where brand story can be beautifully curated. As a branded content it's the perfect way forward because the ratings are far higher than news but are much lower than GECs but the mass reach is still there.”

    Speaking on some of branded shows done by the channels, Kaul says, “Our programming and marketing team has over 250 years of experience and have pioneered some of the biggest, tailor-made sponsored initiatives that have set benchmarks across industries. This, combined with our digital presence, might have resulted in several clutter-breaking advertiser-funded projects.”

    To mention a few – Hamdard’s One for All a digital-first initiative- stories of people who have contributed towards the betterment of society; Renault presents Ride to Conquer is about four influencers from different walks of life who go on a drive for self-exploration; and Imagine your Korea- an initiative to get more Indians familiar with S Korea as a travel destination.

    He further says, “From a ratings standpoint, obviously we are doing very well. FYI TV18 is the number one lifestyle channel in India by a huge margin. It's roughly around 60-65 per cent of the market. It beats even channels like FoodFood and Living Food, TLC Fox Life, Good Times, all of them. So it's fairly strong in the ratings ecosystem. As far as History TV18 is concerned it usually comes in number two after Discovery in the factual entertainment genre, which given the fact that Discovery is in the country for more than 30 years, and beating the likes of NGC and others by itself is remarkable.”

    History TV18 has also released unseen differentiated programming in the Indian market. Kaul says that shows like Pawn Stars, Baggage Battle and Storage Wars from international houses resonated well, despite a lot of people having thoughts that it may or may not work as well in India.

    The channel also has a show called Forged In Fire which is about people making knives and people making swords, which is a reality show. “Now, that's not something that one would see on a normal channel or any other factual entertainment channel and that's one of the top-rated shows,” he opines.

    OMG! Yeh Mera India has two main sponsors Hyundai and Havells. “Even though History TV18 channel was a late entrant in the factual and entertainment genre, we were the early adopters of local content in India. We have OMG! Yeh Mera India Season 6. In three and a half years we have done six seasons. So which means in a year we do more than one season. So that gives you a sense of the amount of response that we get from this show, not only on TV, which is obviously top-rated but also on digital,” informed Kaul.

    Due to the current business environment due to NTO, Kaul feels there is certain softness in the market. Because of this, the channel has kept some originals on hold for FYI TV18.

    The biggest challenge faced by the genre is investment in original content. In India, the market share of infotainment is very low whereas, in the West, the genre holds the second position after sports. Kaul attributes this to investment in original content. Indian TV channels did not pick up the trend and the late entrants had to begin it, putting more pressure on them. He further says, “If it had been done at the right time, I think the genre would have leapfrogged to a totally different place.”

    With regards to content, Kaul said, “The only thing that is well exploited in India is Mythology but not History. So if history could be done, that could really change the entire complexion. Because even if you see the OTT platforms, by the time they come to factual entertainment, it is another three four years as they are first creating mass production, like Sacred Games and other things which are basically something which will smack and people will get used to it. After building those libraries they will invest in these other shows. So I think that journey will take time. Until that time, we are only custodians of making shows like that. We can do it only one show at a time or two shows at a time.”

    Revealing the plans for 2020 Kaul says, “The plan is to stay on course. I think this is the time to not get derailed from our plans but to continue building X amount of local content. My opinion is that if we stay on course and if we maintain our business, tightly we will deliver on our business. So that's what the key thing is that we're delivering on our business goals overall, I think we should be able to ride out this rough patch.”

  • History TV18 to premiere ‘OMG! Yeh Mera India’ S6 on Nov 18

    History TV18 to premiere ‘OMG! Yeh Mera India’ S6 on Nov 18

    MUMBAI: HistoryTV18 presents the sixth season of India’s most successful and longest-running factual entertainment series, ‘OMG! Yeh Mera India.’ Premiering on 18th November, this season will have 10 episodes, airing every Monday at 8 PM. The new season builds on the wonder and magic of earlier seasons, celebrating India, where history is made every day by ordinary Indians doing extraordinary things. Viewers will be enthralled by what the show serves up — curiosities, talent, amazing facts and modern-day wonders, in all their diversity. From a 13-year old Indian piano prodigy, India’s tallest policeman, and AI-enabled robotic teachers.

