ITV

Tag: ITV Network

  • ITV Network’s RK Arora elevated to group CEO

    ITV Network’s RK Arora elevated to group CEO

    MUMBAI: ITV Network that runs news channels News X and India News has given a boost to its senior management. Current CEO of its broadcasting initiatives, RK Arora has been elevated as the group CEO of the Network.

     

    “I’m delighted to announce his well-deserved promotion,” said ITV Network managing director Kartikeya Sharma. “I am confident that with his deep industry knowledge and collegial working style, he’ll continue to strengthen ITV Network’s position in the marketplace. He has been instrumental to the highly positive momentum which ITV Network enjoys today and has in the past two years, in his capacity as CEO broadcasting, worked towards attaining leadership position for ITV network and taking it to greater heights. His astute business acumen and expertise has helped ITV Network solidify its position in the news genre. Under his tenure all our products have become market leaders and as a group we have worked hard to deliver value for our advertisers. Not only have we fulfilled our commitments, but have also delivered more than what we had targeted. With this thought process, I am sure he will achieve many more milestones. Our company’s objective is to become India’s largest TV news network and the most profitable one as well. I am sure that ITV network will definitely achieve its objectives under his leadership.”

     

    Arora will assume overall responsibility of strategic and operational management of the ITV Network and oversee the group’s diverse portfolio of assets spanning news broadcasting.

     

    Speaking on his elevation, Arora said, “I am humbled to lead ITV Network as Group CEO. In spite of challenging and demanding environment both our brands NewsX and India News have been able to carve a niche for themselves. I firmly believe that with Kartikeya’s support and ITV Network’s formidable talent, we are well poised to continue to deliver superior results in today’s increasingly competitive market and take the network to greater heights. India News and NewsX are now a preferred choice for advertisers as they are delivering strong performance week on week. In a short span of time, NewsX and India News have carved a value proposition in the mind of the advertisers and have been consistently over delivering.”

     

    Arora had taken charge of the network in 2012 after being CEO of BAG Network for nearly 2 years. Prior to that, he was the executive director and CFO at India TV. He has an experience in the industry of nearly 22 years.

     

    The ITV Network consists of News X, India News Hindi and its regional channels, Good Morning India Media and The Sunday Guardian.

  • NewsX launches ‘Mandate with Destiny’ with Vir Sanghvi

    NewsX launches ‘Mandate with Destiny’ with Vir Sanghvi

    MUMBAI: Soon after coming up with new look providing viewers a clean, sharp, and soothing viewing experience, India’s new news leader, NewsX is launching an unique new show  ‘Mandate with Destiny’ with distinguished journalist and TV show host Vir Sanghvi.  

    ‘Mandate with Destiny’ is a show that tells the story of the making of modern India through the elections that have shaped our country.

    Speaking on the occasion, Kartikeya Sharma, MD, iTV Network which owns and runs NewsX & India News said “We are happy to launch one of its kind show on NewsX. Vir’s understanding of Indian political landscape will provide invaluable insights as he takes us through a momentous journey of the historic elections that shaped modern India. I am confident that the show will generate a huge level of excitement amongst viewers”

    Written and presented by Vir Sanghvi, the show unites archival footage, personal insights and interviews with many of the key players to provide a gripping narrative that makes the complexities of Indian politics instantly accessible.

    R K Arora, CEO, iTV Network said – “NewsX election programming DECISION 2014 has been exhaustively covering the key issues, the various battlegrounds and campaign trails. We believe that this show with Vir will add a new dimension to our programming mix and will connect well with both our viewers and advertisers.”

    Vir Sanghvi said “This is a show that takes you behind the scenes and gives you an insider’s perspective on Indian elections. It makes the great names of Indian politics – from Indira Gandhi to Narendra Modi come alive and tells you the stories behind the stories.”

    ‘Mandate with Destiny’ goes on air from Friday, 4th April 2014. It will be a weekly show, every Friday 10 pm.

     

  • NewsX unveils a vibrant new look

    NewsX unveils a vibrant new look

    MUMBAI: After an unprecedented performance in the year 2013 and now 2014, India’s New News leader NewsX has come up with a brand new look. The new NewsX embraces rapidly evolving needs of today’s viewer and with its new features provides viewers a clean and crisp news viewing experience. The new on-air presentation features a lively and contemporary appearance with vivid blue & red colors. The enhancements also include new type and font sizes and greater depth to images and video. The new look is in line with the channel’s profile, which caters to the young, affluent and urban viewers within the SEC AB category in the 25-44 age group. With its differentiated strategy and a broader spectrum of content mix, the channel has managed to create a unique place in the minds of viewers and advertisers.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, iTV Network MD Kartikeya Sharma which owns and runs NewsX said, “Over the last few months, NewsX has become the home of breaking news, in-depth coverage, analysis and hardcore news reporting from the ground and this is a significant new phase to build our growth story.”

