ITV

Tag: NDTV 24×7

  • RATINGS: Narrowing divide in the English news space

    RATINGS: Narrowing divide in the English news space

    MUMBAI: If the last six months’ TAM ratings in the English news space could tell a story this is what they would reveal:

    What started as a one horse market with NDTV 24×7 garnering the lion’s share of the pie saw two new entrants with CNN IBN and Times Now. Headlines Today, the English news channel from the TV Today Network continued to be in the shadows of Aaj Tak.

    But has the market dynamics changed with Cas in place? Certainly a better picture so far as the niche channels are concerned has appeared post Cas. NDTV 24×7, CNN IBN and Headlines Today have gone pay while Times Now has chosen to stay free-to-air (FTA) at least for the time being.

    CNN IBN, which started on a high note and even managed to equal market share with NDTV 24×7 (See table 15 Nov- 15 Dec) has stabilized at the end of one year and occupies the third position with a 20 per cent relative channel share (TG:CS AB 15+ years- 1 January to 13 January/ Market :HSM ). CNN IBN director marketing Dilip Venkatraman would only say that as far as CNN IBN was concerned, despite the numbers, he was confident that the “content quotient” of their channel was bound to bring in viewership. Also the “stickiness of viewership with the channel” is higher, he asserts.

    GENRE / CHANNEL 15 JULY – 15 AUG 15 AUG – 15 SEP 15 SEP – 15 OCT 15OCT-15NOV 15NOV-15DEC 15DEC-30DEC 01JAN – 13JAN 07
    ENG NEWS – TG: CS AB 15 Years + Market: HSM  
    BBC World 0 0 0 0 0 9 5
    CNN 8 0 0 0 0 0 5
    CNN IBN 23 30 30 27 33 18 20
    Headlines Today 15 10 10 9 11 9 15
    NDTV 24×7 38 40 40 36 33 36 30
    Times Now 15 20 20 27 22 27 25

    (Courtesy: TAM Peoplemeter System)

    Mindshare managing director Gautaman Raghotama believes that the increase in news channel shares is not so much a reflection of eating into each other’s share but eating into the channel shares of GEC. Mindshare is also the media agency for CNN IBN.

    Says Raghotama, “There is a definite movement of viewership from general entertainment channels to niche channels and especially news channels. The news genre is increasingly becoming a space for ‘infotainemt’. Look at how the Shilpa Shetty controversy was played out across news channels. It was as good as watching Celebrity Big Brother on a news channel.”

    “Another problem with the English news space is that at present there are no clear differentiatiors. So while the audience is slowly building a loyalty to certain news channels, the tendency is also to watch news on one channel and then breeze through the others for a different point of view.”

    “With Times Now and Headlines Today there is a connectivity concern.”

    Despite that concern, it is these two channels that one must watch out for in 2007. Times Now weathered a stormy year, to stabilize at the number two spot with a channel share of 25 per cent (See Table 01 January-13 January 2007). The channel achieved better clarity on its personality as a general news channel by slimming down the business band segment and focusing on what it called the ‘Big Story’ in the day, mentioned Times Now CEO Sunil Lulla in an interview to Indiantelevision earlier in the week. Times Now also led the pack in the TAM Elite Panel ratings.

    It is the minnow of the pack Headlines Today, however, that has switched gears into the fast mode with some good programming. TV Today CEO G Krishnan says, “Unlike General Entertainment Channels that get viewership spikes on tent pole programming – News Channels get a spike during big stories. Headlines Today has been able to effectively look at innovative wrap around content around big stories whether it is cricket, the Shilpa Shetty controversy or Abhishek-Aishwarya wedding to engage the viewers. In addition, shows like Entertainment Quarter, Sports Quarter are doing well for us. This week the time spent and the reach of the channel has increased by 50 per cent. We are definitely on the growth path and it’s heartening to note that more viewers are consuming our content for a longer duration.”

    Assuming that there is a potential clutter in this space would it be easier for network channels to woo the advertiser? Says Krishnan, “Headlines Today as a product caters to the metro-urbanite. Thus an advertiser is able to reach out to the younger metro audiences. From a sales strategy – we are able to optimize revenues by looking at a network approach. Now with the increase in viewership – we are also working on a stand alone strategy to maximize on the revenue opportunity.”

    What is noteworthy is that the market share for these channels is now more evenly divided. But does a 4-player market spell a cannibalization of the market share?

