Tag: MK Anand

Zoom partners Myntra, expects 40% top line growth in 2018

MUMBAI: Zoom, the entertainment channel from the Times stable, is bridging the gap between the television and online mediums. In order to maximise its reach using three staple diets of Indians- fashion, Bollywood and entertainment-it has partnered online fashion and lifestyle company, Myntra, to form a new revamped identity. Zoom will no longer be called just ‘Zoom’ but rather ‘Zoom styled by Myntra’.

The “reimaged” (as the company prefers to call it) identity went live last night-19 April 2018 at 9 pm IST. Times Network president Nikhil Gandhi affirmed, “Zoom is not a TV channel, but it is an omnipresent brand and Bollywood in India is like a meta-state. With our focus on original content, we will be targeting the sweet spot of 15-to 24-year olds.”

Zoom aims to leverage Myntra’s style quotient for a new look and feel, new shows, new web-series, short formats and exclusive experiences. The new logo and packaging reflect style, vibrancy and happiness that are symbolic of the channel’s target audience.

With ‘Zoom styled by Myntra’, viewers will see fresh new faces, stylised looks and latest trends from Myntra, rising stars, the best of Bollywood and popular music. Moreover, the clothing/apparel that will be worn by the celebs/actors/anchors would be shoppable via a Zoom store on Myntra. Through this partnership, Myntra aims to make #SeeItToBuyIt a reality, wherein what the consumer sees on screen can be easily accessed on Myntra.

Myntra is using the association to strengthen its position in the fashion space. The deal between Zoom and Myntra is a monetised partnership that Gandhi is optimistic will travel beyond at least three years.

Myntra head of research and insights Priyanka Bhargav said, “This partnership will help us reach viewers of the channel across the country who are ardent followers. Moreover, core propositions such as styles, looks and brands will get a huge push through celebrity-driven content that the TG looks up to.”

Times Network MD and CEO MK Anand was of the opinion that Zoom had changed the rules of stereotype partnership deals in the industry with its association with Myntra and the refreshed identity reflects the kind of real, conversational and multi-lingual entertainment that viewers in India are looking for.

Considering that companies today are in a hurry to jump from offline to online, the reverse done by Myntra may be considered as a major move. Bhargav said, “Television has always been one of the most popular mediums for consumption of content, alongside social and digital mediums that are extremely popular. Television, in this association, will act as a catalyst for greater penetration and overall visibility for both brands.”

Myntra and Jabong CEO Ananth Narayanan said that by 2020, 75 per cent of the content consumed would be video content and made for India original content would grow substantially. “Fashion as a category lends itself well to the video format, much more than any other category. Each show will be styled by Myntra and you can easily get similar looks on Myntra,” he added.

“Zoom has good affinity in the Myntra demographic TG, especially millennials and Gen-Z. Zoom has very good reach, not only in metros but also tier 2 and 3 cities and towns, where Bollywood inspires style and people have strong aspirations. Online fashion shoppers are highly indexed on Bollywood, movies and music and one in four Zoom viewers has a strong affinity towards online shopping for fashion,” Bhargava pointed out.

According to Gandhi, Zoom is being distributed to 60 countries out of which Mauritius is its biggest market.

Last year was a difficult year for broadcasters as they grappled with the challenges of both GST and demonetisation. “At the top-line level, Zoom has grown nine to 10 per cent last year, which was muted growth across the industry. But this year is going to be phenomenal and we are going to grow by 40 per cent at the top line,” Gandhi said.

Amidst rumours that the channel may launch an over-the-top (OTT) platform, Gandhi said that there were no such plans for now but content syndication was surely on the cards. To engage viewers, the channel decided not to spend millions of dollars on creating originals but focus on the ‘feel’ of the shows. “The cost in which we had executed our web-series is unimaginable against what the OTT players are paying per episode. Our cost is very less compared to OTT players in the market,” says Gandhi.

The ‘Zoom styled by Myntra’ marketing campaign will enjoy visibility across channels via advertisements and promotions on the Times network will amplify the announcement to the larger audiences in addition to a few print ads and hoardings to keep the communication at the forefront in the traditional format.

