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Tag: M K Anand

  • TIMES NOW completes 10 impactful years of action-oriented leadership and success

    TIMES NOW completes 10 impactful years of action-oriented leadership and success

    MUMBAI:  India’s No 1 English News Channel has completed 10 successful and momentous years. Over the last 8 years, it has remained the most popular and impactful channel, because of its action-oriented approach to news, driven by the highest standards of professional journalism. The channel was launched on 31st January 2006.

    Within just two years of its 2006 launch, TIMES NOW raced away to become the biggest English news channel, and ever since, has remained India’s most popular and impactful television news channel – one that has delivered for the consumers and business associates, and most importantly for society and the Nation.

    M K Anand, CEO&MD – Times Network, says, “TIMES NOW is a truly iconic news channel respected for its committed, action-oriented, professional and impactful journalism. TIMES NOW, NewsHour and Arnab Goswami are household names. It’s hard to imagine that just a decade ago, we did not have this mega brand. TIMES NOW like other young global mega media brands is a reflection of what has changed in human society in the 21st century and what still endures as true and good. Over the last 10 years, TIMES NOW has led the nation’s discourse by stimulating collective national thought and resultant action and has become a strong agent of change. It is this drive that has not only made TIMES NOW India’s most impactful News Channel, but has also taken it to over 80 countries around the globe.”

    Arnab Goswami, President, News, Editor-in-Chief of TIMES NOW, ET NOW and Magicbricks NOW, the original architect of the soul of TIMES NOW, its content,  says, “Ten years ago, when we set about planning to create TIMES NOW, we questioned the old belief that news should remain just reported and hence a monologue. We asked ourselves: Why shouldn’t news be information plus added perspective of different news makers and thought leaders thrown in? Even as we innovated on strategy, questioned old formats, and infused news with speed, throughout, we have remained unwavering in our mission to maintain the highest ethical and professional standards of news reportage. We are committed to ensuring that relevant news does not remain hidden from the public, and that it sparks opinion, debate, and corrective action.”

     “Through our approach to television news journalism, we have changed, forever, the way news was presented in India. As a result, TIMES NOW boasts of an exceptional top-of-mind recall. 

    “I am grateful to my entire team for their belief, abilities, commitment and dedication, and for all the hard work they put in unfailingly each day, which has helped make TIMES NOW the incomparable channel it is.”

  • TIMES NOW completes 10 impactful years of action-oriented leadership and success

    TIMES NOW completes 10 impactful years of action-oriented leadership and success

    MUMBAI:  India’s No 1 English News Channel has completed 10 successful and momentous years. Over the last 8 years, it has remained the most popular and impactful channel, because of its action-oriented approach to news, driven by the highest standards of professional journalism. The channel was launched on 31st January 2006.

    Within just two years of its 2006 launch, TIMES NOW raced away to become the biggest English news channel, and ever since, has remained India’s most popular and impactful television news channel – one that has delivered for the consumers and business associates, and most importantly for society and the Nation.

    M K Anand, CEO&MD – Times Network, says, “TIMES NOW is a truly iconic news channel respected for its committed, action-oriented, professional and impactful journalism. TIMES NOW, NewsHour and Arnab Goswami are household names. It’s hard to imagine that just a decade ago, we did not have this mega brand. TIMES NOW like other young global mega media brands is a reflection of what has changed in human society in the 21st century and what still endures as true and good. Over the last 10 years, TIMES NOW has led the nation’s discourse by stimulating collective national thought and resultant action and has become a strong agent of change. It is this drive that has not only made TIMES NOW India’s most impactful News Channel, but has also taken it to over 80 countries around the globe.”

    Arnab Goswami, President, News, Editor-in-Chief of TIMES NOW, ET NOW and Magicbricks NOW, the original architect of the soul of TIMES NOW, its content,  says, “Ten years ago, when we set about planning to create TIMES NOW, we questioned the old belief that news should remain just reported and hence a monologue. We asked ourselves: Why shouldn’t news be information plus added perspective of different news makers and thought leaders thrown in? Even as we innovated on strategy, questioned old formats, and infused news with speed, throughout, we have remained unwavering in our mission to maintain the highest ethical and professional standards of news reportage. We are committed to ensuring that relevant news does not remain hidden from the public, and that it sparks opinion, debate, and corrective action.”