    “I don’t think there is a clutter in the news space with four channels in the fray. But is there space for a fifth channel? I would assume not. I don’t know if they will be able to garner channel share but what is certain is that the existing players will definitely find it tough,” says Gautaman.

    Madison Media Group CEO Punita Arumugam looks at the scenario optimistically as far as the ad pie is concerned?

    “Yes, the ER and growth rate will get affected but the genre itself will grow. Take a look at what’s happened in the kid’s channels market or the Hindi movies market. The market also grew as the players increased.”

    It’s anybody’s story so far as English news goes and each one of them must be looking at increasing channel share. But isn’t the English news channel market a niche within a niche segment.

    Counters Arumugam, “As far as the viewers are concerned what would happen is that as more and more choices are available within a particular genre, fragmentation is inevitable. But personally I don’t think this will affect any of the channels adversely.”

    “If you consider the profile of new advertisers that is already happening as the market sees an explosion. The FMCG sector is looking at this genre more aggressively. Also a healthy competition between the four channels would see advertising rates become more competitive.”

    Gautaman agrees that FMCG players are moving out of the GEC bracket and looking at niche channels.”The English news channels targeted at the affluent, metro consumers will certainly benefit from this shift. Local operators and retail clients will also look at this genre closely. Besides much of this money will have to come from GEC’s and other media options. There will be a rearrangement of revenue to various genres,” he says.

    Krishnan surely speaks for all channels when he says, “The operating principle for all advertisers is – “Have viewership – Will advertise”. He further adds, “With Headlines Today being on a growth path in terms of viewership, advertisers wanting to reach out out to the younger affluent metro audiences will look at Headlines Today as an ideal platform.”

     

  • ‘Channels building bouquets to provide the advertiser discounts is an unfortunate and shortsighted perception’ : Sunil Lulla – Times Now CEO

    ‘Channels building bouquets to provide the advertiser discounts is an unfortunate and shortsighted perception’ : Sunil Lulla – Times Now CEO

    Times Now CEO, Sunil Lulla has been associated with the business of television over the last two decades. His strength lies in building brands from scratch. And the channel is going to need all that experience as it continues to find its feet. 30 January would mark the completion of one year for Times Now but the man at the helm knows that he still has a long way to go.

    Indiantelevision.com’s Sujatha Shreedharan caught up with Lulla to discuss the channel’s performance over the past year and how it hopes to take on the competition in what is turning out to be the most fiercely competitive space on television.

    Excerpts:

    What’s the big picture in the news broadcast industry as you see it?
    While news channels are trying new formats, there are certain restrictions as an English news channel that we have to contend with. Our audience is niche, the kind of formats they have adapted to so far dictate our content too. We need to break out of that mould.

    That said, is there space for a focused or niche channel? Yes of course there is. While weather does not play such an important part in our news unlike the US – there is a space for a specialized Weather news channel or Sports news channel. But as of now we are confined to the (general) news space and this is where we will bat it out. There was a time when we had five channels gunning for about 80 per cent viewership. Today we have over 30 channels looking at the same viewership. There is audience fragmentation but that has also meant a certain rating system and therefore a certain level of accountability. Look at our ad to GDP ratio. It is perhaps better only than a Bangladesh.

    As the market grows, the consumer will have more choice. This proliferation is necessary as it will grow the ad curve. One of the more underleveraged areas in my knowledge is India’s ability to produce content for international markets. We need to take our content and license it to other players.

    The last year seems to have been as much about sorting out what exactly is the personality of the channel as anything else. Have you arrived at clarity on this?
    We were always clear that we were and are a general news channel and as such our competition is also in the general news space. When we started out NDTV was the only dominant player and our natural competition in this space. The launch of CNN IBN was a surprising entry. This meant that there was a huge amount of viewership traction.

    So in terms of competition you would name NDTV 24×7
    I have no problems naming NDTV 24×7 as our competitor. I think NDTV 24×7 being the first English news channel in India and the vast experience it has behind it will remain a competition and a benchmark for all the following channels.

    But you were also competing with the English business news channels in the 8 to 4 band?
    Yes, we do have a business band that we took a re look at and decided to restructure it. We have now made our business band slimmer. The restructuring of the business band happened around 16 July and I think we’ve bounced back pretty fast.

    Our focus is on the ‘Big story’. This is what has worked for us. So if that big story is Abhishek and Aishwarya, then we’ll cover that. If it is Sourav Ganguly and cricket then we will track that.

