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Tag: Firstpost

  • TV18’s news business registers 20 per cent revenue growth in Q2 FY24

    TV18’s news business registers 20 per cent revenue growth in Q2 FY24

    Mumbai: TV18’s news business has registered a solid 20 per cent revenue growth in the second quarter of the current financial year.

    Beating the industry trends, India’s largest TV news network registered a revenue of Rs 3 per cent 7 crore in the first quarter of current fiscal, as compared to Rs 298 crore for the same period last fiscal.

    The increase in the revenue comes on the back of strong viewership gains achieved by the network’s number-one channels. The news network maintained absolute leadership in the largest markets, with an all-India viewership share of 11.4 per cent.

    The digital news business of TV18 and Network18, which includes brands such as Moneycontrol, Firstpost, cnbctv18.com and news18.com, also saw a 20 per cent growth in revenue. It posted a revenue of Rs 104 crore in the second quarter of current fiscal, as compared to Rs 87 crore for the same period last fiscal.

    In Q1 FY24 also, the TV news network registered 26 per cent revenue growth, as compared to Q1 FY23.

    News18 was the highest-reach news network in the country, reaching 190mn consumers on a weekly basis. The network maintained its leadership position in key markets with CNBC TV18, News18 India, and CNN-News18 being number one in their respective genres.

    CNN-News18 was the number one English news channel with 32.8 per cent market share in the genre.

    CNBC TV18 continued to be the undisputed leader in the English Business News genre with 80 per cent overall share and nine per cent per cent plus viewership share during market hours.

    TV18 was also the primetime leader in the Hindi-speaking markets, solidifying its position as the network of choice in the region. The network had leadership in per cent regional markets, including UP/Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, MP/Chhatisgarh. News18 Lokmat, the Marathi language channel, climbed the viewership charts to become the second-ranked channel, driven by the programming initiatives launched over the past year.

    “TV news network delivered a strong growth in advertising revenue despite the continued weakness in advertising environment. The revenue growth was underpinned by the strong viewership share that the network has achieved which has helped it to improve pricing across the network. TV18’s sharp focus on building IP- events business has also helped it drive growth in revenue,” the company said in its results announcement.

     

  • Firstpost’s 9 Months’ much-awaited fourth season kicks off with a Blogger’s meet on the day of the show’s release

    Firstpost’s 9 Months’ much-awaited fourth season kicks off with a Blogger’s meet on the day of the show’s release

    MUMBAI:Firstpost’s 9 Months, one of the most successful and comprehensive shows on parenting and childcare, is coming back on a grander scale with its fourth season going live today. On the day of the season’s release, the platform, in its bid to further amplify the show’s reach and address topics around motherhood and childcare, conducted a Blogger’s meet in Mumbai. The event saw a panel of celebrity mothers that included Malini Kapoor and celebrity Chef Rakhee Vaswani in attendance. As part of the show, these celeb moms, along with Suchitra Pillai, Rakshanda Khan and Chahat Khanna will provide a realistic take on parenting as they speak about their first-hand experience.

    While the show, in its third season, talked at length about toddler health, family, child schooling and education, the focus, in the fourth season, will be on children who belong to the pre-school to preteen category. To make it even more interesting, the makers roped in Maria Goretti – renowned host, actor, chef and former VJ to host the season. This time too, the audience will witness riveting conversations on parenthood between the host, celebrity moms and experts.

    Commenting on the upcoming season, Azim Lalani, Business Head of English General News Cluster, Network 18. (Firstpost, News18.com English), said, “9 Months, along with Firstpost’s other digital shows, has cemented our success in the original web-series segment. With innovation being the name of the game, we plan to stay ahead of the curve by delivering more original, engaging and exceptional content in the upcoming season that will strike the right chord with our audience. Together with our Content Partner Momspresso, we aim to use their target audience via their digital outlets that will increase the show’s viewership in the long run. We have Maria Goretti as the host this year, a mother of two who has been through the stages of being a mom to a toddler and a pre-teen. With her screen presence and impeccable charm and charisma, audiences have a lot to look forward to as she shall hold the audience’s attention by sharing her own personal experiences and insight. Apart from the celebrity host, we also have influential moms like Suchitra Pillai, Rakshanda Khan, Chahat Khanna amongst others on board. By providing fresh and more shareable content on the trials and challenges involved in bringing up children along with expert advice from people who have found a solution for them, we look to increase our reach and engage our target audience this upcoming season.”

