ITV

Tag: Karan Thapar

  • New English news channel Harvest TV to launch on Republic Day

    New English news channel Harvest TV to launch on Republic Day

    MUMBAI: As the general elections are inching closer, media veterans are set to launch several news ventures. Harvest TV is expected to be the first off the blocks. The English news channel, which has congressman Kapil Sibal as one of its promoters, is set to go on air from 26 January, according to a report by ‘ThePrint’.

    Harvest TV is owned by Veecon Media that already has licences for English, Hindi and other regional language channels. The news venture will see the return of high-profile journalists Barkha Dutt, Karan Thapar and Punya Prasun Bajpai.

    The channel’s uplinking and downlinking will be done by Intelsat-17.

    Dutt will anchor a prime show and so will Thapar. Other prominent TV anchors such as Seemi Pasha (ex-India Today) and Vineet Malhotra (ex-Times Now) are also expected to be a part of the channel.

    According to ThePrint, the launch preparations are on in full swing. The promos are being shot now and will be on air before the launch.

    Another channel to be launched on the same date is Republic Media Network’s Hindi news channel, Republic Bharat. In a recent announcement, the network has elevated Vikas Khanchandani as group CEO and also appointed Bhaskar Das as the group president.

    Hemant Sharma, formerly of India TV, is also working on launching a Hindi channel for the TV9 group, along with journalists Vinod Kapri and Ajit Anjum.

     

  • “India Today TV has become a very strong alternative to the noise that dominated news television:” Ashish Bagga

    “India Today TV has become a very strong alternative to the noise that dominated news television:” Ashish Bagga

    May 2015 marked the re-branding of the English news channel Headlines Today as India Today Television. The group cited research conducted by the group, which showed higher brand recall value for India Today than Headlines Today as the reason for the name change. The change immediately showed results as it saw India Today Television toppling market leader Times Now to claim position as the leading English news channel in terms of viewership according to BARC ratings in the first week of its re-launch. 

    The journey from there on has been a good one for the channel as it has maintained the number two rank on the ratings chart. The challenge now is to take it to the top and sustain the pole position.   

    In an interview to Indiantelevision.com’s Seema Singh, India Today group CEO Ashish Bagga talks about the journey so far and the plans ahead.

    Excerpts:

    It has been seven weeks since the channel revamped to India Today TV. How has the response been?

    Of late, the English news television genre was dominated and characterised by loud debates with little being added to viewers’ usable knowledge. The last seven weeks have witnessed a starkly different product with a clear vision to take forward the 40 year legacy of the India Today brand.

    The launch has been amongst the most successful media launches in recent times with the channel showing considerable growth from the launch week itself as per BARC ratings. A lot of the success of the new channel can be credited to the brand strength of India Today along with the new content strategy, dynamic visual format and robust marketing that added to the increased popularity of the channel. The success of the launch has been very promising especially as the channel is built on the same ‘Gold Standard’ of journalism of the India Today brand. This clearly underlines that the brand extension was the right decision and the product has become a very strong alternative to the noise that dominated news television.

    What was the channel’s positioning in the ratings chart before the revamp? What is the percentage hike in viewership that you have witnessed after revamping?

    On a comparative level with Headlines Today, the average weekly market share for a four week period since the launch of India Today Television has increased from 11 per cent to 23 per cent. (four weeks average of last available data from TAM Week 10 to Week 13, CS 25+ M AB Top 6 Metros and post launch four week ratings as per BARC Week 21 to Week 24, CS 22+ M NCCS AB Top 6 Metros: Table below).

    The launch of India Today Television showed the highest growth, of almost 110 per cent in market share over Headlines Today, while most other channels showed negative movement during the same period.

    This positive growth clearly establishes the acceptance of the India Today brand among news viewers.

    How has the revamp helped the channel in attaining the number two rank? What were the changes that were made in the channel, that worked in favour?

    India Today Television was launched on a philosophy of keeping the India Today ethos of journalism at the core, while being relevant to the evolved news audience. This philosophy called for a paradigm change in TV news delivery formats to make the channel the definitive knowledge source. The most radical change was in the form of a pioneering visual format, which integrates digital interactivity and makes it possible for multiple news updates simultaneously on the screen. The digitally inspired screen with innovative elements like the roller deck has redefined the news viewing experience on television.

    The immense pull of the India Today brand along with a renewed content strategy designed to be a knowledge source had the viewership of the channel grow from the launch week itself.

    Has there been a shift in the positioning and target audience of the channel post the revamp due to which it has started gaining eyeballs?

    The content strategy is built on the principle to be the ‘fact factory’ as against an ‘outrage factory.’ Therefore the new positioning builds on the ethos of the India Today mega brand and goes after the viewer that seeks knowledge as against entertainment. The channel is engineered to cater to the viewer’s intelligence and to specifically appeal to a progressive audience that is seamlessly consuming news across platforms.

    The focussed promotions around the launch of the channel saw a lot of additional viewers who were drawn to the channel due to its distinct offering. 

    What is your strategy now to ensure that you move to the top position or maintain the current position?

    India Today Television is slated to become the No. 1 English News channel backed with a journalism that builds on the values that have defined news in the country for around four decades. The convergence has created synergy of content that will see the launch of a series of new shows. In addition, a lot of thought leadership event properties are lined up that are sure to provide the channel with unrivalled content. We will continue with focussed marketing for the brand to keep it ahead in preference.

    Though the growth in ratings has been very encouraging, our focus will be to make India Today TV a knowledge source by staying true to the same principles of journalism that had kept the magazine brand an undisputed leader. 

    How much of a role has distribution played in the numbers that the channel has achieved?

    It was a tactical booster made to facilitate and give the new brand enough sampling. This intervention seems to have done its job.

    What has been the response from advertisers?

    The consistent ratings of the channel from the launch week itself has created a steady increase in advertising. We are targeting shorter commercial breaks and increased premium. The value that the channel provides to advertisers has led to an increase in advertising and premium has definitely grown manifold for marquee shows led by Rajdeep Sardesai, Karan Thapar and Rahul Kanwal.

    What is the channel’s perception on BARC ratings and measurement mechanism?

    The channel’s focus towards excellence in journalism is clearly being reflected in the ratings. We are happy that the measurement system by BARC provides a robust and scientific measurement tool for viewership trends. We had in fact used the BARC system very effectively to build on the launch media plan.

  • Headlines Today becomes India Today; group to pump 10% of budget in marketing

    Headlines Today becomes India Today; group to pump 10% of budget in marketing

    NEW DELHI: Emphasising that the launch of the ‘India Today’ news channel was being treated as a fresh channel launch and not a re-branding of Headlines Today, spokespersons from the channel said that it sports a completely new look as compared to any other news channel in the country.

     

    Speaking about the key reason for changing the brand name of the channel, India Today group CEO Ashish Bagga told Indiantelevision.com that research had shown that the brand recall value of India Today was much higher than that of Headlines Today and therefore it was being promoted as a new news channel.

     

    The channel will also be promoted through television commercials, newspaper and web advertisements and outdoor publicity. In addition, the channel will also be eyeing media partnerships with events like the Indian International Film Academy (IIFA) Awards or premieres of important films.

     

    Bagga informed that approximately five to ten per cent of the channel’s total budget would be spent on marketing it. 

     

    He considered this the biggest initiative by the India Today Group in the last forty years.

     

    Bagga also said that the channel was not visible on all DTH platforms including Doordarshan’s FreeDish.

     

    With 40 niche magazines in its kitty, the group had already connected with viewers and readers all over the country.

     

    When asked if a research had been conducted before the channel’s launch, he said research was conducted on two levels. On a qualitative level, the aim had been to gauge what people were seeing and what they wanted in news channels. Secondly, an Eye-7 test had been conducted whereby special kind of glasses were worn to gauge eye movements and also check if the viewer had any problem in seeing a channel, which carries more than one box of written matter apart from the visuals. 

     

    Talking about the channel’s branding and content, India Today Group synergy and creative officer Kalli Purie said that the new channel had a lot more depth.

     

    Purie said that the India Today magazine had set a standard that other print publications were attempting to emulate, and the aim was to bring the same standard to television news reporting. 

     

    The new look of the channel not only has a headline at the top and bottom of the screen, but also on the left of the news presenter, which is in the form of a box making it legible even from a distance. She denied that this would be make the screen look cluttered and said it had been tested amongst viewers who had liked the format.