    What improvisation is being made on the content side to build up a loyal audience?
    On the cusp of our one year completion, we can only plan things for ahead. But using this as an anchor point, we will have announcements and changes to make on the content front. We are in the process of launching an entertainment based show to air during prime time weekend. We are already experimenting with different formats. We have our sports show ‘The Game’ repackaged and presented in a fresh format especially focusing on the World Cup.

    We will start the new entertainment based show in February while March and April will see us beefing up and fine tuning the weekend programming. Prime time for the weekend would be a combination of news and programming. Wraparounds are the way forward.

    Times Now will also launch its campaign coinciding with its completion of one year on 31 January called ‘One year: In tune with what’s next’. It will be launched as both a print and television campaign.

    Speaking of content, due to cut throat competition, news channels are increasingly resorting to sensationalizing what they broadcast and even becoming quite sordid. This is only giving a greater handle for regulation to come into the sector which is hardly what anyone wants. Isn’t this a cause for concern for all news broadcasters?
    Within the breaking news format, it has always been the combination of activism, regulation and media that has pushed up the immediacy of news. So whether it is Bollywood or cricket – both of which have shown pretty dismal performances – is always covered by the Indian media. I think where the idea of sensationalizing news needs to be questioned is by the news network itself. That is a matter or an individual call of what one must not do. There is a certain sense of values the news network follows or maturity it shows in handling issues.

    Then there is regulation. Sure it’s a concern when it becomes interfering but the regulation is simple, lucid, clear to understand and detailed. We live in what is called the ‘google world’; we have information at the tip of our fingertips. So to shy away from news, whatever the content would not be fair. How we approach it is another issue.

    Now that Times Now has settled down, what’s the strategy to take it forward and drive up ad sales?
    There are a few things which come together to create ad sales – performance in a genre in which you are perceived to be a habit, traction in terms of ads, to hold prices and take them up, offer properties which will attract the advertiser. For instance, we will have a budget special coming up soon. But by the first week of January we had already sold that. Similarly we have the ET Awards. The idea is to ROS advertiser for which you are a reach vehicle. We need a pipeline that’s full but at a healthy price. We need to identify tent pole properties which will rope in the advertisers. Obviously we accept that NDTV has more advertisers than us.

    What do you think is the number of channels that are practically sustainable in each genre of news?
    Just last week, as I was talking to someone, the whole discussion about the number of channels in India came up. There was this realization that we are about 300 channels short. Within the next three years, there will be about 250 million homes with television out of which about 71 million homes have cable and satellite while about 30 million of these are what we know as urban homes. And these are only homes that are reported. The number increases as more and more black and white television sets are replaced by colour television. So we are talking here of a paucity and not an overcrowded situation.

    One unique aspect of the news channel business is that buyouts are the exception. The only one that comes to mind is Channel 7 in the recent past. Is that about to change soon? And if and when Times Now does view the regional market how would you go about it? Would you look at acquisitions or developing your own channel?

    You are right when you say that buy outs and acquisitions are new to the Indian news space. But if you are talking growth then we believe in both organic and inorganic growth. We have no phobia to either approach. But the reason for such growth should be stronger and better shareholder value.

    I personally think channels building bouquets to provide the advertiser discounts is an unfortunate and shortsighted perception. The priority should always be the value. I would rather have one channel at a good quality pricing than have 10 channels.

    That said, I think Zee has done a better job at being a bouquet. I wouldn’t count the regional channels because they are almost stand alone channels in that region. Star Plus and Star One again leave their other channels far behind.

    This is not the kind of orientation we have at Times Now.
    ‘Turning pay may have hurt us as a business’

    As management head of Times Now, what’s your priority — toplines or would you rather watch the bottomline?
    What is important is to generate quality content, build relative rank and close the distance between us and our competitor. We understand it’s not about a short term game. The more often we manage to satisfy our consumer or advertiser, revenue growth will increase accordingly. Right now the priority is to get the content mix right and secondly to get the channel across. This does mean investing in distribution.

    What sort of investment has gone into Times Now up until now?
    Blood, sweat, grime and lots of hard work and planning …. (Refuses to state numbers)

    Has the channel reached breakeven yet?
    Honestly, it won’t happen so soon. It will take at least 4-7 years.

    News channels no longer run on televised content alone. It has to have value add like online, mobile or on ground properties. What are the other revenue streams being tapped by Times Now? What is the overall percentage of revenue likely to come from these subsets?
    There is a need to develop our web property and that will be our focus in 2007. The web strategy was not focused because there was a need for monetizing opportunity. At that point, TV was a more important monetization opportunity so concentrated on getting that right.
    Now we will focus on building a stronger web connect for our advertiser and viewer.