    Comedian and Actor, Krushna Abhishek returns with his unique brand of wit and humour, as the show’s ever-popular presenter. An excited Krushna Abhishek says, “I feel blessed to be a part of the sixth season of ‘OMG! Yeh Mera India’. It’s my favourite show to watch, and even after five seasons, I am awe-struck at every story we put together. We live in a beautiful country, but its real gems are truly its amazing people! I thank HistoryTV18 for the opportunity to be a part of telling these inspirational stories.”

    The first five seasons of the popular series have seen great success on TV as well as on social media and online platforms, engaging viewers and generating billions of impressions, consistently. Over the last four years, stories featured on the show have gone beyond entertainment, breaking new ground and shining a light on India’s history as well as modern innovations. The stories aired have made a real impact and even inspired filmmakers around the country. Over the years, people featured on the show have been recognised and widely celebrated for their talents and contributions. Some have even received prestigious national awards. This sixth season of ‘OMG! Yeh Mera India’ aims to be bigger and bolder, showcasing more jaw-dropping wonders and unsung heroes, from across the length and breadth of the country.

    Avinash Kaul, MD A+E Networks | TV18 and CEO Network18 said, “We are delighted to present the sixth season of ‘OMG! Yeh Mera India’. This genre-defining series is one of the most successful locally produced factual-entertainment franchises in the country, and we feel privileged to be the platform to showcase these fantastic feats of Indians from every corner of the country. With this season, HistoryTV18 continues to live up to its promise to entertain and engage, inform and inspire our viewers with great, content.”

    The show was launched in an OMG event on-board the cruise ship Karnika, managed by Jalesh Cruises in Mumbai. Speaking at the occasion, Jurgen Bailom, CEO Jalesh Cruises said, “These are truly inspirational stories. We are happy to be associated with HistoryTV18, and be a part of the OMG journey of such a popular series.”

  • HISTORY TV18 shines the spotlight on ancient Ujjain and its Lord, in ‘Mahakaleshwar- Legends of Shiva’

    HISTORY TV18 shines the spotlight on ancient Ujjain and its Lord, in ‘Mahakaleshwar- Legends of Shiva’

    India: Ujjain – an ancient city in the heart of India-is a place where history and mythology converge. It was once the capital of a great kingdom that sought to unravel the mysteries of time and space. Today, its cultural and religious epicenter is the temple of Shiva’s most powerful manifestation – Mahakaleshwar, Lord of Time. The modern city – fifth largest in Madhya Pradesh – still has an elemental connection with its past. Along with legends and oral histories passed down generations, Ujjain or Ujjaini was known to be an important centre of scientific discourse and the measurement of time. It is said that the temple of Mahakaleshwar is situated at the point where the ancient Indian Prime Meridian and the Tropic of Cancer once intersected. In fact, Ujjain still has a functioning Jantar Mantar, one of four ancient Indian observatories and sundials, used for making astronomical calculations and measuring time. The city’s connection to the concept of time continues. The Hindu calendar era, Vikram Samvat is still in use. It is named after Vikramaditya – the legendary king of Ujjain. These and other fascinating facets of Ujjain, its presiding deity, the faith and festivity Shiva inspires, come together as a compelling story in ‘Mahakaleshwar- Legends of Shiva’ premiering Thursday, 5th September at 8pm on HISTORY TV18.

    The site of Mahakaleshwar Temple is believed to be the most important of the twelve ‘Jyotirlingas’, where Shiva appeared as an endless column of light. Today, it draws lakhs of devotees from all over the country, especially during Mahashivaratri – the festival celebrating the union of Shiva and goddess ‘Parvati’. It’s a time for faith, fanfare and unfettered festive fervor. The documentary follows life in the city and the temple, leading up to the celebrations. With unprecedented access and scholarly insights, the documentary pulls back the layers, to uncover the hidden meanings, symbolism and significance of rituals, practices and beliefs. It provides an opportunity for viewers to experience colour, culture and tradition formed over millennia- a unique aspect of India’s heritage.