     “Through our approach to television news journalism, we have changed, forever, the way news was presented in India. As a result, TIMES NOW boasts of an exceptional top-of-mind recall. 

    “I am grateful to my entire team for their belief, abilities, commitment and dedication, and for all the hard work they put in unfailingly each day, which has helped make TIMES NOW the incomparable channel it is.”

  • Times Network appoints Rasesh Gandhi as Cluster Sales Head – News

    Times Network appoints Rasesh Gandhi as Cluster Sales Head – News

    MUMBAI: Times Network has appointed Rasesh Gandhi as the Cluster Sales Head – News (TIMES NOW & ET NOW). Prior to joining TIMES Network he was VP – Sales at BCCL Response. In his new role, Gandhi will work closely with the Leadership in a bid to ensure that the portfolio grows manifolds. The News Ad Sales team will directly report in to him and he will report to the Chief Sales Officer, Times Network.

     

    Times Network MD & CEO M.K. Anand said, “His association of almost 2 decades with The Times Group and specifically Times Response gives him an extra edge, particularly at a time that Times Network has now established itself as a strong leader bringing top end audiences to advertisers. Rasesh’s experience in representing out Prime Print brands coupled with his tremendous understanding of Sales will be crucial in our endeavour to right-price our News brands. It is a pleasure to welcome him on-board.”

     

    Rasesh Gandhi’s bond with The TIMES GROUP spans almost two decades in varied roles. Prior to joining Times Network, he was VP- Sales at BCCL Response where he helmed verticals such as Auto, FMCG and Real Estate. Gandhi was a part of the special task force and played an instrumental part during the launch of Zoom TV. In his career he has had short stints Home TV, Radio City 91.1 FM & HCL- Hewlett Packard Ltd, where he first entered the professional arena.

     

    Commenting on his new role, Gandhi said, “I am very pleased to be an integral part of the television division of India’s largest media house, The Times Group. Having worked with the network for such a large amount of time will definitely be a boon for me in understanding the network goals and driving strategies. I look forward in contributing to my fullest to my new role and having an extremely pleasurable working experience”

     

    Rasesh has done his Bachelor of Science from Mithibai College, Mumbai, & has successfully completed certified courses in Media, Leadership, Strategies &   Coaching from Mica, ISB & Wharton School.

  • NDTV’s K Yegneshwara Iyer joins Times Network as VP & head technology

    NDTV’s K Yegneshwara Iyer joins Times Network as VP & head technology

    MUMBAI: NDTV chief information officer K Yegneshwara Iyer has joined Times Network as vice president & head of technology. 

     

    A source close to the development informs Indiantelevision.com, “He will work closely with the business and leadership teams to ensure that the Network is at the cutting edge of technology.”

     

    According to the source, while Iyer will report to Times Network MD and CEO M K Anand, the company’s Technical and Broadcasting teams will directly report in to Iyer.

     

    Iyer has 27 years of experience and spent the last 18 years at NDTV. Prior to that, he had over nine years of experience in setting up networks and developing business software.

     

    In his long stint at NDTV, he was the software architect as well as a part of the development team that developed arguably India’s fastest election results platform. He is a co-applicant in a patent application for real time graphics on television. He has launched greenfield projects co-ordinating with multiple internal and external teams and business verticals within NDTV, integrated traditional and digital processes between TV, Internet and mobiles, conceptualised and delivered innovative technical processes in news broadcast television, developed mobile apps and mobile app back-end architecture.

     

    Iyer has done his BA from Delhi University and has done CISA and CISM from ISACA. 