Zoom Originals aims to create experiences beyond screens that will be warm, stylish and relatable, reflecting today’s coming-of-age stories, and viewers’ own lives and relationships. These shows will be shown on the channel as well as on YouTube as web series.

The channel’s flagship property, Planet Bollywood, will also get a makeover. The anchors will now drive the conversation to reveal the real “story behind the news”. The show will also drive discussions to engage viewers on Zoom’s digital platforms and social media handles.

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Mirror Now turns One

Mirror Now aims to be no. 2 Eng news channel in 2018: Faye D’Souza

April 20, 2018
Mirror Now turns One

Mumbai: Mirror Now, a channel that fights for you and channelizes its focus on issues that impact you every day, celebrates its first anniversary. Following the launch last year, Mirror Now has successfully attained No. 3* position in Mega cities and increased its reach and viewership by 93%* and 137%* respectively.

Fiercely pursuing pertinent issues and creating desired impact, Mirror Now raised the bar in the English news genre highlighting women’s safety issues in Delhi, the dangers of childlock in radio taxis, questioning the rationale behind the frequent fuel price hikes, the Rs. 400 crores rice scam in Karnataka that exposed corruption and the relentless stand against Pahlaj Nihalani’s regressive decisions as CBFC Chief, amongst many others.

MK Anand, MD & CEO, Times Network, said, “I am glad we acted on our instinct and conviction in giving life to this platform. Almost all English News channels were pursuing a somewhat similar worldview and strategy, mostly imitating the leader Times Now, in pursuing a Nation First approach. This had left the space open for a voice that speaks for the citizen and her everyday issues. Mirror Now made a departure and puts Indians (You) First and shines the spotlight on matters closer to the individual. It’s our mission to contribute in improving Urban Indian life and push services and conditions closer to global standards which we believe hard working Indians deserve. We are glad that we have been able to create strong resonance with our viewers in such a short time and believe that Mirror Now will be a worthy partner to Times Now and together rule the English News market as the top 2 players.”

Faye D’Souza, Executive Editor – Mirror Now added, “It’s been a great one year at Mirror Now. The aim with every show is to focus on the issues faced by citizens, to decentralize news from the National capital Delhi and to turn the spotlight on the rest of India and this outlook has been successful. We are looking forward to bringing to the fore many more issues that are important to our audience. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our viewers for their continuous support.”

With its primetime show ‘The Urban Debate’ hosted by Faye D’Souza, Mirror Now has made dedicated efforts to bring credibility back to journalism, with focus on making everyday life better for Indians. On its first anniversary, Mirror Now has announced a consumer initiative #YouFirst where citizens will get an opportunity to be on the panel of the primetime show, ‘The Urban Debate’ to demand the answers they seek. Viewers have to use the #YouFirst and send a video voicing their issues or a topic that they would like to discuss on the flagship show, ‘The Urban Debate’ via the Mirror Now Whatsapp number 829-199-5633 or social handles (Facebook: @mirrornow, Twitter: @mirrornow, Instagram: @MirrorNow_in). The channel will select issues and call the consumer who have voiced the issues to be a part of the panel on viewer special episodes.

By being the voice of India’s everyday issues like crime, corruption, women’s safety, traffic woes and civic issues such as cleanliness, health, environment, power, water, etc., Mirror Now has been disruptive in more ways than one. The channel has launched a series on on-ground and digital led consumer engagement properties like TicTalkwithFaye, ‘Young India Debates’ and ‘Verified’ that were all designed to provide an open platform for citizens to voice their opinion and help them be a part of the change they want to see. The channel has also successfully taken its online strategy of being the voice of India offline as well.

March 27, 2018
ET NOW celebrates the indomitable spirit of Indian entrepreneurship at the 6th annual ‘Leaders of Tomorrow Awards’ 2017

MUMBAI: ET NOW, India’s leading English Business News channel, hosted the 6th edition of the ‘LEADERS OF TOMORROW’ (LOT) awards. India’s most coveted awards for MSMEs, ‘LEADERS OF TOMORROW’ (LOT) awards recognises and celebrates MSMEs who are shaping the future of Indian economy.