    Like their city, the characters in the film also straddle tradition and modernity. Whether ascetic Aghori or cool millennial, they are at ease with life in modern times yet bound bybelief and devotion. Twenty-year-old Mansi is abiker and horse-riding enthusiast. She also regularly fasts for her beloved Shiva. Quirky costume collector, affectionately called “Muskurake”,is a school principal for whom Mahashivratri is the highlight of the year. For Ujjain’s award-winning Nagada Samrath, regular urban life is never at odds with his passion for creating Mahakaleshwar’s instrument of choice – the ‘Damru’. And for Aghori Baba Bam Bam Nath, devotion to Mahakaleshwar – the Lord of Time, transcends time itself.

    Avinash Kaul, MD A+E Networks | TV18 and CEO Network18"At HISTORY TV18 we've always put forth best-in-class content that’s riveting, contemporary, and most of all relevant for our viewers. ‘Mahakaleshwar- Legends of Shiva’ is truly a one-of its kind documentary which celebrates the spirit of India with all its ancient wisdom and tradition coexisting beautifully with youth and modernity.”

    Watch the premiere of ‘Mahakaleshwar- Legends of Shiva’ on   5th September, 8 PM only on HISTORY TV18.

  • Avinash Kaul on Network18’s news business growth, TRAI tariff order impact & landing page row

    Avinash Kaul on Network18’s news business growth, TRAI tariff order impact & landing page row

    MUMBAI: Propelled by the ad spend on general elections, subscription revenue growth and the strength of its regional network, the news business of Network18 delivered solid numbers in the first quarter. The television news business grew 29 per cent as compared to the corresponding quarter last year, with a rise in news viewership share to 10.1 per cent from 9.3 per cent post TRAI’s new tariff order implementation. The broadcaster witnessed a 48 per cent YoY improvement in subscription revenue and a doubling of the Hindi news ad-revenue. From an EBITDA loss last year, Q1 FY20 saw a jump in profitability to Rs 20 crore. For a deeper insight into the network’s performance, future growth and other issues faced by the news broadcast business, Indiantelevision.com engaged A+ E Networks | TV18 managing director and Network18 CEO broadcast news Avinash Kaul in a freewheeling chat.

    Standalone news business revenue grew 29 per cent. Can you give us some colour on that?

    Primarily, we have been reworking our channels and consolidating the regional and national networks. Our ratings have significantly improved over the last two-three years. All the effect of whatever we have done to propel ratings for in the recent past not only resulted in us being the number one news network, but also came in handy at the time of elections. When you have a large news network in the largest democracy, we were bound to get good traction from advertisers (ad spends during elections). In addition to that, there is obviously the new tariff order (NTO).

    The NTO obviously took away a lot of sheen from what our original plan might have been in its initial stages. It brought in some rough weather for everybody especially for pay channels including us. So there is no hesitation in saying that it did create a lot of rough weather for us initially. But thankfully we were able to surmount most of the challenges and by the end of the quarter we were back on top, but we did take a dip. We went down to 9.3 per cent of the overall channel share from around 10.1 per cent because of NTO transition and decision to stay pay. That call though eventually benefited us because it helped fetch us a 48 per cent growth in subscription revenue.

    Thirdly, we have continuously been on a path of cost-cutting, that’s been an ongoing effort. We integrated our regional and national networks and analysed the synergies and duplication. Those benefits are now starting to play out.

    Which segments have been the key growth drivers within the news business?

    Hindi and regional have been at the forefront of this growth. I am breaking Hindi and regional separately because Hindi grew on the back of the superlative performance of News18 India. Languages come second. English has been fairly muted especially because it also comprises business segment which is not an election mainstay. So, very clearly growth was driven by general news and within that, it was driven by Hindi and regional.

    Have you identified any standout regional language markets?

    Biggest advertising markets are Bengali, Marathi and the Southern states. There are no surprises there. Other markets are relatively small in nature like Assam and Odisha They are not as big as the established markets.

    Have you witnessed an advertising slowdown in the months of June and July?