     

    New look NewsX to also feature new shows

     

    Along with the new look; NewsX has also come up with 2 big shows that are unique and exceptional. Recently, the channel launched ‘Decode India with MJ Akbar’, a unique show where the guest leads the questions and discussions. Every episode, our guest questions, debates, gives his opinion and probes MJ Akbar on a topic of national significance.  The show airs on every Sunday at 10 am and 10 pm.

     

    Yet another unique show ‘Ideas that shaped Indian democracy’ is coming up soon which will see one of India’s illustrious journalist and TV show host Vir Sanghvi take us through a momentous journey of rediscovery as he handpicks the biggest ideas that shaped the world’s largest democracy.

     

    iTV Network CEO R K Arora said “Our success in the recent times only reinforces our belief in News not noise. We are glad that our strategies have resulted in unparalleled success for the channel. Our constant endeavor is to produce and present news in the most engaging manner”.

  • NewsX partners with Aidem Ventures to recalibrate pricing with improved performance

    NewsX partners with Aidem Ventures to recalibrate pricing with improved performance

    India’s leading HD-ready English News Channel, NewsX has awarded its advertising sales duties to Aidem Ventures.

     

    Part of ITV Network, NewsX is now India’s No. 1 English News Channel on the basis of 21 week combined GVTs. Even in terms of stickiness the channel has been witnessing more Time Spent Per Viewer than any other English News Channel in India. [Source: TAM | All India (1 Mn+) (incl. 6 Metros) | CS M 25-44 AB | Wk 19 -Wk 39’13, combined GVTs and average TSPV]. To monetize its current position, it has partnered with India’s leading independent advertising sales company – Aidem Ventures.

     

    The channel’s leadership is well established over the last 21 weeks as per the TAM ratings. With its clean presentation and unbiased content, NewsX targets the younger, aspirational audiences who appreciate and demand well-researched, thought-provoking news. With its focus on ‘News. Not Noise’, NewsX differentiates itself from its competitors in staying away from hysteria and sensationalism.

     

    Post digitization in 38 cities, NewsX has augmented its viewership by 260%. This performance has been consistently growing since the markets have gone digital. Research showcased a void in the offering in super prime bands for pure news dissemination resulting in high performance amongst the large part of younger audiences in addition to the other age groups. NewsX stands by its tagline and with its unassuming presentation style has managed to come across as a breath of fresh air. NewsX didn’t want to tread up any existing pathways in terms of style and news delivery and wanted a completely independent identity. This strategy has paid off said Vikas Khanchandani, Director, Aidem Ventures while discussing the new business win.

     

    “This association reflects our vision to pursue NewsX’s successful positioning as a strong, robust media platform among Indian advertisers & agencies. NewsX’s high-quality content, well-established reputation, latest video technology and rising TAM numbers will have a synergistic effect on the channel’s revenue generation.  NewsX has been focusing on interactive shows and intend to introduce other new exciting formats in the near future. Aidem has been managing Ad Sales some of the biggest News brands from India and abroad. We are very optimistic about their sales infrastructure and their professional management team working in favor of our plan for NewsX” added RK Arora, CEO, ITV Network.

  • Journalists, anyone?

    Journalists, anyone?

    MUMBAI: The past few months have seen established news channels showing their employees the door; be it a TV18 Broadcast or UTV Bloomberg or NDTV, which took the cake when it shut down the entire Mumbai office as cost-cutting measure. Media as a whole – particularly English news channels – has sunk into a lull. However, all’s not lost. There’s still hope for aspiring journalists in the form of a smattering of channels that are out to hire in the time of widespread lay-offs.

    A case in point is the ITV Network – comprising English news channel News X and Hindi news channel India News – which is currently hiring people both in its editorial and management departments. Not so long ago, the network roped in known faces such as Rahul Shivshankar and Diptosh Majumdar as Managing Editor and National Affairs Editor, respectively. “We ensure team structure and size is controlled in order to optimise cost,” says ITV Network HR Shikha Rastogi.

    Popular news channel India TV too is looking to fill vacancies in editorial and digital media. About 20-30 people have already been hired in various departments in the last quarter.

    Even in these difficult times, many new channels are making their way into the ecosystem, paving the road for hiring more people. So, while English news channels have started containing themselves, a number of new Hindi and regional news channels have cropped up.

    Just launched Hindi news channel, Jia News, will complete its second phase of hiring within the next two or three months. News Nation, another Hindi news channel which was launched earlier this year, did a significant amount of hiring to reach its current 350 staff strength. Hereon, the channel will hire as per specific requirements. There are also instances of new channel additions, where hiring is not really a prerogative except when the need arises.

    MCCS (Media Content and Communication Services) is adding a Punjabi news channel to its existing flock of ABP News, ABP Majha and ABP Ananda but no hiring is taking place in the ABP channels presently. Ditto for ZMCL, which added Zee Rajasthan Plus to its portfolio and recently acquired Maurya TV that runs in Bihar and Jharkhand. “We only hire when we need to. No attrition has taken place so no addition will either,” says MCCS CEO Ashok Venkatramani.