    As for mobile properties we were the first to tie up with a telecom company, Reliance Infocomm and are in talks with Idea as well. The format will be similar with streaming feed and select videos. But if you ask me what the revenue we accrue from them is, well it is very marginal. The telecom operator keeps the majority chunk. If this needs to be explored as a prospective revenue stream, we will have to work out better partnerships.

    All indications are CAS will be spreading to cover the metros fully and later at least the Tier 1 cities. In such a scenario isn’t it better to stay in the pay tier rather than take the short term (some would say short-sighted) approach of going FTA?
    First of all, if you read the fine print on CAS, it clearly mentions that the channel can opt to a pay status given four weeks of notification. So it’s not like we are risking anything. We are just saying that given the situation today and subscription offers being limited we thought it best to stay FTA. In case you noticed, by January a whole lot of unprepared viewers were staring at blacked out screens. But Times Now was available. When we know that the timing is appropriate we will go pay.
    By that you mean that you would have a run a risk by going pay now…
    Yes, it may have hurt us as a business. But for now we are available on all platforms – digital, Sky, Dish, analogue…

    Times Now consistently topped the most watched news channel by India’s affluent sections in the first findings of TAM’s Elite Panel set up to understand TV viewing habits of the country’s elite…
    We are very clear that our ratings don’t begin or end with the findings of the TAM national or elite panel data. Also the Elite panel was set up recently and if you look at the last quarter percentage analysis Times Now has maintained its position between No. 1 and No.2 in the past 13 weeks in a row. (Counting up until the 31st). Look at the sampling used by the peoplemeter – 25+ males, 1 million population cities, etc- whether it is TAM or Amap or other broadcasters – this is how they set their benchmarks.

    The advertisers may worry about it but if we look at the news space itself – it started out with being a one horse race, then a two horse race and now they call it a three horse race. Either ways we are benefiting from the category but that does not mean we look at their findings to mould our content.

    One of the findings of the Elite panel suggested that most viewers watching English news channels prefer to watch news even on weekends. Has that finding been considered by the channel?
    We firmly believe that the heartland of news lies on prime time. But yes, we are bringing a sharper news focus to our weekend lineup.

    When Times Now launched it made no bones about the fact that it would be a urban channel? Is there a fear that you might be losing both an audience and an advertiser in a non metro by positioning yourself in this niche bracket?
    We maintain that we are a urban channel with a special focus on urban issues. We cannot satisfy everyone, we will have to choose and serve our target audience. The big focus in 2007 will be to prove our presence in the market place. Our intent is to make ourselves a habit.

    Every single property from the Times Group is a leader in its field. Does that mean mounting pressure on you?
    I think we are allowed to work fairly independently. But yes, we know the baggage we carry. The complexities to be a leader are far more severe in our case.

  • Watch NDTV’s Jai Jawan with Preity Zinta on Republic Day

    MUMBAI: Watch Preity Zinta – the Bollywood sensation and an army girl herself – spend a day at the army training base at Hissar, Haryana, on NDTV’s hallmark show Jai Jawan.

    Preity travels to the armour-training camp and experiences the kind of life that these jawans lead – difficult, yet a life they are proud of. The firing range, the tanks, the army school, special song and dance requests, a quiver full of smiles and dimpled memories to take back home…. Catch Preity Zinta with Abhigyaan Prakash (NDTV) as they pay a special tribute to the Indian army, a salute to our country’s true heroes only on Jai Jawan, on NDTV.

    Watch Jai Jawan with Preity Zinta on January 26, at 9:30pm, on NDTV 24X7 and at 7:30 pm on NDTV India

  • ‘Consumer annoyance with intrusion in their space will take a new turn’

    ‘Consumer annoyance with intrusion in their space will take a new turn’

    Spatial Access Solutions managing partner Meenakshi Madhvani, while reviewing the predictions she made last year as to what the critical drivers in the television and media space would be, comes away pretty satisfied, and does some more crystal ball gazing…

     

    If there’s anything more challenging than predicting the media scene in India, it’s reviewing them a year later. It does feel good though if you are more right than wrong on your own predictions. Here’s how the reality played out in 2006 and some more predictions for 2007.