    Yes if you see, after a high of the election, there has come a slowdown. There was also the World Cup. There is a certain amount of threshold which got built in the month of June, which also continues in July as well. There are no two ways about that. There are economic headwinds. But the festive season is also not too far away. So we are hoping we should see some revival in August which will continue in September and the rest of the year.

    You witnessed a 48 per cent growth in subscription revenues. Will you be able to carry forward this momentum or do you expect some churn going forward?

    If you remember the initial NTO days, there were people who did not have a clue what package to take or not to take. Even the subscriber management system, cable headends and the DTH operators were not ready to deliver that diversity. So, the settlement will take time. People will begin to figure out the prices. An aspect that has emerged through my conversations with most of the industry leaders is NTOs on dual TV homes. With increasing cable bills, they have taken a rational call on channel selection for the second TV. Several other factors like the conclusion of the World Cup, children’s holidays will contribute to the churn.

    Some consumers will make their choice, while others will opt for broadcaster packs or DPO packs. So, I don’t think everything is settled or everything is perfectly fine. The fine-tuning continues. I am expecting this entire fiscal will see some sort of settlement. The percentage has come down, you will not see that kind of volatility. The good part is despite the challenges, it’s a step in the right direction because subscription has got a boost. We are hoping that will continue in the next quarter. Unlike advertising scenario, which is dependent on events and situation of economy, this is more immune to those kinds of activities.

    The growth of business news channels has been fairly muted. How do you intend to deliver change this scenario?

    Business channels are facing a challenge not only for us but as a segment across. There is a certain amount of reinvention required in the entire genre whether it’s from a content or advertiser perspective. Now real-estate is in bad shape, automobile is not that great, banking sector has huge NPAs on its books, IPOs are not that great and general economy is not that great.

    There is a certain amount of cyclical softness that emerges and unfortunately, these cycles are not advertising cycles. These are business cycles. There is a need for a certain amount of introspection, cost control measures while trends like movement to digital and other things are happening. The challenge is to reinvent the product and see how we can make certain offerings to advertisers in the market in order for them to see things in a different light. It could also very well mean that more emphasis on subscription than advertising sales than ever before at least for this sector. So, it depends. For a business model to pivot, it takes a longer time and that’s the journey most of us are in.

    As a network, what do you expect from the remainder of the year?

    We continue to invest and stay invested in content. We have an ambition of not only maintaining our market share (currently around 10.3-10.4 per cent with all channels) but to make sure that we get higher. I would really peg it at 15 per cent by the end of this year. We are the largest player in the segment and by that, we have a certain amount of responsibility on us to make sure we reinvent and grow the genre along with us. That will keep us motivated for this year.

    What is your subscription to advertising revenue ratio?

    Honestly, this will be a better conversation to have at the end of this financial year. This is just the first quarter and it has several factors like cricket and elections influencing it. There is general stress in most English channels. Some of these models will pivot very differently. Several things like the effect of the best-fit plans need to settle down. So it’s early. Personally, I’m very keen to know what that ratio will be at the end of the year. It also has a bearing on all the employees of the sector.

    The ongoing landing page issue has the potential to impact the ecosystem’s dynamics. Your views?

    Either it works for all or works for none, we are okay either way. What we are not okay with is the manual intervention (BARC’s data validation and outlier policy), which benefits some people, not others. If it will completely go away, we have no qualms, we will be the happiest. We do want a level playing field. We do not want somebody getting extra benefits because of X or Y reasons. Primarily that’s what our standpoint is.

    So, your issue is at a systemic level?

    It is a systemic issue. There are channels that launched on the back of these things. Any kind of manual intervention is not good for any system. There is no document to see on what basis this manual intervention is happening. Even the (BARC) technical committee has not issued an advisory to state what the basis of these moderation policies are. We are not comfortable with this arbitrary situation. Why would anybody want to do that? We are not a fly-by-night operator; we want transparency in the system and a level-playing field.

    What has been the impact of the new tariff order on lifestyle and factual entertainment brands?