‘LEADERS OF TOMORROW’ awards 2018 was presided by Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas; Minister, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India as the Chief Guest. Pioneers from various industries including Mr. RC Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki India, Mr. R Chandrasekar, President, NASSCOM and Mr. V Vaidyanathan, Founder & Executive Chairman, Capital First felicitated the winners of coveted ‘LEADERS OF TOMORROW’ awards across ten categories.

Delivering the keynote address at ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’ Awards, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas; Minister, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India, Dharmendra Pradhan, said, “A lot of economic activities in India are based on emerging entrepreneurial models. But the challenge in the Indian scenario is that we do not have any formal financial leakage accountability. We should assess our requirements and know our strengths. We have to create a technologically driven world. I congratulate ET Now for this great initiative and I’m sure that the thinking group will jot down a new pathway for new aspirations and youngsters of this country.”

Commenting on this occasion, Times Network, MD & CEO, MK Anand said, “It takes determination and passion to bring alive an idea and no one knows this better than entrepreneurs. Through the LEADERS OF TOMORROW awards, we celebrate and salute the indominable spirit of MSME leaders, who have not only led their organizations to the pinnacles of success, but also are a source of inspiration to others. We firmly believe that India’s most coveted awards for MSMEs, will inspire new stories of entrepreneurial success.”

The glittering awards night saw a large number of high profile dignitaries like Gopal Krishna Agarwal, Member- MSME Task Force, Ministry of Finance & National Spokesperson- Economic Affairs, BJP, Gaurav Kapoor, Senior Head – Industry Partnership, CSR, Media and Advocacy at National Skills Development Corporation, Sunita Singh, Senior Director, National Entrepreneurship Network, Archana Garodia Gupta, Chair- MSME Committee, FICCI, Chandrakant Salunkhe, Founder & President, SME Chamber of India, Hiru Bijlani, Managing Director, Leadership Management

International, India, Vineet Nayar, Former CEO, HCL Tech & Founder, Chairman, Sampark Foundation, to name a few.

In association with ET NOW, the LOT Awards has had five successful editions and organised the 6th edition on March 8th, which received 1000 nominations from across the country. In this season of ‘LEADERS OF TOMORROW’, the winners of the most inspiring MSMEs were shortlisted after a country-wide selection process, where their extraordinary contribution to the sector has been appropriately acknowledged. This year, the Presenting Partner Capital First, Associate Partner LMI, Supported by MSME department and Knowledge Partner SME Chamber of India ensured complete process compliance and veracity of the data received from nominee MSMEs.

Catch the Indian entrepreneurs’ undying spirit on the most definitive MSME platform which will as 2 part Awards special on ET NOW – India’s leading English Business News channel on March 21st and 22nd.

March 14, 2018
Broadcasters see positive future for TV in India

MUMBAI: The threat of OTT and integrated platform ecosystems like Android TV is at the peak. Its increasing penetration across all age groups may be a threat to the broadcasters in the coming time. But, it isn’t the case yet in India with 64 per cent TV home penetration and much room for growth. Data also shows that 86 per cent of Indian homes still watch TV on CRT sets and only 3 per cent are multi-TV homes. TV viewing in India has grown from 3 hr 14 min (2015) to 3 hr 36 min (2017) but it is still lower than US, which boasts of an ATS of 3 hr 54 min. This gives a clear indication that there is immense scope for TV and it will further rise.

The FICCI Frames 2018 saw a session on ‘The future of TV in India’ with panellists Novi Digital CEO Ajit Mohan, Viacom18 COO Raj Nayak, Times Network MD & CEO MK Anand, Indiacast CEO Anuj Gandhi, EY Partner Ashish Pherwani, BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta and industry veteran Amit Khanna. The panel was moderated by Provocateur Advisory principal Paritosh Joshi.