  • Rajat Sharma re-elected president of News Broadcasters Association

    Rajat Sharma re-elected president of News Broadcasters Association

    NEW DELHI: India TV chairman and editor-in-chief Rajat Sharma has been re-elected as president of the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) for 2015-16, while ABP News Network CEO Ashok Venkataramani has been elected as the vice president.

     

    On the other hand, News24 Broadcast India chairperson and managing director Anurradha Prasad was reappointed as honorary treasurer. 

     

    The other Members on the NBA Board are: NDTV Group executive vice chairperson K V L Narayan Rao, TV Today Network CEO Ashish Bagga, Times Network MD and CEO M K Anand, Zee Media Corporation CEO Ashish Kirpal Pandit, TV18 Broadcast group CEO A P Parigi and Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing Co. Ltd. whole-time director M V Shreyams Kumar.

  • TAM-BARC India JV: The King is dead, long live the King

    TAM-BARC India JV: The King is dead, long live the King

    MUMBAI: Merely four months after the new television ratings measurement body Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India entered the fray, the battle of matrices saw a happy ending today (27 August) as Television Audience Measurement (TAM) gracefully bowed out of the ratings race.

    Seeing more wisdom in forming a joint venture with its now erstwhile competitor BARC India, TAM joined hands with it to form a meter management company.

    Industry Cheers Move

    The move has brought much cheer from the industry as this means a unified single ratings sans any confusion week on week. Moreover, this move will benefit broadcasters and advertisers alike.

    Indiantelevision.com spoke to multiple industry stakeholders to get their first reactions on the coming together of TAM and BARC India. Here’s what they had to say:

         Viacom18 Group CEO Sudhandhsu Vats

         “It’s very good news for the Indian broadcasting industry. With BARC consolidating all the video audience measurement assets, we are happy       that stakeholders will have a greatly improved view on reach and impact. The aggregation of people meters and panel management powered by       BARC’s technology gives us an effective measurement system that expedites the solution on geographical coverage, sample size, and rural-           urban reporting.” 

    ZEEL MD and CEO Punit Goenka  

    “This partnership is a big step forward and in this era of cooperation, we welcome this move forward as a joint industry body. The technology and methodological prowess of BARC, combined with the extra meters and the field force will definitely help the industry progress.”

    R K Swamy Hansa Group chairman Srinivasan K Swamy

    “It’s a good development. It has become a larger sample and a more robust study. The techcom is strong in BARC and I am sure they will seamlessly integrate the inputs from two sources to great advantage.”

    Times Network CEO and MD M K Anand  

    “It’s a great move. The new system has launched quite well. The usual teething troubles are mostly getting addressed. The lingering presence of the erstwhile measurement system as a shadow was confusing. There have been faint mentions of TAM by clients and that chatter needed to end. With this move, the industry is truly and completely on BARC. The additional boxes and some talent from the older system will surely help in getting to maturity quicker. All in all, a great move for the industry and the two players.”

    Madison World and Madison Communications founder, chairman and MD Sam Balsara

    “This is a step in the right direction and achieves multiple objectives at one stroke:

    1.       It eliminates possible confusion in the market because of 2 currencies

    2.       It enables Barc to scale up cost effectively by putting the additional meters to good and effective use

    3.       It enables Barc to have ready access to trained people in the field

    4.       It ensures that a large number of people don’t go out of their jobs

    There are sufficient checks and balances in place to ensure that Barc in course of time will discharge its responsibilities, honourably.”

     Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia chairman Ashish Bhasin

    “I think it’s great that BARC and TAM have joined forces for the meters because definitely we don’t need two currencies for television ratings and BARC is the officially accepted ratings currency for the industry to use. Moreover, it is also good that the TAM meters will get utilised because that will help speed up the process of scaling to the meters required for BARC, so that the entire country can be quickly covered. We now look forward to robust viewership data, covering the entire country, and are particularly looking forward to rural data commencing soonest.”

    To start with, the new JV company will have 34,000 meters covering all of India, and will supply raw data to BARC, which will use its own statistical processes and sampling design. The details of the formation and roll out of this new company will be shared in the coming weeks.

    After an unrivalled run of almost 17 years in the Indian broadcast space, TAM Media Research, which started its function way back in 1998 with the mandate to work neutrally, will now no longer be rolling out television ratings.

    To say “The King is dead, long live the King” would be an apt proclamation to summarise this latest development.

  • Zoom and Philips launch ‘Thank God It’s Fryday’ season 2

    Zoom and Philips launch ‘Thank God It’s Fryday’ season 2

    MUMBAI: Bollywood and lifestyle channel from the Times Network stable, Zoom is leaving no stone unturned in strengthening its content, in keeping with the revamp strategy.

     

    The channel is all set to bring back the season 2 of its food fashion show, Philips Air Fryer Thank God It’s Fryday with chef Ranveer Brar, this August. The show that will travel to eight cities, including Lucknow, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Goa and Amritsar will bring to the viewers the local cuisine of the region combining it with health, style and fashion.

     

    Times Network MD & CEO M K Anand said, “Zoom is connected closely with its premium audiences who are driven in their pursuit of a stylish and fulfilling lifestyle. Philips Air Fryer Thank God It’s Fryday helps them in their quest, as it shows them ways to keep their diet healthy even as they happily enjoy tasty, fried food. This is why we are particularly pleased to launch season 2, in which it will offer even more engaging, entertaining and extremely useful and relevant content to our viewers.”

     

    Philips India president consumer lifestyle ADA Ratnam added, “Thank God It’s Fryday was a truly innovative concept that seamlessly brought together food, fitness and travel to create a very interesting story. As expected, the audience loved its first edition in 2014 and were left hungry for more. This year, once again, Philips Airfryer is joining hands with Zoom to explore more cities and more cuisines to create interesting stories that the audiences will love. And it is not just stories – we have received tremendous response from people trying the innovative recipes and re-discovering tasty, healthy food. Like everyone else, we are also looking forward to Chef Ranveer once again creating magic with his trusted companion Philips Airfryer.”

     

    What’s new in season 2

     

    This season the show will have a new format, new fried flavours, and most important, a host of healthy and delicious new regional delicacies created in the Philips Airfyer.

     

    Season 2 will also feature a new fusion of cooking and photography. The chef and his photographer friend will travel to different cities around the country, exploring various local delicacies and new fried flavours. Chef Ranveer will recreate a healthy version of the same dish in the Philips Airfryer, but with an interesting twist to create a new fusion dish.

     

    Brar said, “In today’s world of stress and convenience, where well-being and health have become all the more important, a gadget like the Philips Airfryer, along with Thank God It’s Fryday, brings back well-being into our lives, and with style.”

  • “Under Arnab’s guidance, ET Now will innovate & redefine biz news genre:” MK Anand

    “Under Arnab’s guidance, ET Now will innovate & redefine biz news genre:” MK Anand

    Launched on 17 June, 2009 Times Group’s business news channel ET Now, has now completed six years in the Indian television industry. ET Now is the youngest player in the English business news space and faces firm competition from CNBC TV 18, NDTV Profit and UTV Bloomberg.

    On numerous occasions the channel has grabbed the pole position in terms of viewership. What’s more, as per the recent Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India ratings it is placed in second place with 136 (000s) sum, while CNBC TV 18 holds the pole position with 154 (000s) sum.

    Times Network has been strongly promoting the business venture and in order to strengthen it further, the network has now given Arnab Goswami the additional responsibility of being its editor-in-chief. Speaking to Indiantelevision.com’s Anirban Roy Choudhury, Times Network CEO and managing director MK Anand shares the network’s plans and proposals for the future.

    Excerpts:

    How has ET Now’s journey been so far?

    It has been a splendid journey. In just three and a half years, ET Now had established itself as the No.1 business news channel of India, beating a global giant competitor and creating history of sorts. Recently, the BARC measurement system has re-validated our position as India’s Number 1 business news channel. ET Now was launched on 17 June, 2009 in a challenging economic environment, and practically rewrote the script for the genre.