    The impact of the NTO varies from genre to genre. Both History and FYI are part of Colors value pack. So, they were available wherever Colors was available. Today FYI is the largest lifestyle channel in India and History is a very close second to Discovery. We cannot take away the fact that Discovery is in existence for more than 25 years now and History is eight years old. These things take time to catch up.

    From an advertising front, there are same issues that general English entertainment channels and factual entertainment channels are facing. So, business is not as usual. There is an impact but you cannot attribute it directly to NTO right now because there were elections, IPL and the World Cup. We are hoping for a certain amount of resurgence now. But obviously subscription comes in handy and our cost control measures are always there. So, from a profitability perspective, we are on track.

  • Network18 announces new organisation structure with 3 clusters

    Network18 announces new organisation structure with 3 clusters

    MUMBAI: Network18 has announced a recasting of its major cluster groups in order to exploit better efficiencies and achieve faster growth.

    It will have just three clusters. The English & business cluster includes CNN-News18, CNBC-TV18, Awaaz and Bajaar, CNBC HD Prime & News18 International. The Hindi cluster includes News18 India & News18 Hindi regional channels (UP/UK, MP/CG, Rajasthan, Bihar/JK, Urdu & Himachal-Punjab-Haryana) while the languages cluster includes all News18 regional channels minus Hindi—TN, Kerala, Kannada, Odisha, Bengal, Assam/NE, Gujarat & News18-Lokmat.

    Three key appointments have been made to bolster each cluster and drive it to the next level of operational excellence. Basant Dhawan joins as CEO of the English/business cluster. An engineer and an alumnus of IIM Calcutta, Dhawan joins Network18 from Star India where he spent the last four years in a variety of roles. His last role was national agency business head for entertainment sales in Star India. Dhawan will be based in Mumbai.

    The CEO of the Hindi cluster is Mayank Jain, who will lead the fast-growing News18 India and the cluster of other news channels across various Hindi speaking states. Jain, who will be based in New Delhi has joined Network18 from Star India's entertainment division. He is an INSEAD alumnus, and has experience in a raft of sectors ranging from telecom and FMCG to financial services across geographies.

    Karan Abhishek Singh has joined as CEO for languages cluster, also from Star India where he managed integrated sales for television and digital. His last role involved heading pan-India agency relationships. Singh will be based in Bengaluru. He is an alumnus of NMIMS, Mumbai, and has worked in organisations as varied as PepsiCo, Nokia, Godrej Sara Lee, HLL and GE.

    All three will report to Network18 COO Avinash Kaul.

  • CNBC Awaaz leads the way as the undisputed leader on Budget Day

    CNBC Awaaz leads the way as the undisputed leader on Budget Day

    MUMBAI: CNBC-AWAAZ, India’s No.1 Hindi Business News channel, once again led the way with maximum viewership ratings during the Interim Budget day this year. Acquiring an unprecedented market share of 57.4%, the remarkable figure stood at 1.35 times the nearest competition. [BARC India | TG: NCCS AB Male 22yrs+ | Market: HSM | Period: Wk 5'19 (Friday, 0600-2400 Hrs), Imp'000 & Market Share)]

    The channel scored record-breaking numbers for the entire Budget week gaining a market share of 59.3%, which was 1.45 times more compared to its nearest competitor. [Source: BARC India | TG: NCCS AB Male 22yrs+ | Market: HSM | Period: Wk 5'19, Imp'000 & Market Share)]

    “CNBC Awaaz being leader in Hindi news category, provides the most relevant news that matters to the masses in the language that is most comfortable to them. These figures stand testament to the outstanding performance recorded by the channel of being number one. Over the course of time, Awaaz has become a channel that stands out from the rest due to our unmatched reporting quality, standards and outstanding content and marketing activities”, said Avinash Kaul, COO, Network18.

    Under the editorial leadership of Alok Joshi, an exhaustive programming line-up and most original content, and experts of the trade like Nirmal Jain, Raamdeo Agarwal, Nilesh Shah, Anand Rathi, Navneet Munot Vikram Kotak and the likes, CNBC-AWAAZ cemented its position as the market leader providing a comprehensive coverage of the Budget.