     

    Technology and its impact

     

    As predicted, the impact of technology on communication in 2006 was rather limited. Consumer pull rather than organizational push continues to determine the rate of acceptance and dissemination of technology. 2007 will see the adoption of newer technology but again, this is likely to be at the very top of pyramid. CAS may be pushed through by legislation but 3G, TiVo and wi-fi zones still appear to be a while away. Value-added SMS services though are likely to thrive.

     

    Consumers’ annoyance with intrusion in their space will take a new turn. We don’t think consumers are convinced that a “Do Not Disturb” option keeps pesky telemarketers at bay. In 2007, consumers will hit back. Beware all marketers who think they can intrude on consumers’ privacy and get away with it!

     

    The television medium

     

    Last year we had predicted that the television media owners would look at sampling the product and then worry about revenue. The resultant of this would be longer gestation periods and fewer media players who will want to enter the space on a whim. True enough, 2006 has seen no significant launches as far as television is concerned.

     

    To a great extent, this is also impacted by the lack of differentiation in product offerings. We had thought Times Now had the potential to make a dent in the English news segment but it doesn’t seem to have done as well as its competitors. Sticking to the basics though has meant that a NDTV 24×7 continues to hold its own and a CNN-IBN has created a niche for itself.

     

    We had also mentioned that those who do come in will be serious players with deep pockets. Our prediction that Disney’s entry would make players like Hungama feel the heat couldn’t have been truer. Disney went on to acquire Hungama!

     

    In 2007, we see major players attempting to build adequate critical mass and then leveraging on it. This could either mean acquisition of existing channels or launch of new ones to fill gaps in their content offerings. NDTV and their proposed general entertainment channel is a case in point.

     

    This brings us to the point on media companies who sought public funds for consolidation and expansion. 2007 should see a lot more activity in each of these companies. While entities like NDTV and TV18 are seen to be active, some like Mid-Day appear overdue for a significant expansion.

     

    We had also predicted that television channels (especially the bigger ones) would not be able to hold on to their advertising rates. This too is turning out to be true. The reasons are not hard to find: lack of differentiation and consumers drifting towards more compelling (read niche) content. Already, we see the effective rates for some top rated Hindi soaps dip by as much as 30% over the last quarter. On the other hand, niche content channels have been able to hold on to or slightly better their effective rates.

     

    The internet

     

    Last year we had predicted that the internet is going to come into its own in 2006. That has failed to happen or at least failed to match our expectations. 2007 should be year for advertisers to fully wake up to the potential of the web and for web marketers to accelerate the process. Failure to do so may result in advertising monies getting diverted to the “new” medium on the block – FM radio.

     

    FM radio

     

    Last year we had mentioned that 2007 and not 2006 will be the year of the radio. Though a few stations have managed to go on air, 2007 will see the complete roll-out. We believe the sheer numbers of channels present and the pressure to deliver a differentiated product will see a few exciting programming formats being developed.

     

    A contentious issue on radio is research data or the lack of it. We see a TV like situation developing where there may be more than one “industry” data source. The only way to avoid multiplicity of research data is for major players to come together and push the agenda for the industry. This also means that the only available research data, the ILT, needs to expand its coverage to more areas to be relevant to the radio channels and advertisers.

     

    Print

     

    The growth of smaller towns into bigger metros will result in more action for newspapers. While this means higher readership, it also means higher advertising costs. Newspaper publishers’ insistences on maintaining a low cover price mean that they are almost entirely dependent on advertising revenues to sustain the venture. Subsidizing cover price only works when there is adequate advertising support. Unfortunately, not all editions may be advertising money spinners. To make newspaper publishing a viable venture, newspapers will have to find a way to rationalize their cover price.

     

    Interestingly, the magazine scenario in India has become more active than ever before. While newspapers seem to be reaching new lows as far as cover price is concerned, magazine publishers, specifically those specializing in niche content, are intent on making circulation revenue a viable source of income.

     

    2007 may be too soon to expect newspapers to rationalize cover price but do expect magazines to up their cover price and consolidate.

     

    While at one point, newspaper supplements almost dealt the death blow to magazines, over a longer time period, the tables may turn. One factor is the size of operations. The bigger a newspaper grows, the more difficult it becomes to cater to specific reader groups and the more expensive it becomes to an advertiser. The cost of creating a 16 page supplement is soon not going to be justified by the ad revenue it brings in!

     

    The other factors are the speed and depth of coverage. Here, newspapers will get caught between news channels and magazines. And accelerating that process once again will be the consumer who demands what he wants rather than remain pleased with what he gets. