ITV

Tag: IBN 7

  • IBN 7 for look makeover to catch aspirational young viewers

    IBN 7 for look makeover to catch aspirational young viewers

    NEW DELHI: IBN 7, the Hindi news channel from the Network 18 group is going for a total overhaul of its look to match the profile and taste of the younger crowd who sometimes do not watch Hindi news on aesthetic grounds.

    The new-look channel will start from next week.

    Ashutosh, the IBN 7 Managing Editor told indiantelevision.com “The difference is hard to explain without actually showing what we mean, but let’s say the difference would be a man from the small town and a man from Mumbai or Manhattan.”

    Ashutosh says that the group has been feeling that Hindi news channels take on a rustic, rural face, which puts off many young people who have become aspirational.

    He says that with the flush of money due to recent economic boom in the country colouring the outlook of the viewers, there is need to give the face of the channel a completely international look.

    Alongside, technology would be key to the viewing experience as many virtual studios will be added for news programming.

    “We shall just have one master studio with proper sets, the rest will be all be virtual and we can create any kind of set that the particular news requires,” Ashutosh said.

    As an example he agreed that it would now be possible to report, say, on a plane hijack creating the virtual set of the plane and the cockpit and showing how the hijack had taken place, instead of just giving audio takes on these details.

    Ashutosh said that large chunks of prime time will have the support of these virtual studios, and that too would add to the international viewing experience.

    But the key issue is of the look, he stressed, explaining that the news content will be the same but with a changed face. He says that the entire colour scheme, among other visual effects willl be changed to give the international feel.

    “Let’s say a man has shifted from Raipur to Rochester, and so does his look. The cloth is the same the man is the same but the look is international.”

    It was a bit difficult to envisage, though, as the various bands that are seen on the screen of IBN 7 today will still be there.

    At present there are four bands, one at top and three below, and those would stay.

    Asked why BBC or CNN does not have these bands, and that primarily these are the cause for Indian Hindi news channels’ on-screen look being badly cluttered, he said that this is because those foreign channels do not have to face the intense competition one sees in India.

    “Those bands are constant feed of information useful to the viewers, so that even if the audio is out, one can feed on information, whether regarding the story on news, or other ticker news and so forth,” he explained.

    His defence is that the tremendous competition to grab eyeballs is what has led Indian channels to go for these techniques, and said: “These will stay, but still, you will realise that what you are seeing today on our channel is completely different from what is coming up.”

    Ashutosh admitted that the virtual studios have come at a huge price, but this reinventing of the channel was necessary.

  • ‘From the’Small Big’ company to the ‘Big Small’ company’

    ‘From the’Small Big’ company to the ‘Big Small’ company’

    2007 was a remarkable year for the Indian media industry. It was a year that witnessed small steps as well as giant leaps, fundamental shifts as well as tactical maneuvers, greater clutter as well as cutting edge innovation.

    On the whole, 2007 fulfilled a lot of potential in the industry, yet it leaves us with a sense that the Indian media story is still pregnant with a thousand more possibilities… Media players saw newer growth pastures, widened their business horizons, deepened their portfolios and above all competed and cooperated aggressively. This was a sign that the industry was alive, kicking and ready to reach the next level. The fact that many global brands made a beeline to enter the market or strengthen their presence is a testimony to the health of the industry.

    There was widespread strengthening of newer trends such as the heightened sensitivity to user generated content across genres, and a greater focus on interactivity and ‘mobilization’ of content across the board
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    The year saw some good old fashioned competition reach newer pinnacles. Within television, multiple channel launches, especially in news and entertainment, aggressive sales and marketing ploys such as those displayed in the battle for cricket broadcasting supremacy, innovative new show formats, dogged pursuance of alliances and rights and the perennial scramble for prime time shares, ensured 2007 was an exciting period for the industry. At the same time, there was widespread strengthening of newer trends such as the heightened sensitivity to user generated content across genres, and a greater focus on interactivity and ‘mobilization’ of content across the board.

    Even in other media such as print, competition became fiercer amongst the national print majors. Yet, there was also a rise of more targeted products, creating niche plays across regions (launch of city specific compacts in Delhi and Bangalore), demographics such as the youth, women (launch of youth oriented compact paper) or genres such as lifestyle, global fashion, celebrity gossip ( launch of many international magazine titles). The same high intensity and feverish growth pitch could be seen in the online and new media space, with multiple mobile marketing solutions, out of home innovations and web enabled services hitting the market.

    Clearly, 2007 was a momentous year for the industry, with a great degree of optimism in the air. However, there were also concerns that made us exercise caution in all that optimism. Talent management became an important issue for the industry, with sustained levels of attrition. Industry fee and rate structures were under much debate, especially for broadcasters with respect to the surcharge issue. The need for a re-alignment in these became a matter of contention and that is yet to be fully resolved. The regulatory environment for the industry did not improve substantially and a lot of streamlining in policymaking is still necessary in close consonance with industry players. Issues such as revenue leakages through media value chains and a greater level of industry consensus and organization are other key areas that continued to impede us in 2007.

    This year, the group saw tremendous ‘competency expansion’, apart from continued organic growth in its already existing market leading brands.
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    For Network18, 2007 was a defining moment in many ways. Befittingly, in 2007, we confidently unraveled our new brand identity and re-committed ourselves to continue enlightening, entertaining and enabling India. Moreover, the year symbolized a great culmination of the first phase of Network18’s growth story. By 2007, we have progressed from being only a “small company” a decade ago, a production house as our genesis, to now becoming a “small BIG company”, which is considered as one of India’s leading full play media conglomerates.

    In fact, in 2007, our growth story reached newer unprecedented highs. This year, the group saw tremendous ‘competency expansion’, apart from continued organic growth in its already existing market leading brands. In 2007, Network18 expanded into newer media such as print and genres such as general entertainment, through strategic alliances with global leaders like Viacom and Forbes, the acquisition of Infomedia and announcement of the JV with Jagran Prakashan.

    We diversified our gamut of services with the launch of E18, our full spectrum events business which clocked early coups with prominent music gigs such as Americas and Scorpions. Our filmed entertainment venture Studio18 led from the front with innovative distribution and marketing strategies as was evident from Jab We Met becoming one of the year’s blockbusters, despite the high voltage drama from other big budget releases.

    We continued on the leadership path in the Indian online space with stronger performance of all portals across the content, communication and transaction spectrum. Our foray into the Hindi online space with the launch of ‘Josh18’ and success with our latest mobile innovation “Moneycontrol’s Markets on Mobile” ratified our status as new media pioneers in the country. In fact, Markets on Mobile has already emerged as one of the largest mobile subscription services in the country within a couple of months of launch.

    On the television side, our leader brands across business news, general news and music and entertainment (CNBC Channels, CNN-IBN, IBN 7 and MTV Network channels) continued to traverse new boundaries and sustained their momentum through 2007. Ratings, viewer feedback, awards and advertiser interest ratified the continued progress of our television business.

    Clearly, in 2007, it was definitive that Network18 has become a “small BIG company”. The future promises to be exciting and invigorating for all of us at the group. Our long term vision is quite simple and clear. Network18 must emerge as the “Big Big company” on the global media stage, a torchbearer of the Indian media industry’s arrival on the world market.

    However, our immediate objective towards achieving that vision is to FIRST become a “big SMALL company”. The “SMALL” symbolizes our passionate commitment to huddle together (Much like the famous Indian cricket one!) and continue to work as a well knit team which envisions and synergizes together and above all never loses the spirit of innovation and enterprise that has been the DNA of Network18. At Network18, expanding size will not mean furthering distances!

    At the group, our success mantra has always been our ability to execute with great precision, led by India’s best media talent along with strong adherence to our core values and vision. We hope to continue attracting and retaining the most innovative and passionate minds in the business as we strive to achieve the next phase of the Network18 growth story. 2008 and beyond…

  • News Channels: Sensation-fatigue, government’s attitude and regional channels will decide future content

    For noted media columnist Shailja Bajpai, her wish-list for 2008 includes cleaning up the news channels and getting back to ‘news as news should be. Or as it was in the olden days of print media and just Doordarshan’.