    Over the years, the channel has not just gained its viewers’ trust but has also gone on to become the preferred choice of India Inc. and policy makers alike.

    What’s your take on the business news market? Do you see it growing?

    The business news market, like the Indian media market in general, is most definitely poised for strong growth. Despite recent volatility, we are in the middle of a structural bull run that could see a whole new set of viewers tuning into business channels like ET Now, for unbiased news coverage and analysis. We believe in re-imagining and creating new value with our products. If last year is any indication, our bet on the English audience and more specifically on the English news category will pay us handsomely. We see geometric growth in the medium term.

    What will be your strategy to stay ahead of competitors?

    ET Now has built its leadership on three key pillars – speed, integrity and expertise. We will continue to up the ante on all three pillars and further consolidate our leadership by reaching out to a wider catchment of viewers. Our distribution has already been scaled up substantially. We also have the best in class content team. The trick is to relentlessly be ahead on quality. We are confident to be able to do it.

    Over the years, what has been advertisers’ reaction towards the channel?

    Advertisers and brand owners have been extremely positive and encouraging; they have continuously reposed their confidence in us, for we cater to the audience that matters the most. ET Now continues to reach out to maximum viewers in the English business news category and we ensure our advertisers get the maximum ROI for their spends. Our ad growth is the best indicator of our advertiser confidence.

    How aggressively will Times Network push to promote ET Now?

    ET Now is an integral and important part of Times Network’s news portfolio. The recent clutter breaking consumer and trade engagements, never-seen-before budget campaign and the recent leadership drive, reinforces Times Network’s intent towards ET Now’s growth and success.

    Can you throw some light on the channel’s distribution numbers? How do you plan to improve it further?

    For ET Now, the focus earlier was only on metros. However, with digital addressable system (DAS) implementation in Phase II and the demand of the channel growing in markets beyond metros, ET Now’s penetration has increased to almost 100 per cent in all 1 Mn+ markets. We have also doubled the penetration in 0.1 to 1 Mn markets, in the last 10-12 months.

    With the impending DAS III & IV phases, the focus on LC1 has also increased for all broadcasters and likewise for ET Now, where language is no longer a barrier considering the kind of content it provides.

    With Arnab Goswami as the new editor-in-chief, will there be any change in programming?

    Arnab has been a champion of innovation in the general news genre. Under his guidance, ET Now will continue to innovate and redefine the business news genre. We have a winning team and a champion leader.

    What is the channel’s stand on the new rating body BARC? Do you see enough difference when compared to TAM?

    We are happy with the new measurement system. BARC is technologically advanced and is larger than the erstwhile base of meters by almost two-and-a-half times. An extended viewer base has certainly helped bring in more consumers into the analysed set and helped us improve our services to them and thus generate more value. With BARC, we have retained the No.1 spot across channels, and we continue to lead the broadcast space in the respective genre with a clear margin. Times Network’s ‘Now or Nothing’ philosophy, helps us sustain our leadership across genres with differentiated and hard hitting content and stay on top of the audience pyramid as always.

    As ET Now celebrates its sixth anniversary, will there be any special programming to celebrate the occasion?

    This is ET Now’s anniversary week and we thought we must delight our loyal viewers. So we have launched a ‘Built on Six’ contest, where in six lucky viewers have the chance to win an iPhone.

    On the programming front, we have a power packed line of shows and experts this week. Some of the most seasoned market experts like Vallabh Bhanshali and Ramesh Damani will be speaking exclusively to ET Now and sharing their insights on the market. We also have some exclusive interviews lined up with key ministers and govt officials. That’s not all, we also have a special show on 17 June (anniversary day) called Stocks and Stars, which will feature Bollywood superstar- Amitabh Bachchan.

  • ET Now ups Sandeep Gurumurthi as executive editor

    ET Now ups Sandeep Gurumurthi as executive editor

    MUMBAI: Times Network’s business news channel ET Now has elevated Sandeep Gurumurthi as executive editor. Besides heading the channel’s editorial operations, Gurumurthi also anchors the daily primetime show Business Tonight at 9 pm.