    CNBC AWAAZ has maintained a dominant position in market share, despite the emergence of competition in recent years. The Channel has been a leader in collaborating with India’s biggest institutions, regulators and financial system stakeholders. From the country’s leading stock exchange to industry associations, from market regulators to industry rating benchmarks, the channel has maintained its leadership.

  • CNBC-TV18 emerges as india’s no. 1 english news channel

    CNBC-TV18 emerges as india’s no. 1 english news channel

    MUMBAI: This budget week, CNBC-TV18 demolished the competition and emerged as India’s no. 1 English news channel, ahead of the likes of Republic TV and Times Now (Source: BARC India | TG: NCCS AB Male 22yrs+ | Market: India | Period: Wk 5'19, Imp'000 & Market Share). In the English Business news genre, CNBC-TV18 led with a 58% market share, which was greater than the rest of the channels put together, cementing its reputation as India’s Budget Headquarters (Source: BARC India | TG: NCCS AB Male 22yrs+ | Market: India | Period: Wk 5'19, Imp'000 & Market Share).

    For the past 19 years, CNBC-TV18 has been India’s premier business news destination. With its unwavering focus on quality content, the channel has always been the preferred choice on all business and economy-related news, dominating the English business news genre, with a 66% market share, on a week on week basis. (Source: BARC, TG: NCCS AB Male 22+, Market: All India (U+R), Period: Wk 45'18- 5'19),

    Speaking on CNBC-TV18’s consistent superiority, Avinash Kaul, COO – Network 18 & Managing Director A+E Networks I TV18, said “Disseminating financial news that matters and impacts the people of this country is a task we take very seriously. For the past 19 years, CNBC-TV18 has retained its position as the undisputed leader and this Budget was no different. This exceptional performance is because of our quality content that is authentic and consumer friendly. Our audiences place immense trust in us and we intend on retaining it.”

  • HISTORY TV18 is back with a new season of OMG! Yeh Mera India to wow viewers with more mind-boggling stories

    HISTORY TV18 is back with a new season of OMG! Yeh Mera India to wow viewers with more mind-boggling stories

    MUMBAI: 'New-age' and ‘Techno-talent’ will take center stage in the latest season of OMG!  Yeh Mera India, slated to launch on 3rd December, 2018; every Monday at 8PM. The show, now in its fifth season,promises an enthralling experience for its audiences across platforms. Popular actor and standup comedian, Krushna Abhishek, returns as the show’s host, bringing his own known brand of witty humor, taking the show to the next level.This season has a mix of unique &new-age inspiring human stories from a group of students who’ve developed a robot to clean sewers to a young conservationist who saves snakes out of passion to an armless cricketer from Kashmir, the new season has it all!

    Krushna Abhishek Anchor and Actor said“OMG!  YehMera India is one of the shows closest to my heart. India is a beautiful country with endless number of stories that will make you say “OMG!  YehMera India” with pride. Even after four seasons, every shoot surprises me teaching me something new about our great nation. I am thankful to HISTORY TV18 for this opportunity, it’s truly an honor to be presenting such amazing stories.”

    Avinash Kaul, MD A+E Networks |TV18 and COO Network18 said“We’re happy that OMG!  Yeh Mera India is now in its fifth season and thus one of the most successful factual entertainment franchises in the country. I really believe it wouldn’t have been possible without the love and support of millions of our audiences. True to our brand ethos, we will continue to innovate and create many more great franchises for our viewers.”

    OMG!  Yeh Mera India is not only the longest running, but also the most successful factual series in India. It has evolved over the years to become the only show in the genre with a franchise of five seasons. This year also the focus will be to wow the audience by presenting the unexpected. The previous seasons of OMG! Yeh Mera India have been a huge success reaching an estimated audience of over 100 million viewers every year. The show is a success not just on TV but has also gone viral on social platforms. So far the OMG stories have clocked more than 400 million+ video views, drawing over 2 Billion impressions across social media. Its stories have been shared by numerous influencers: politicians, bureaucrats, technocrats and thought leaders.

    Catch this exciting series of OMG!  Yeh Mera India only on HISTORY TV18 starting from 3rd December, every Monday at 8:00PM