    The latest entrant in the Hindi news genre, Anuradha Prasad – with her News 24 – could perhaps bring some comfort to Bajpai, as Prasad has positioned her channel as one with the aim of “bringing news back to news”. But that will be one Hindi channel anew with that sort of focus from the beginning, whereas the market is in a high state of flux and for sure, eyeball journalism has been getting a better share in the space.

    A few aspects of news channels are quite married into each other and cannot be discussed separately: the growing number of channels in the genre, the issue of ethical journalism, where the advertising is going, the rating system and the government’s Content Code.

    Interestingly, though channels have taken their respective positions (which some differentiate as the ‘perception route’ Vs the ‘numbers route’), there is a lot of cross talk within the channels themselves, and thus it is that we find a Hindi channel editor talking of values of credible journalism and an English channel editor talking of the ‘robustness of Hindi news’.

    It is a melting pot on the boil and the process is not going to crystallise in the next few months, but overall, there is a sense of a lot of soul churning and of the new, just decade-old industry trying to see where it goes and how it survives – and on which formula.

    An analysis of the market share of the derided-by-some sensational (tabloid?) channels shows they have a consistent high rating, and India TV is a case especially in point, where it has become the No. 3 from a much lesser position.

    So where is the market going? Chintamani Rao, CEO, India TV has been consistent: “We are going where the people are going, that is where the market is.” And he cannot be denied this claim because of the consistent rise in the ratings of his channel.

    The other pointer in the same direction is NDTV 24/7 going FTA after the rolling out of Cas in the three metros, as it was a clear indicator that people were staying away from it if it stayed ‘pay’, despite the ‘ideological’ position of sane, serious and credible journalism.

    Hindi news channel NDTV India, despite sliding sharply on the ratings front since last April, has stuck to its ‘credible’ credo and promises to ‘stay the copurse’.

    NDTV Group CEO Narayan Rao, like his surname-sake Chintamani Rao, is consistent in his opposition to what the latter holds as the winning formula. Narayan Rao had told us during his mid-year statement on Hindi news channels: “It is a short term passing phase. In the long term, for any news channel, it is credibility and authenticity that matters. Whatever the situation is, we never opted to go down a certain route. We still have the same philosophy as we had when we conceived the channel.”

    In between comes CNN-IBN and IBN 7, in English and Hindi respectively. The statements from both Rajdeep Sardesai (Editor-in-chief for the group and directly handling CNN-IBN, and Ashutosh, Managing Editor at IBN 7 echo Narayan Rao on the issue of credibility, but are far more eager to experiment with both content and form.

    IBN 7 has brought some of the best exposes through sting journalism but says it is steering firmly away from sensationalism, whatever the cost. Ashutosh says that if it benefits society at large, he is all for stings, but “why should any politician having illicit sex in a state guest house be considered serious journalism, unless this act is coming in the way of his public functioning?”

    At the same time there is an in internal debate on what to show and for how long, and whether the sensational or even trivial has some place as ‘entertaining information and visuals’ punctuating serious news.

    For instance, one channel was showing a half hour repetitive shot of a lion hugging a man from behind the grills of his cage. The side talk at IBN 7 was, this is an interesting shot and people would like to see it, but IBN 7 would perhaps just have a 10 second take on it.

    This is where the moral debate is rooted in business terms: that eyeballs are important, but some say they will not veer a centimetre to get them, and some say a centimetre is OK if we can restrain ourselves to that. The other view is, of course, eyeballs is everything.

  • IBN 7 to be merged with GBN; 5:1 stock split announced

    MUMBAI: Global Broadcast News Ltd today announced the merger of Hindi news channel IBN-7 within itself after acquiring the balance stake in the holding company and a 5-for-1 stock split.

    The balance stake in Jagran TV Pvt LTD, the joint venture holding company, is presently with the Gupta family, IBN 7’s original promoters and owners of Hindi print major Dainik Jagran.

    GBN will issue 1,467,390 shares of Rs 10 each (4. 45 per cent of GBN’s capital after dilution and exercise of 3,000,000 warrants) to the Gupta family for the balance stake in Jagran TV. A further 1,793,478 equity shares of RS 10 each of GBN will be held in a Trust.