    The topics for this season would be around the mental and physical development of the child, school, education and extra-curricular activities, health, nutrition, fitness, parent-child relationship, positive parenting, technology and kids, parents vs. peers, sex education. To provide an expert view on these conversations, eminent experts like Junaid Khateeb (Tech Professor), Dr. Anuja Luniya (Health & Fitness coach), Ridhi Joshi (Counselor and psychologist) Drishti Bijlani (Nutritionist), Neha Kare (Mumo Mumbai moms), Dr. Indu Khosla (Gynecologist), Payal Shah (Author of Good touch, bad touch), Kusum Kanwar (Principal – Kangaroo Kids), Avantika Kukreti and Shrima Rai, both influencer moms, among others shall add their valuable insight on the show.

    Says Maria Goretti, “I have had the most amazing time shooting for 9 Months season 4. Being a mother myself, I was able to relate to all of the discussions that we had with the experts. Such platforms give different approaches to parenting and I am glad Firstpost came with a show that speaks about something as vital as parenting and childcare.”

    Firstpost 9 Months Season 4 is presented by Asian Paints, with nutrition partner Nestle Ceregrow and baby care partner Mothercare. Other partners include Momspresso as the content partner, while the Media Partners include FoodFood and IshqFM. Watch the web-series live on Firstpost.com and Momspresso.com along with their Facebook & YouTube channels.

     

  • Firstpost print launches campaign trails, a unique campaign that enables readers to cover elections as reporters

    Firstpost print launches campaign trails, a unique campaign that enables readers to cover elections as reporters

    MUMBAI: Firstpost print, the weekly newspaper recently launched by Network18, has announced a unique campaign – FP Campaign Trails. Building on its promise of giving readers a ringside view of news and key events driving the current political narrative in the country, the campaign will give selected readers an opportunity to accompany seasoned journalists into the field and experience the heat and dust of elections first hand. For most people, elections are typically limited to armchair discussions – the only on-field experience they get is through the actual act of voting. This campaign will allow readers to experience the actual workings of democratic processes and electioneering like never before.

    The campaign will have 5 different trails from across the country – Coastal Karnataka, Marathwada, Kashmir valley, Bengal and Varanasi. These areas have been selected as much for their political significance as also to give the campaign a pan India spread. Each trail will be for 3 nights & 4 days and will run from April 8th to May 6thduring the last stages of campaigning in each region. Each trail will try to cover an election rally by a big national leader; enable interactions with local leaders and party functionaries; and most importantly, with various communities that represent the key issues at stake in the chosen region.

    Towards the end of each trail, participants would take part in a short workshop, when they report their observations on the trail. The reports would be collated and presented on Firstpost, with due attribution to contributing participants.

    Commenting on this programme, Rahul Kansal – Business Head Firspost print and Group Brand Advisor, Network18 said, “Firstpost’s mission as a newspaper, is to help its readers 'get inside the news’. It tries to do so not just through its editorial content, designed to give readers a ring-side view of what’s going on. But also through programs like Firstpost Campaign Trails, which take readers physically to the ringside, to experience the heat and dust of India’s elections”.

  • Taproot Dentsu creates launch campaign for Firstpost’s print edition

    Taproot Dentsu creates launch campaign for Firstpost’s print edition

    MUMBAI: To launch the weekly print edition of Firstpost, the news, and media website/app from Network18, Taproot Dentsu, the creative agency from the Dentsu Aegis Network stable, has released a campaign that shows how digging deeper for the truth is so important, today more than ever.

    The film takes a dig at the race for breaking news and the prevalence of sensationalism over incisive journalism. It is a dramatic take-down of modern journalism to show, by contrast, Firstpost’s comprehensive coverage of stories that need to be told and heard. The campaign has a TV and print leg to it.

    Taproot Dentsu creative director Neeraj Kanitkar said, “The Firstpost weekly newspaper is a remarkable attempt at raising the bar for news reporting. While most other papers scramble from one story to the other, Firstpost gives every story what it really deserves – time. Thereby getting to the bottom of every story. The campaign capitalised on this distinct difference, which allows the Firstpost weekly newspaper to be the last word on the news.”

    Network18 group brand advisor Rahul Kansal said, “We wanted to tell potential readers that our newspaper will offer an in-depth read in contrast to the breathless, superficial kind of news that has become the norm in the country. Rather than be preoccupied with breaking news in a half-cocked manner, we want to offer insights, analyses and well thought-through opinion. Taproot Dentsu responded with their usual brilliance and completely turned on its head, the usual paradigms in news. From rhetoric like 'breaking news' and ‘you read it here first’ to ‘proudly last’ and “last mover advantage.”