Gandhi highlighted that we have the pulse of what audience wants which today is reality. Whether it’s a long form or short form content, people watch it, regardless of screen size or type. He said that people will consume TV content anywhere they can.

Nayak believes that the future of TV is bright. He said that if distribution is king, content is queen. “The myth has been broken that the youth don’t watch TV and people watch short formats. Even in the US, people above 90 years of age watch TV content,” he said. He further added that linear watching on Jio TV is exploding with 3 crore viewers per month.

According to Khanna, the average time spent on digital has grown with an hour and twenty minutes on phone especially in urban cities. When it comes to television, more that 70 per cent of viewership comes from movies and general entertainment. Pherwani said that 40 per cent of the time spent is on the mobile phone.

Anand said that better technology, bandwidth and campaigning had eased the worry of broadcasters. He added that it was much easier to start a video stream but monetisation had not been easy.

Broadcasters seem optimistic about the future of television, despite the onslaught posed by digital media. At least in India, the television will reign houses and minds of people for some time to come.

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March 6, 2018
Times Network copartners Autocar India for the Autocar Awards 2018

MUMBAI: Times Network, a part of The Times Group, co-partners Autocar India for the Autocar Awards 2018 for the third year. The event witnessed distinguished corporate leaders and personalities, who came together to salute the achievers from the automotive sector.

India’s automotive industry witnessed anencouraging business trend during 2017, the industryobserveddouble-digit growth backed by strong sales of passenger vehicles. Last year also saw a slew of new models & variants hitting the roads across categories,alluringboth first time as well as refresh segment of costumers.

Commenting on the industry’s most coveted event, Times Network MD & CEO, MK Anand said,“We are extremely excited to present Autocar Awards 2018. As the Auto Industry readies itself to brace the seismic changes that technology is bringing with it and adapts and evolves, we promise to partner the industry by recognising excellence and putting the spotlight on the best and brightest in the Indian market and showcase them to our discerning audience.”

Anant Geete, Union Cabinet Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Sector Enterprises, “The automobile sector has delivered significant growth and development; and is aligned with our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s mission of ‘Make in India’. The global automobile sector is witnessing a measured shift towards electric movement. India need to admit this change and move forward together.’’

The Autocar Awards for the past 15 years have been zeroing in on and honouring the best bikes and cars sold in India. It is only after astringent process of evaluation, ample testing, and of course thorough deliberation, that the contenders and winners for each award are adjudged.

India’s leading automakers, all vied for top honours at the Indian automotive industry’s most coveted awards.The awardswereadjudged by an esteemed panel of auto experts, who graded automobiles on the basis of performance, price, features, design and specification.The collective experience of the panel remains unmatched in the industry.

The Autocar Awards 2018 will air on Times Now and ET Now in January, 2018.

The winners of 2018 Awards are:

January 13, 2018
Making the news: A look at what news broadcasters did in 2017

MUMBAI: News channels were thrown into a storm of activity in 2017 with each player keeping up its oars to wade out of challenges that hit at them like ten-foot waves. With elections and sensational news driving up viewership at various points throughout the year, English news channels had to fight back to the onslaught that was Republic TV.

The entry of Arnab Goswami-led channel Republic TV increased the overall news viewing pie at the time of its launch but the hype did not last long and the genre went back to its minuscule share.

To add to the theatrics, there were several top-level executive shifts in 2017. Let’s take a look at the various channels and their performance during the year.

English News

Republic TV stole the limelight with the news channel becoming the news itself. After its launch in May, the genre witnessed tough competition between Goswami’s former employer Times Now and his newly launched baby. According to BARC India, Republic TV hasn’t budged from the top from its inaugural week till week 50. It claimed to have 52 per cent market share in its very first week of operations, which started on 6 May 2017.

Times Network had two big events to boast of-the rebranding of ET Now from a full-time business news channel to a general news channel and the launch of Mirror Now. Mirror Now’s launch got good response, especially from Bangalore and Chennai, with Faye D’Souza as the executive editor.

For Times Television staffers who were working the late-night shift at the Kamala Mills Compound in Mumbai, the night of 28 December 2017 was a nightmare. The conflagration that swept through restaurant 1Above and claimed 14 lives could have gutted the Times TV Network premises, too, which was on the first floor of the same building.

The net result: Times channels including Times Now, ET Now and Mirror Now went off air. And most distribution platforms carried an apology notice, in place of the live feed, which stated that the channel signals could not be received because of technical difficulties. In a recent interaction with Indiantelevision.com, Times Network MD and CEO MK Anand said that the channels’ success was the result of a combination of brand, process and team.

Anand expects news to be more active and exciting in 2018. “And with better market conditions, now that GST and demonetisation are behind us, the overall English and news space is poised for a truly great ride through the new year,” he said.

The disruption that Republic TV brought about in the TV news genre was momentous and chaotic. Arnab’s new avatar unleashed not only a slew of litigations (the fight for copyright over phrases like ‘the nation wants to know’, for example) but also a flurry of allegations of malpractice and biased reporting. The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) wrote to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and to the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) to hold up Republic TV’s ratings and get them checked, accusing it of broadcasting the channel on two LCNs on cable TV. When BARC refused to do so, NBA channels pulled out of the ratings for a week. Months later, Republic TV became a part of the NBA.

NDTV group saw many ups and downs in 2017, which began with the raid at the NDTV office and home of cofounders Prannoy Roy and his wife Radhika Roy. In June, the CBI raided the residence of the Roy family alleging that the promoters and a private company linked to them, RRPR Holding, were involved in defrauding ICICI Bank and allegedly causing it losses involving loans extended in 2008.

In the same month, NDTV Profit was shut down and the group decided to transfer its business programming from Profit to regular business and finance segments of NDTV 24X7. In September, there was a rumour that Spice Jet’s Ajay Singh was set to take a controlling stake in the company which was vehemently denied. Singh was apparently unimpressed with the channel’s litigations and bad finances.

The saddest for it was the demise of KVL Narayan Rao, CEO and executive vice chairperson of the NDTV group at the age of 63. Later, Suparna Singh was appointed as the CEO of NDTV.

In the month of December, NDTV group came up with a turnaround plan to improve profitability, which involved reducing the workforce by up to 25 per cent. A part of this plan was implemented in the last quarter and included the much-noted move to new technologies, including mobile journalism.

Zee Group’s Sudhir Chaudhary was elevated as editor-in-chief of Zee News, Zee Business and WION (World in One News). The network launched several regional channels including Zee Hindustan, Zee Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand and it reworked Zee Salaam from a GEC to a news channel.

In October, India Today Group elevated Kalli Purie as the vice chairperson from the editorial director (broadcast and new media). The group CEO Ashish Bagga, resigned in the month of July and in his replacement Vivek Khanna was appointed. Rajeev Dubey was elevated to managing editor business (TV and digital).

Hindi News

India TV chairman and editor-in-chief Rajat Sharma was elected as president of NBA. Ashok Venkatramani left ABP News as the CEO in 2016 and joined Chrome Data Analytics and Media as a consulting director in July 2017.

A news director or an editor leaving a media house isn’t exactly headline material. But in this case, it is noteworthy because of the circumstances leading up to his departure and 16-year-long association with the channel. India TV news director Hemant Sharma was under the scanner for his role in an alleged case of corruption involving certain officials in the Union Health Ministry and owners of a medical college. Sharma left India TV to pursue his first love – writing.

TV18 Broadcast president- revenue Joy Chakraborthy said, “2017 started off on a weak note with the effects of demonetisation very clearly there. However, budget onwards, things started to pick up and we had a great first quarter. July saw the rollout of GST, the effects of which are gradually waning and business is picking up. 2017 also saw the re-alignment of media spends from Hindi, regional and English across genres, with monies moving out of English to Hindi and regional.”

Regional News

Zee Media has increased its regional reach by launch Zee Salaam (Urdu) and Zee Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand last year.

Jagdish Chandra, after spending eight years at ETV network, joined Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL) as the CEO for the regional channels in January. In his new profile at Zee Media Corporation Limited, he handled a large bouquet of channels, including 24 Ghanta (Bengali), Zee Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh, Zee Punjab Haryana Himachal (Punjabi and Hindi), Zee Sangam (Hindi), Zee 24 Taas (Marathi), Zee Purvaiya (Hindi), Zee Kalinga (Oriya), Zee Marudhara (Hindi), Zee 24 Gantalu (Telugu), and Zee Kashmir.

In the month of March, Chandra got additional responsibility as CEO of DNA and in next couple of months, Zee Media Corp restructured the top deck for its regional news network, reducing the role of Chandra to just three channels – Zee Rajasthan, Zee Hindustan and Zee Salam (Urdu) and DNA Jaipur. Chandra continued to be on the board of ZMCL and DNA while stepping down as CEO of DNA in the same month.

iTV Network expanded its regional news space with the launch of India News Gujarat on 4 December 2017, just before the Gujarat elections. Uday Nirgudkar joined News18 Lokmat as group editor by quitting from the post of channel head of Zee24 Taas and CEO and editor-in-chief of DNA newspaper. Senior journalist Vijay Kuvalekar took over as the editor of the news channel.

Umesh Kumawat, who was the senior editor at ABP news, started his new innings at TV9 Marathi in 2017, but within a month resigned from the post of managing editor of the channel.

Focus Group, which already has footprints in the regional news market including Focus Haryana, Bangla, Odisha and NE, intends to launch a Kannada news channel by the end of 2017.

For news channels, next year holds much promise. As general elections are due in 2019, a lot of positive news can be expected, with supporting developments during the year. Branded content is likely to continue its upward trend. With advertisers beginning to realise the value of regional channels, we are in for some exciting times in 2018.

January 2, 2018
Combination of brand, process and team the real superstar: MK Anand

MUMBAI: The year is coming to an end on a satisfying note for the Times Network. 2017 threw up several challenges right from the start of the year with demonetisation, top-level changes in the editorial team and the tough competition between Times Now and the newly launched rival Republic TV, run by the Times’ former iconic anchor Arnab Goswami.

The two big events at the Times Network this year were the rebranding of ET Now from a full-time business news channel to a general news channel and the launch of Mirror Now. The former has broad-based itself beyond 5 pm in a bid to offer holistic news for business.

Times Network CEO & MD MK Anand says the channel has had a good streak lately. “It’s indeed a very satisfying December at the end of an eventful year with multiple challenges and multiple high points. The top-level change in Times Network’s editorial team last year pleasantly cascaded into a series of structural corrections unleashing innovation, synergy, asset optimisation and the sheer release of creative energy. The results are there for the world to see,” he says.

He highlights that digital will be a major thrust area for Times Now next year. Furthermore, the channel shifted its editorial team to Delhi in the second half of 2017 in order to centralise news operations.

Anand says that Times Now kept its primacy intact with style. “In spite of some desperate stunts by competition, India’s No 1 English news channel majestically marched along. Not once missing step,” he states. In the midst of the news hullabaloo, it launched and stabilised Times Now HD. “With that, we effectively proved that the combination of brand, process and team is the real superstar,” he adds.

For ET Now, the channel came up with an exciting developmental debate concept. The concept puts a new responsibility on the team to focus on areas that lead to India’s growth and give direction to the economy.

The same team, using almost entirely in-house resources, gave birth to Mirror Now in the middle of the battleground that 2017 was. The new channel climbed up the charts and carved a clear and differentiated niche for itself with reach/ viewership comparable with other major English news brands. It has also thrown up an extremely promising primetime star. “Mirror Now’s steady growth will upset the order in 2018 and I look forward to it being India’s second rank English news brand,” he adds.

Anand expects the news genre to be more active and exciting in 2018. “And with better market conditions, now that GST and demonetisation are behind us, the overall English and news space is poised for a truly great ride through the new year,” he predicts.