    “The Board also accorded approval for sub-division of the nominal value of its equity share from the present RS 10 per share to RS 2 per share resulting in a 5-for-1 stock split,” according to an official statement.

    The announcement follows GBN’s acquisition earlier this week of a 10 per cent direct stake in Jagran TV from New Vernon Pvt Equity LTD for RS 200 million. Prior to that transaction, GBN held a 49 per cent stake in the joint venture holding company BK Fincap, which held 90 per cent stake of Jagran TV (the remainder being with New Vernon).

    Besides, IBN 7, GBN also owns CNN IBN. It is also entering the regional news space with the launch of a Marathi news channel with Lokmat Group.

    Through GBN, Network18 operates a joint venture with Viacom called Viacom18. The JV operates the MTV, VH1 and Nickelodeon channels in India – as also Studio18, the Group’s filmed entertainment operation and will be launching a Hindi general entertainment channel.

  • CNN-IBN, IBN 7 launch Taare Zameen Par contest

    MUMBAI: CNN-IBN, IBN 7, IBNLive.com and Buzz18.com have launched Taare Zameen Par contest to promote the Aamir Khan’s directorial debut.

    The contest will hunt for seven special children, who will get a chance to perform for Aamir Khan. The contest will conclude with a special half-hour show on 20 December.

    During the show, Aamir Khan will walk through a school, where the show is shot. He will talk about his own childhood days, favourite teachers and favourite moments as a student. In the school auditorium the seven chosen finalists will perform.

    CNN-IBN and IBN 7 editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai said, “Every child is unique in his/her own right. The idea behind the contest is to celebrate childhood and all the quirks that come with it. I am sure eager participation by parents wanting to showcase what makes their child special, will make this initiative a huge success. ”

    Said IBN 7 managing editor Ashutosh, “While most contests for children invite entries from exceptionally intelligent or talented candidates, our Taare Zameen Par contest stands apart. This is because it celebrates each child for his/her special ability, no matter how banal or unusual. In addition, the opportunity to meet a mega star like Aamir Khan will add to the attraction of the initiative. “

  • CNN-IBN, IBN 7 launch Aaja Nachle – Madhuri Makeover contest

    MUMBAI : CNN-IBN and IBN 7 in association with Buzz18.com has launched ‘Aaja Nachle – Madhuri Makeover contest’. As part of the contest, the show ‘Main Madhuri Bana Chahati Hoon’ will be on IBN 7 and CNN-IBN on 1 and 3 December respectively.

    Three winners of the contest which is open for only female viewers, will be given a makeover by Manish Malhotra and Subbu, the designer-stylist team of Madhuri Dixit in the film Aaja Nachle.

    The ‘Madhuri Makeover Show’ will showcase the journey of the three contestants and their entire makeover experience. 

    “Madhuri Dixit’s nation-wide popularity combined with the opportunity to be dressed by some of the top stylists is bound to make the ‘Aaja Nachle Contest’ will be liked by all. Through this initiative we hope to give our viewers a chance to experience the glitzy lifestyle of the star herself,” said CNN-IBN and IBN 7 editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai.

    IBN 7 managing editor Ashutosh said, “The year’s next big release – Aaja Nachle has created a buzz around the country as it heralds Madhuri Dixit’s comeback to the silverscreen. Our contest provides her female fan club the chance to realise their dreams of meeting the actress and experiencing what it’s like to be her. “

    “A contest involving one of the biggest names in Bollywood will certainly generate a great deal of interest from the viewers. We are happy to offer our advertisers the opportunity to be associated with this contest and tap into the massie exposure and excitement that it will create,” said CNN-IBN and IBN 7 national sales head Sanjay Dua.

  • IBN 7 to add power backups to avoid future blackouts

    NEW DELHI: IBN 7, the 24/7 Hindi news channel, is building at least two power backup systems to avoid the unprecedented crash it suffered for two hours on 25 November during the afternoon hours.

    Company sources say that there was a half an hour power failure, but the two backup power supply units also did not support the power needs, and as a result, the main control room crashed.

    Though the power returned after 30 minutes, technical fault developed in the CR and it went completely on the blink for almost two hours.