  • Network 18 announces the team behind its first newspaper – Firstpost

    Network 18 announces the team behind its first newspaper – Firstpost

    Network18 will be launching its very first weekly newspaper – Firstpost. Expected to see the launch on Republic Day – 26th January, 2019, the newspaper will mark the media conglomerate’s foray in the newspaper domain.

    The Network appointed Praveen Swami as the Group Consulting Editor a few months ago. Along with BV Rao, the Editor of Firstpost, he will lead the editorial team of Firstpost newspaper. Rahul Kansal, Network18’s brand advisor will also be seen in the role of Business Head of the newspaper. A veteran of media marketing, Rahul was earlier the Executive President of Bennett Coleman, serving as the business head of The Times of India.  Praveen Swami has earlier held key editorial positions at The Indian Express, The Hindu, and The Daily Telegraph, London. B.V. Rao comes with an extensive experience of 33 years where he has led newsrooms across various brands, formats and platforms.

    A roster of some of the biggest Indian and international columnists will write for the paper; anchored by a talented team of journalists, cherry-picked from India’s leading newsrooms.

  • Network18 Digital CEO Manish Maheshwari departs

    Network18 Digital CEO Manish Maheshwari departs

    MUMBAI: Network18 Media & Investments Ltd’s Digital CEO Manish Maheshwari is set to depart from his role at the company.

    Maheshwari is currently serving his notice period, sources confirm in the organisation.

    Allied for more than two years with Network18, he had joined the company in April 2016. As Network18 Digital’s CEO, he managed the digital estates which included Firstpost, News18, Moneycontrol, CNBC-TV18, In.com and CricketNext.

    Maheshwari had worked with Flipkart before joining Network18 where he headed the merchant business and seller ecosystem.

    Previously, he also worked with Intuit as GM and managing director of txtWeb, also has the experience with companies such as McKinsey and Procter & Gamble.

  • Firstpost elevates Munaf Merchant to National Head – Sales, Firstpost News Cluster

    Firstpost elevates Munaf Merchant to National Head – Sales, Firstpost News Cluster

    National, 4 December 2018: Firstpost, India’s leading digital news platform has announced the elevation of Munaf Merchant to National Head – Sales, Firstpost News Cluster at Network18 Digital. Munaf will be responsible for developing effective marketing strategies and leading the team towards achieving a high-performance sales environment for Firstpost and Tech2. 
    Having been associated with Firstpost for over five years now, Munaf possesses an experience of close to ten years in marketing and sales. He has meticulously climbed the ranks with his dedication and commitment to work. His pro-activeness, exemplary decision-making prowess and absolute dedication, ensures that Firstpost always achieves its revenue targets. Munaf’s expertise has garnered client appreciation and has resulted in renewal of business deals repeatedly. In addition to this, he has a proven track record in building and growing properties from scratch, such as Firstpost’s 9 Months – the ground-breaking show on parenting and childcare which is now in its third season. 

    Sharing his views on the announcement, Azim Lalani, Business Head, English General News cluster, Network18 Digital said, “Firstpost has consistently led the way in offering innovative and path-breaking content for its readers across segments like politics, sports, business, technology and entertainment. Having grown significantly since its inception, we are creating a stronger digital presence in the sphere of original content with shows like 9 Months, WhatTheApp and Social Media Star. Munaf has brought to the table excellent marketing capabilities in the last few years and we are sure that he will apply the same level of perseverance and determination in his new responsibility of undertaking the national portfolio in sales for Firstpost and Tech2.” 

    Prior to joining Firstpost, Munaf worked with India Today in Marketing & Sales where he was responsible for generating revenues for India Today megabrand magazines, which included India Today English, India Today Hindi and India Today Tamil among others. 

    Commenting on being elevated Munaf said, “I am delighted to be entrusted with the new position. It is the perfect platform to further channelize the abilities and creativity of the team and ensure delivering excellent offerings to all our readers and clients. With the digital sphere growing rapidly, we plan to strategically strive and lead the online news space with effective partnerships that benefit all our stakeholders, including our consumers, at large.”

  • BrandVid – Can a brand become a media company?

    BrandVid – Can a brand become a media company?

    MUMBAI: Traditional media companies today have a very diverse story and narrative no matter what the subject. A consistent story is shared across paid, earned and owned media. However, media companies are more than that today. They create programming and/or distribute it. They also share the content via various media channels.

    But what we’ve been increasingly seeing is that brands have now started to become media companies by creating and distributing their in-house content. 