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Times Now leadership continues, new launches notwithstanding, says MK Anand

ET Now revamps to offer both, business and general news

December 27, 2017
Strong economic logic underpins several events, says Gurumurthi, as ET Now adds new viewer category

A while ago, the Times Network decided to embark on a mission to provide more to its business viewers of ET Now. Rather than overdose them with business news 24X7, it decided to show them how general news can also be viewed with a business lens.

Tune into the channel after 5pm and you will get to see development related news – both economic and social, that will give a business viewer a better idea of the sector. It can also be seen as an attempt to get evening viewers, who are generally glued to the general news and debates that follow. ET Now also has general news, shows and debates to engage the upwardly mobile audience.

Managing editor Sandeep Gurumurthy is not only behind-the-scenes but also co-hosts the 9 pm primetime debate ‘Rise with India’. In conversation with Indiantelevision.com’s Shekhar Pundir, Gurumurthy sheds light on the channel’s intent to change its positioning and what has come out of it.

1) How has this change from pure business to a mix of offerings benefitted you?

We are truly overwhelmed with the response so far. I don’t think any news channel has taken the leap of faith that we have. We sensed a clear need to bring intelligent and informed conversations back on news TV and no other channel saw the merit in putting development at the core of its editorial agenda.

2) How successful have you been in discussing India’s holistic development and imagery?

While these are early days, I think we have been very successful in establishing India Development Debate as a leading platform to discuss and debate issues relating to the country’s development. We have received great responses from stakeholders, both in the policy and corporate space. Top ministers and bureaucrats from the government such as Piyush Goyal, Jayant Sinha, Rajiv Kumar and Amitabh Kant, have participated in the show and contributed to finding solutions for the issues we raised.

3) What impact do you see on viewers after about 10 weeks of the shift?

To me, this is more than just repositioning. The entire organisation has morphed into a new entity with a new purpose. This is a tectonic shift and I appreciate the fact that it will take a while for people to understand the importance of this change. A year ago, this seemed unimaginable. Having said that, we have only made a beginning and set ourselves on a path, which is unchartered territory.

5) ET Now’s new shows promised to uncover the economics behind major news around us. Please comment on the effect and impact of this strategy.

I think with all these stories, what we are trying to demonstrate is that very often, there is a strong economic logic that underpins a lot of events that happen around us. Our endeavour is to bring that out. You can’t reduce news events to binary propositions. That’s how we want to make Rise with India, the most intelligent debate show.

7) What would you say makes the show different from the other business shows?

To start with, this isn’t a business show at all. This is a news debate show that focuses on development issues. Development is not just economic development but also social development. We have debated issues like hunger, sanitation, etc. which are core to India’s development agenda. Tell me another channel or show that is even talking about these issues on prime time?

9) What change in viewership have you noticed?

We have not repositioned the channel with an intent to drive viewership. We don’t decide topics based on what will get us eyeballs or drive viewership, we decide topics based on what will create impact and make a difference to India’s development agenda. With all humility, that is what we are doing at ET Now. Thanks to our strong brand, we are already one of India’s most watched English news channels. I am certain that in this new avatar, ET Now will draw a whole new category of viewers, who have so far stayed away from business news.

10) Wouldn’t most leaders cater to similar topics?

We as leaders definitely believe that these issues needed to be done differently. But we don’t want to restrict ourselves to just economic issues. Our agenda is development and we will cover every aspect of it. Most other business channels don’t discuss the kind of issues that we do. If they now start doing so, I will only be too happy.

11) What would be ET Now’s strategy, going forward?

We want to put development at the core of public discourse. We want to make India Development Debate, India’s most influential debate show that leads to change. We want to do whatever we can to aid India’s development agenda and help every Indian to rise with India.

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October 21, 2017
New NBA president Rajat Sharma to strive for healthy competition in fraternity

MUMBAI: There’s change at the top at the News Broadcasters Association (NBA). And returning to the helm of the news television collective is India TV founder & chairman Rajat Sharma who has been elected as the president for 2017-2018.

The bespectacled soft spoken-but-hard-questioning Sharma had served as the NBA president from 2014 to 2016. So he is quite familiar with the challenges that the NBA leadership brings with it.