     

    Concurrent to Gurumurthi’s elevation, Nikunj Dalmia has been promoted as chief editor- financial markets, responsible for market hours and morning band, whereas Supriya Shrinate has been elevated to the position of chief editor- news, with all bureaus reporting into her.

     

    Times Network CEO & MD MK Anand said, “Gurumurthi has maturity and aggression in the right doses and will bring energy and dynamism to the news room. He has played a critical role in ET Now’s leadership so far and going forward his expertise will be invaluable in building ET Now into a power brand. In his new role as the executive editor, he will be responsible for all editorial and programming for the channel.”

     

    Gurumurthi added, “I’m delighted to be taking charge of ET Now at this juncture. The channel has been built on key pillars of integrity, speed and accuracy and I am certain that we will continue to deliver value for all our viewers and stakeholders. ET Now has pioneered innovation in the business news genre and I look forward to working with the highly talented team here to raise the bar, yet again.”

  • MK Anand upbeat about Times Network’s revamp

    MK Anand upbeat about Times Network’s revamp

    GOA: Times Television Network has revamped itself as Times Network with a new tagline – ‘Now or Nothing’ and a new logo. The new logo will sport a pyramid with a red dot on the top.

     

    It may be recalled that Indiantelevision.com was the first to report about Times Network’s re-branding plans.  

     

    The network has five different channels under it, which were launched in different period of times. Of the five channels, apart from ZoOm all the other channels end with Now – Times Now, Romedy Now, Movies Now, and ET Now. “That’s where the ‘Now or Nothing’ tagline comes from,” informs Times Networks CEO and managing director M K Anand.

     

    “We have strong branches but the trunk needs to be strengthened and the revamp is to ensure that. Moreover, we don’t want to restrict ourselves as a television network only. Hence we decided to break a few boundaries and expand. Our new logo is a pyramid, which signifies the population of the country and the red tip on the top is our target audience. This will ensure that everyone in the network will have the same corporate identity. All the brands should complement and respect each other in the network. ‘Now or Nothing’ is a credo that we have been following since inception. It’s just that we made it a network motto,” Anand says.

     

    Every revamp comes after detailed research and analysis and has the ability to impact and change consumer behaviour and consumption patterns. When queried about this, Anand tells Indiantelevision.com, “Firstly, the change of the network’s logo won’t leave an impact on the channel’s creatives. Here the consumers are trade, advertisers, DTH companies and MSOs and not the viewers. The most important consumer of this revamp are our 1000+ employees, who now know that they are no longer an employee of a particular channel, team or floor but a member of the entire network.”

     

    Anand goes on to say that Times Network would soon be launching the Times Now app, which will have both broadcast content and fresh content. “This is a serious attempt from our side to establish ourselves on the digital platform. In three months’ time, we are planning to launch the app with an aim to be a leader in that fraternity too,” adds Anand.

     

    A presence on the digital platform with apps has almost become mandatory for most networks. However, the revenue model for these avenues remains a challenge. “How much ever we might want to adopt a subscription model for our digital platforms, it is currently not possible due to technical deficiencies and consumer behaviour. Hence we will follow the advertising revenue model,” asserts Anand.

     

    Times of India already has an app, which offers news updates. Now with the launch of the Times Now app, will the two compete with each other? To this, Anand says, “Yes we will and there is no problem in that. Our app will have more videos but yes we will also provide news and if that means competing with the Times of India app, we will.”

     

    Speaking about BARC’s roll-out of television ratings data by the end of April, which also means the end of TAM’s tenure, Anand says, “The statistics won’t have much of an impact, nor will it turn out to be a game changer. Instead of one, now the other will conduct the survey. Having said that, I was initially concerned about structural changes and new figures that would be rolled out by BARC. However, it has now been cleared that the structure will be the same but the sample size has definitely increased. I don’t think we will see a ‘ratings dark’ period. Not receiving ratings for a week or two is not likely to leave too much of an impact.”