    Now at least two more power backups are being set up, sources said.

    There has been some losses due to no-show of advertisements slated to be aired during that period, but company officials said they are confident of making up for that and make good for the advertisers.

    Otherwise, there has been no damage to the systems or the archives, sources told Indiantelevision.com

  • CNN-IBN launches special series on ‘Retail Revolution’

    MUMBAI: CNN-IBN is launching a special series ‘Retail Revolution’ on the booming retail business in India. The week long series will look at the distinctly transforming face of retail, with a special focus on its effects on the towns and villages across the country.

    Retail Revolution will feature stories on issues that include the impact of retail prosperity on farmers; changes in rural households; the fate of small-scale traders; people’s changing eating and shopping habits; availability of big brands in small-towns, and the altering landscape of leisure and entertainment retail with the proliferation of multiplexes.

    CNN-IBN and IBN 7 editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai said, “The pattern of consumption, both amongst urban and rural Indians, is changing at a rapid pace. ‘Retail Revolution’, therefore, is our attempt at providing an insight into this fascinating and dynamic phenomenon that is affecting consumers, traders and industries alike.”

    CNN-IBN and IBN 7 national sales head Sanjay Dua said, “The series is bound to draw interest from all segments of our audience as ‘retail’ is something that touches everyone – whether a housewife, teenager, businessman, or any other. Therefore, those choosing to advertise with us will find this property particularly lucrative.”

  • IBN 7 media partner for Filmy’s ‘Bollywood Ka Boss’

    MUMBAI: Filmy has roped in IBN 7 as media partner for their new reality quiz, Bollywood ka Boss. Slated to kick off in January 2008, the quiz show will attempt to find the supreme Hindi film buff that will walk away with prize money of Rs 5 million.

    Created by Siddhartha Basu’s Synergy Adlabs, Bollywood Ka Boss will be hosted by Boman Irani.
    Through this partnership, IBN 7 will present the property through frequent programming highlights till the Grande Finale. There will be regular segments on IBN 7’s film-based programme – Premiere 7 focusing on the show, the participants, the host and sneak-peeks of what to expect in the coming weeks.

    “In collaborating with Bollywood ka Boss, we are recognising the popularity of such reality shows and attempting to meet the infotainment needs of our viewers. It is our pleasure to work with Filmy on this initiative and look forward to partnering with them for similar ventures in the future,” said CNN-IBN and IBN7 director marketing and online projects Dilip Venkatraman.
    Additionally, news stories profiling the contestants, special interviews with Boman Irani and Siddhartha Basu along with capsules on the news wheels following the progress of quiz show will also be included.

    “We are extremely delighted to have IBN 7 on board as the television partner for Bollywood Ka Boss. This tie-up not only ensures great visibility for our show but also allows both the channels to collaborate on cutting-edge programming innovations,” said Filmy business head Shailesh Kapoor.

  • CNN-IBN launches ‘All about the Money’

    MUMBAI: CNN-IBN has launched a weekend show All about the Money. The half-hour show will provide guidance on issues relating to savings and investments.

    Each episode will be divided into a number of segments like ‘personal finance’, ‘realty check’, ‘consumer watch’, ‘indulge’, ‘class room explainers’ and ‘business unusual’.

    The segment ‘personal finance’ will provide guidance on insurance and mutual funds to banking and tax law and ‘realty check’ will provide map of realty prices and broker tips on investments.

    ‘Consumer watch’ highlights the after-sale services of companies and facilitates in addressing consumer woes. ‘Indulge’ reviews the latest consumer launch of the week. While ‘class room explainers’ answers basic questions related to personal wealth management, ‘business unusual’ explores money-making business ideas.

    CNN-IBN and IBN 7 editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai said, “All about the Money is our endeavour in helping the discerning viewer on how best to invest his disposable income in order to receive maximum returns. The main aim of the show is to provide methods of financial enhancement that are simple and comprehensible.”

    CNN-IBN and IBN 7 national sales head Sanjay Dua said, “All about the Money is the sort of show that would be of interest to everyone – whether a working professional, housewife or even someone who has just started earning. I am confident our advertising associates will find this property most lucrative in providing their brands excellent visibility.”