     

    Speaking on whether there would be any changes in content, Purie said that the Group had around forty print magazines and the experience would be used for formatting shows on niche programmes on automobiles, luxury items, celebs, and so on. 

     

    Unlike most channels, the content presentation on the India Today news channel would not follow a linear pattern but would be multi-layered. 

     

    When queried on the involvement of senior journalists like Rajdeep Sardesai and Karan Thapar, Purie said that they were already established and credible names in the news world, who didn’t believe in beating around the bush but in getting the real news out. 

     

    “Their contribution will be immense in formatting various programmes,” she added.   

     

    She also confirmed that the show On The Couch with Koel would continue on the channel.

     

    While Bagga refrained to comment on the ad cap matter as it was in court, he opined that the group did not agree with the government on cross-media investments. 

     

    “No single group dominates in media fragmentation,” he said. 

     

    At the same time, he said that the group had no intention to enter FM Phase III for more radio channels.

     

    Referring to Music Today, he said that the aim had been to bring out recordings of non-film music. “While all music is now available on digital platforms, we have no intention of entering that sphere,” he added.

     

  • Finance Minister’s interview on Headlines Today leads as the No.1 FM Interview

    Finance Minister’s interview on Headlines Today leads as the No.1 FM Interview

    MUMBAI: Headlines Today dominate the FM interview ratings in the English News genre with Karan Thapar’s, ‘Nothing But The Truth’ special show. The channel took coverage around the Budget to new levels with the show hosted by Karan Thapar, leaving interviews of the FM across other channels far behind.

    The Finance Minister faced a slew of blunt questions and direct concerns around the Budget on the show.   The candid responses by the FM on the criticisms and the clear cut interviewing style of Karan Thapar ensured that viewers got their fill on all news and views around the Budget. The show led with over 13 TVT 000s (Source: TAM, Market -6 Metros, TG- CS 25+ M AB).

    Karan Thapar among the most respected journalists stands out for his unique and direct interviewing style. He has interviewed the biggest names in News and brings with him, his expertise in hard hitting One- on-One interviews.  This interview with the FM, besides a series of other prominent interviews has carved a position for the hard hitting interview show – ‘Nothing but the Truth with Karan Thapar’.

    Maximum Ratings of Finance Minister Mr. Arun Jaitley’s interview across English News Channels

    1.Source: TAM, Market -6 Metros, TG- CS 25+ M AB

    2.Source: TAM, Market All India, TG- CS 25+ M AB

     

  • Rajdeep Sardesai-Sagarika Ghose to join India Today group?

    Rajdeep Sardesai-Sagarika Ghose to join India Today group?

    MUMBAI: India’s power news couple – Rajdeep Sardesai and Sagarika Ghose – may be headed for Aroon Purie’s India Today group.

     

    While Sagarika is joining Living Media magazine India Today as editor at large, Rajdeep is reported to have got an offer to join the TV Today Network, which he confirmed to Indiantelevision.com.

     

    Said Sardesai: “Yes, Shekhar Gupta – vice-chairman, India Today group and editor in chief of news properties and I have been in discussion and we go back a long way. But I have not yet taken a decision. I am currently, focusing on my book for the next six weeks as I have to complete it by then.”

     

     Sources close to the India Today group however revealed that both Sagarika and Rajdeep have accepted the offer made to them. Their joining date is expected to be 1 August.  

     

    The India Today group has gone through some changes on the editorial front in the past few months with the magazine’s editor Kaveree Bamzai stepping down, Headlines Today managing editor Nalin Mehta quitting and Karan Thapar launching his show on the channel. 

     

    Sources indicate that Gupta has decided to give the group a new independent editorial thrust, something along the lines that the Indian Express group had in its heydays.

  • Ideologically I&B Ministry should be abolished: Javadekar

    Ideologically I&B Ministry should be abolished: Javadekar

    NEW DELHI: Virtually echoing the views of former Minister Manish Tewari, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said that he ‘philosophically’ and ‘ideologically’ favoured abolishing his Ministry.

     

    However, he justified this by noting that it was in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s emphasis of ‘less government, more governance’. 

           
    “Philosphically or ideologically, I’ll be willing to do that,” he said, when asked if India needed an I&B Ministry when many major democracies do not have such a profile.