    Anurradha Prasad says that the situation can be much better once pay TV kicks in

    BAG Films and Media MD Anurradha Prasad, which owns the channel News 24 agrees that the scenario is not too good but since elections are approaching they will be looking at hiring competent people to cover it. Overall, there isn’t any such post vacant in the channel.

    Again, many channels are looking at getting their staff to multi-task to restrict hiring to the minimum. Sahara Samay Editor (Network Operations) Sanjay Banerjee says that their company has not fired any employee since their hiring itself is kept to a bare minimum. “Only when we have vacancies will we fill them as we did with the recently re-launched Sahara Samay NCR as Samay Rajasthan,” he adds. The Samay Rajasthan re-launch took place in mid-September and a good number of reporters and cameramen were hired in many cities of Rajasthan.

    Meanwhile, industry insiders feel the whole ruckus has been caused due to hiring more people than required. “A lot of unnecessary hiring has happened. Where just two people could do the work, six people have been taken in,” says an industry source. “The field hasn’t matured in all these years. There’s no formula to reach the top and there’s no benchmark either. At the same time, recession is happening and then if you aren’t a strong team, you are going to be in a mess,” opines a channel editor.

    Asked about what could be the reason for this sudden lull Prasad points out :”The cost of producing news has not come down in all these years and the system of pay TV has not yet kicked in.” Most channels say they are incurring losses rather than making a profit out of the business. The wait is on for digitisation to set in which will see news channels getting a better share of revenue.

    And though the gloom hasn’t passed yet, journalists would do well to hold on to whatever they have or look for and accept any opportunity as a stepping stone till an established name in the business is ready to hire once again.

  • ITV Network’s Karthikeya Sharma picks up majority stake in Barun Das’ ad sales firm

    ITV Network’s Karthikeya Sharma picks up majority stake in Barun Das’ ad sales firm

    MUMBAI: ITV Network MD Karthikeya Sharma has picked up majority stake in private equity backed ad sales agency Cent Percent Media Solutions, a company co-founded by former Zee News CEO Barun Das and Amit Tripathi, who was heading the ad sales function of Zee News.

     

    Sharma owns ITV Network, which runs a clutch of news channels. Besides Hindi news channel India News, the other regional-language channels are India News Haryana, India News Bihar-Jharkhand, India News Rajasthan, India News Chhattisgarh and India News UP.

     

    Last year, ITV Network acquired English news channel NewsX from Vinay Chhajlani and Jehangir Pocha.

     

    With this stake dilution to Sharma, Cent Percent Media Solutions will handle the ad sales of the ITV-owned channels. The plan is to have a slew of regional-language news channels.
        

    Commenting on this acquisition, ITV Network MD Karthikeya Sharma said, “Barun and his team have tremendous track record in managing news television business in the highly competitive genre. Also given the proliferation of niche and regional channels that I foresee, riding the digitisation of cable distribution, Cent Percent is an extremely exciting proposition.”

     

    ITV Network CEO R K Arora added, “Our thrust is on content and marketing strategy, which has already started showing results.”

     

    Cent Percent Media Solutions is outsourcing adverting sales organisation with its core focus on regional and niche channels.

     

    Cent Percent Media Solutions co-founder Das said, “Regionalisation and Digitisation are the primary growth drivers of TV media, where so far the profitability has been the prerogative of only a select few. With capacity growing exponentially due to digitisation, Indian TV industry is poised for the next big leap. In a country of 1.24 billion people with 22 official languages, niche and regional language channels would realise their true potential, now. I expect more 200 new channels, mostly regional and Niche would be launched in next 3-5 years. Cent Percent would be a one-stop shop to meet the advertising revenue challenge of all niche and regional channels who may not find it viable to build a strong national sales team.”

     

    Tripathi added, “We would have a strong national team with about 70 leading sales professional. Our initial plan is to build a bouquet of regional news channels which would be the biggest and most effective one from the point of view of national advertisers. Within the first fortnight of its operations, Cent Percent has signed up with seven high potential regional news channels. We are confident that before the new financial year, we would be setting up a bouquet of 10 regional news channels. Our primary bouquet would have one channel each from leading regional TV markets of India. We would carefully handpick those channels.”

  • Arti Machama joins ITV Network as VP sales

    MUMBAI: ITV Network has appointed Arti Arora Machama as the new vice president, sales. Machama will be responsible for revenue generation for the broadcast division of ITV Network which includes NewsX, India News National along with five regional news channels.

    She will report to ITV Network CEO RK Arora. Her role at the network includes augmenting fresh strategies thereby enhancing the growth in terms of market share as well as revenues for the group channels.

    Machama has 14 years of experience in business development. She has worked with brands like Star India, Zee News and BAG network.

    Arora said, “We are thrilled to have Arti aboard. In the wake of digitalization and various changes within our organization structure, we are sure that Arti will add immense value to the organization considering her strong leadership skills and extensive experience. We wish her the best for this new challenge.”

    Machama said “I am delighted to join ITV Network. I look forward to heading revenue operations of ITV network channels and taking them to greater heights.”