    It is challenging for a traditional agency to sustain and survive in a competing environment like this. But is there a way where brands, agencies and publishers can co-exist and collaborate? Well, that was precisely the topic of discussion at BrandVid 2018, powered by Colors. The session saw industry leaders discuss on whether a brand can after all become a media company. And if yes, how can they monetise their assets. 

    Clearly disagreeing with the proposition, Firstpost business head of revenue & strategy Anurag Iyer believes that the objective of becoming a media company and becoming a brand are completely different. He said, “Redbull as a business looks at its studio business as a separate entity and has great traction back to its website, but does its film on adventure and sports result in more Redbulls being sold? I don’t think so! But does it have a great brand rub off with their audiences? Absolutely!”

    On the other hand, Online Fashion portal Myntra is a brand as well as an e-commerce company that is also a media company to some extend as it creates in-house content. But does that mean it will become a full-fledged media company in the time to come? Probably! Myntra VP marketing Achint Setia is of the opinion that brands need to first figure out the role of content and the business objective. For a brand, its business objective is to drive revenue and sales and that’s where content plays a critical role. “Brands have a role to play in consumer’s mind and they should stick to that role. However, that role can get enhanced and more meaningful with the right use of content.”

    But while brands are struggling to find their sweet spot in the cluttered media ecosystem, there hasn’t been a better time for agencies as they get to have the cake and eat it too. Isobar Group MD South Asia Shamsuddin Jasani wants partake of that cake. Though it is a difficult proposition, big global brands want to monetise their content. Global FMCG giants Mondelez and Pepsi want 20-30 per cent of their spends to be recovered via video content and Isobar doesn’t want to miss out on that opportunity. 

    A lot of brands mistake content’s role in their business lifecycle. It is not about monetising content for the sake of it or about using content as an ROI drive. It is more about using content to have a deeper relationship with your community. 

    Shamsuddin said, "Big advertisers feel there is some monetisation that needs to happen and they are all grappling with how to create those monetisation opportunities. As an agency, we are working with brands to create those IPs. As brands, they will do it and as agencies we will have to do it because we don’t have a choice or they will push us to do it.”

    Although it’s a vicious and profitable cycle, but when does a brand pause, take a step back and think whether they are overstepping their business objective and should rather focus on sales and revenue? That’s exactly what Marico head of media and digital marketing Ankit Desai thinks. He believes it will be a few hits and a lot of misses for brands if they go the media company route. “While media companies can deal with many misses and start over again, it’s a different ball game for brands as it is linked back to business objective where you don’t have the option of repetitive failure since your marketing money will be wasted and that’s really the challenge.”

    Getting customer attention is a task for most marketers today. The millennial consumer will not stick to your content no matter how well made it is if it isn’t engaging and informative enough. It will take a lot of time for brands to understand the young customer of today. Agreeing that brands will become media companies in the future, Fastrack head of marketing Ayushman Chiranewala said that you cannot time when it will actually happen. He however thinks that it will come from a different business need which will be to be on the top of customer mind because getting the customer attention will only keep getting difficult in the future.

    Brands will become media companies in the times to come and there is no denying that but the timeline is likely to vary. For Myntra, it may happen in less than three years from now whereas Fastrack believes it will take five to 10 years. Interestingly, today content creators are also becoming brands in themselves. They create an IP and later sell products around the IP, eventually creating a brand. 

    All in all, maybe the world in the future will not be about everyone trying to do everything but about a lot of collaborations and partnerships. But every brand and creator should keep their minds open and think about consumer intent first.

  • Teejay Sidhu to Host Firstpost’s 9 Months Season 3 – A GroundbreAzim Lalani,

    Teejay Sidhu to Host Firstpost’s 9 Months Season 3 – A GroundbreAzim Lalani,

    MUMBAI: Firstpost’s 9 Months, a successful web-series and India’s one-of-its-kind comprehensive show on parenting and childcare promises to be bigger, better and more engaging in its third season. This time around, viewers will be welcomed by renowned actor, RJ, film producer and mother – Teejay Sidhu, who is the host on the show. The audience will witness riveting conversations between the host and celebrity parents as well as accredited experts. The discussions revolve around interesting topics such as toddler health, family and financial planning, child schooling and education, in keeping with the platform’s core ethos of delivering more value to the audience, with each season.