     

    Asked whether Modi was also “philosophically and ideologically” in agreement with his line of thinking, Javadekar said: “Absolutely”, during an interview by Karan Thapar on Headline Today’s programme “Nothing but the Truth.”

     

    The Minister agreed with the suggestion for hiring professional editors for Doordarshan and All India Radio.

     

    He was also open to discussion with stakeholders on more FDI in media.

     

    “I think you are giving a good line for us. But ultimately, when our Prime Minister Narendra Modi says that more governance and less government, so you are actually contributing to the idea of less government and more governance. That’s our focus, but to achieve that end we have to follow a process,” he said.

     

    The Minister said that as far as the public broadcaster is concerned, there are various models like the BBC and others available which would be studied. Javadekar said he was not in favour of a model where the public broadcaster is accountable to the minister “only”.

     

    Javadekar said in the years ahead, words like “government-run”, “government-controlled” or “government intervention” will be less heard of.

     

    “But I would like that government becomes less and less and freedom and market forces and at the same time social justice is achieved,” Javadekar concluded. 

  • Finally, Rajdeep Sardesai too sends out email to team at Network18

    Finally, Rajdeep Sardesai too sends out email to team at Network18

    MUMBAI: The buzz has been strong. Several media outlets have reported it too. But IBN 18 editor in chief Rajdeep Sardesai has been in complete denial that he has jettisoned – nor would he be jettisoning –  from the news network.

     

    However, earlier  today, Sardesai sent out an email to his teams at the channels which seeks to clarify where he stands as far as his employment with IBN18 is concerned in order to end the speculation and concerns expressed by so many of his colleagues.

     

    Says he in the email: “…After a long and wearying (and highly enjoyable) election season, I am taking a short break from the newsroom (haven’t taken one in over a year!). I will be on a month’s leave: reading, writing travelling, watching the world cup soccer, and, hopefully recharging the mind.”

     

    Rajdeep adds that he aims to be back on 1 July. “Please keep the energy levels up through the next few weeks and always put journalism first! Vinay, Radha, Nikhail Sanjeev and the rest of the team  will be there to keep the flag flying.”

     

    However, sources within the network and close to him reveal that Rajdeep has indeed resigned and has even got an offer from Penguin to pen a book. Something which he has been keen to do.

     

    Whether he will come back from the short vacation is a big question mark. His wife and leading IBN18 anchor and journalist Sagarika Ghose will also be accompanying him on his time-off.  The grapevine is that they are maintaining the “leave” story so as to soften the impact on the editorial  teams at CNN-IBN and IBN7. And both are most unlikely to return.

     

    Only time will tell whether we have seen the last of Rajdeep as editor in chief of IBN18.

     

    Already senior management right from founder of the Network18 group Raghav Bahl, his wife and director Ritu Kapur, his sister and executive director Vandana Mallick, CEO B. Sai Kumar, COO Ajay Chacko, CFO RDS Bawa, legal counsel Kshipra Jatana have departed from the group. Prior to that Suhasini Haider, Karan Thapar, CEO Dilip Venkatraman too had decided to quit.

     

    Sources internally state that the takeover by Mukesh Ambani’s  Reliance Industries will see headcount being lowered; already last year some 300 professionals had been asked to go  as the group struggled to cope with the excess manpower that had been hired following its rapid growth and expansion.

     

    A new leadership team is expected to be announced very soon for the news network – CNN-IBN, IBN7, IBN Lokmat, CNBC TV18, CNBC Awaaz –  and for the Network18 group as a whole.

  • Suhasini Haidar quits CNN-IBN

    Suhasini Haidar quits CNN-IBN

    MUMBAI: CNN-IBN deputy foreign affairs editor and prime time anchor Suhasini Haidar has decided to quit from her current position. Sources from the channel suggest that Haidar, anchor for World View, CNN-IBN’s international affairs show, is likely to join the Hindu Group as she wants to go back to long-format journalism. However, she may also produce a show for CNN-IBN.

     

    Haidar began her career in 1995, with CNN International, working at the Delhi bureau that also covered Pakistan at the time (CNN subsequently opened its Islamabad bureau).Later on she moved to CNN-IBN. In her 18 years of journalism, Haider has covered issues concerning Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Syria, Lebanon and Libya. She regularly contributes as a columnist on Indian Foreign Policy for various newspapers.