“As the new president, I take the opportunity to reassure members that we shall walk together in bringing in more credibility and independence to the news broadcasting industry,” said Sharma. “I shall put in my best efforts to make the fraternity more accepting of our contemporaries, striving for healthy competition.”

He was the last president to serve out his full terms at the NBA. He was replaced by then ABP chief executive Ashok Venkatramani for 2016-2017. When Venkatramani departed ABP News as CEO last year and stepped down from the presidency mid-way, his shoes at the NBA were filled by India Today group CEO Ashish Bagga. Bagga too left India Today a couple of months ago and the NBA was president-less since.

Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing whole-time director MV Shreyams Kumar has replaced Times Now MD & CEO MK Anand as the vice-president, even as News24 Broadcast India chairman & managing director Anurradha Prasad was elected as the treasurer.

The NBA has also elected other members to its board. Among them: M.K. Anand, NDTV group CEO & executive vice-chair person K.V.L. Narayan Rao, TV18 Broadcast CEO news & group editor in charge Rahul Joshi, Zee Media executive director & COO Rajiv Singh, ABP News Network COO Avinash Pandey and Eenadu Television director I Venkat.

September 19, 2017
Times Network makes a 180-degree and 3D 360-degree virtual reality move

MUMBAI: We all thought virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) are something in the future, right? Well, no, not really. It is here, right here, right now.

Take a look at the way in which Indian news television channels are beginning to sprint towards the two innovative ways of delivering content and immersing viewers in news stories.

The first mover was NDTV which quietly started putting out flat VR videos online. Republic TV made a big bang announcement a few months ago with its plans to launch a VR production studio and to produce some clips and shows. Zee Media’s English language channel WION has also been uploading and hosting some sourced world news VR clips online.

And, even as other TV news channels have been pawing at the VR starting line, Times Network has already begun to take rapid strides in that direction. The news network is going the full Monty – 3D 360 degree video-based VR and Google’s new 180 degree VR formats.

“It’s a natural attempt. Ultimately, video experiences are changing because of technology,” says Times Network CEO MK Anand. “So, we are creating a lab internally. Our camera and content people are currently being put through the paces and training to produce videos and pilots in 3D 360 degree video and 180 degree VR.”

Dubai-based Real Vision founder and VR expert Clyde DeSouza has been roped in to train a handful of Times journos and cameramen to understand the nuances of VR/AR and also what kind of content and stories are suitable for VR and immersive journalism.

Says Clyde: “Times Now’s use of the new VR180 format compatible with Google’s Daydream headsets will be a first for immersive journalism globally as it allows the videos to be viewed as regular flat clips on any device. But, these videos become immersive and 3D once they are inserted into a Google Cardboard or a DayDream headset. Google is working with a few select partners on this at the moment. The Times Network has made some initial investments in VR hardware and is now investing in gaining skillsets.”

Clyde reveals the first VR step is to pick up the VR gear, good gear. “Most companies are going for Chinese cameras which are cheaper at around $3,500 to $33,000 but don’t have full capabilities as the cameras are not in sync with each other or they exhibit only 3D VR artifacts,” he explains.

“Flat 360 video does not show scale of the various subjects being presented, and hence is not a true immersive experience. To get good quality videos with all the concomitant, full blown VR 180-degree or 3D 360-degree capabilities, the investments are much higher or there are cheaper solutions available like renting the Google Jump system which includes the camera and the cloud stitching.”

He points out to the VR efforts being put in by the US-based broadsheet New York Times and the UK pubcaster, the BBC, as real standouts. “The Beeb’s videos on the refugee induction programme in the UK for instance have transcended video-based VR and are exploring hybrid VR storytelling and experiential news journalism.”

Clyde is quite excited about the potential of VR in Indian TV news because of the plethora of news channels operating nationally and he sees himself as a bit of an evangelist for the new format. “I am excited about VR/AR news videos in the Indian ecosystem,” says he, with a gleam in his eye. “I am sure more and more editors and news CEOs will follow.”

September 7, 2017