    Commenting on the upcoming series Azim Lalani, Business Head – English General News Cluster, Network18 Digital said, “9 Months along with Firstpost’s other digital shows has cemented our success in the original web-series segment. The third season of 9 Months has seen more partner brands, highly influential celebrities and experts renowned in their respective fields, being associated with the offering. What makes it even more exciting is having Teejay Sidhu, a mother of twin daughters, onboard. Teejay’s strong digital presence and her communication as an active parent influencer perfectly aligns with the show’s core concept. With the novel and innovative developments in the upcoming season, we intend to reach a wider reach, achieve higher engagement and deliver more sharable content. The invaluable associations on the show stand testament to Firstpost’s immense credibility as one the leading digital platforms in the country.”   

    Garnering a whooping 11.8 million views and a reach of 20 million across platforms, the previous season left the audience captivated and wanting for more. In addition to a new host, the upcoming season welcomes influential celebrities like Karanvir Bohra; Barkha & Indraneil Sengupta, Manmeet Anjjan (of Meet Bros fame) and Karishma Modi; Rajneesh and Pallavi Duggal; Jai Bhanushali and Mahi Vij; Danish Aslam and Shruti Seth. They will be seen sharing their personal experiences on parent health, relationships, tackling setbacks around nutrition and achieving new milestones.

    To provide an expert view on these conversations, they have been accompanied by eminent experts like Dr. Nitin Shah, Pediatrician, Dr. Samir Dalwai – Developmental Pediatrician, Founder of New Horizon Child Development Center, Arundhati Swamy, Head – Parent Engagement Programmes, ParentCircle; Avnita Bir, Director Principal, R N Podar School; Naiyya Saggi, CEO & Founder, Baby Chakra, Dr. Sanjoy Mukherjee, Psychologist; Mansi  Zaveri, Founder, Kidsstoppress.com; Ruchita Dar Shah, Founder of First Moms Club among other distinguished personalities.

    Speaking about 9 Months Season 3, Priyanka Sehgal, VP Content & Strategy, Netwrok18 said, “The fact that 9 Months has reached its third season stands testimony to consumption of this kind of content. 9 Months was meant to be every parent’s go-to guide and I think we have achieved that. We have attempted to include parents with varied parenting styles and their experiences. There are research based opinions and tips which will be beneficial to our audiences. On a lighter note, viewers will also see Teejay and her husband Karanvir Bohra in a candid chat about how they manage their busy schedules and twin daughters.”

    The show is presented by Baby Dove and co-presented by Nestle Ceregrowand Asian Paints. Other partners include Sanofi Pasteur as the Health Journey Partner, Godrej Security Solutions as the Peace of Mind Partner and Mother Dairy as the Nutrition Partner. The web-series will be shown on Firstpost and its Facebook & YouTube channel.

  • HDFC Bank, Firstpost give unique twist to Raksha Bandhan

    HDFC Bank, Firstpost give unique twist to Raksha Bandhan

    MUMBAI: HDFC Bank has associated with digital newsroom Firstpost, to make this Rakshabandhan an agent of social change with its #RakshaMatlabRokNahi campaign.

    The ad campaign shares a unique take on the cherished Raksha Bandhan ritual. It signifies that the much loved and celebrated sibling festival is not only limited to protecting one’s sister but should also expand to protecting the dreams and aspirations of every woman.  

    Women’s emancipation is a continuous process of unlearning and rethinking the decisions we are traditionally used to making. To manifest our thoughts into action we just need that small but important nudge to make a difference. This was the key insight which leads to the concept.

    In the touching video created by Firstpost Studio, a brother informs his sister that his wife won’t be taking up an excellent career opportunity as it involves travel and wouldn’t be safe. To which the sister patiently explains that protection does not mean setting limits. The stirring message hits the audience when she asks her brother for her Rakhi gift – to protect not only his sister but the dreams and aspirations of every woman he meets.

    HDFC Bank CMO Ravi Santhanam says, “We have noticed women get more financially independent than they were and make decisions about their own money. That being said, there still exist social norms which keep some women from being decision makers. We wanted to address this in our video. The #RakshaMatlabRokNahi campaign creatively reinforces HDFC Bank’s core messaging encapsulated in our tag-line – ‘We Understand Your World.’ We are delighted to have found the right partners in Firstpost, who in turn delivered on our expectations for the campaign.”

    Network18 Digital business head for English general news cluster Azim Lalani adds, “We are glad to have associated with HDFC Bank to bring an offering that resonates with the audience and effectively drives the message of the brand. Our platform consistently strives to deliver progressive content that deeply connects with the audience, and the team has made a sincere effort to bring that forward with the #RakshaMatlabRokNahi campaign.”