     

    In 2010, she won the prestigious News Television “Best TV News Presenter” Award. Haidar is credited to be the only journalist to have interviewed Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his family, a show that also won her the Indian Television Academy award as ‘Best Chat show’ for the year.

     

    CNN-IBN which laid off some of its employees in August last year also saw one its most prominent faces Karan Thapar move to Headlines Today in March. With Haidar now quitting, the channel will have to do much more to revive its prime time faces.

  • Karan Thapar to host ‘To the Point’ on Headlines Today

    Karan Thapar to host ‘To the Point’ on Headlines Today

    MUMBAI: Last week, the news of CNN-IBN’s most popular anchors moving on to another channel surprised many. Starting tonight, TV Today Group’s English news channel Headlines Today will begin a new show with Karan Thapar called ‘To the Point’.

     

    The one hour show produced by the channel will air on weekdays at 8:30 pm that will focus on a range of topics. The pilot episode will start off with an exit poll. To the Point is replacing News Night that earlier used to air between 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm and Centre Stage between 9:00 pm to 9:30 pm.

     

    Thapar has been notable for his shows such as ‘Devil’s Advocate’ and ‘The Last Word’ on CNN-IBN. He has over three decades of experience in journalism and has won several awards.

     

    He has his own production house Infotainment Television that makes programmes for BBC, Doordarshan and Channel News Asia.

  • Prime time content on news channels needs to evolve

    Prime time content on news channels needs to evolve

    NEW DELHI: What would one expect when editorial heads from some of the premiere News Television channels in the country participate in a panel discussion? Riveting stuff is what comes to mind.

     

    And that’s what unfolded when Barkha Dutt, Karan Thapar, Vivek Law, Rahul Kanwal, Sanjeev Srivastava, Deepak Chaurasia, Ashutosh, all joined in to discuss the issue of, “Differentiating Prime Time News TV Shows/ Content” at the 6th Indian News Television Summit 2013.

     

    Session moderator BBC Global News COO India Preet Dhupar kick-started the session with a question to the panellists on prime time content and its impact on the ultimate stakeholders.
        

    CNN-IBN’s Karan Thapar said, “Content during prime time is in a confused mess. It is all about multiplicity of screeching heads. Anchors instigate people to quarrel on their shows and the ultimate product is unsatisfactory. When news is governed by ratings, it becomes an issue. What is really needed is a structure based discussion; focus on current affairs based debate and bifurcation between news and entertainment.”

     

    Doordarshan’s Sanjeev Srivastava while agreeing with Thapar, added that prime time content has become similar to edit pages of newspapers wherein the thoughts of the editor or the anchor are often reflected. But he also called for a ‘balance between forming opinions and proper dissemination of news.’

     

    Also agreeing with Thapar, Bloomberg TV India Editor Vivek Law said that the concept of talking heads of channels was not new and it was possible that organisations were revolving business model around it.

     

    NDTV Group Editor Barkha Dutt struck a cynical note by saying, “TV channels are stuck in a sluggish cycle. There is nothing interesting happening as channels have failed to tap appealing people who can talk sense. I don’t share too much optimism about prime time space.”

     

    Headlines Today Managing Editor Rahul Kanwal, had a diverse opinion. “Well, I am very proud of what I do and I must state that TV channels have played a stellar role in making politicians accountable and voicing the fact that no one is untouchable.”

     

    He also talked about the audiences’ demand for masala (adding juiciness) to news packaging.

     

    The debate between Hindi and English News channels was sparked by IBN 7 Managing Editor Ashutosh who said that English channels were elitist in their approach and embarked on intellectualism whereas Hindi channels had larger and “many layered” audiences to cater to.

     

    India News Editor-in-Chief Deepak Chaurasia observed, “News channels must understand that people have changed over the years. The environment and approach have also changed. One has to understand this to realise the confused state of affairs during the prime time slot.”

     

    Chaurasia also stressed on the fact that renowned faces were reluctant to come for interviews and discussions on Hindi channels as compared to English ones. Disagreeing with Chaurasia, Kanwal said that he had interviewed many politicians on his Hindi show.

     

    Other subjects that were touched upon in brief were budgetary cuts that production teams faced, the need for more reportage by anchors, whose reputations drew eyeballs to the show.

     

    All the panellists agreed that prime time content should focus more on news which would educate the masses.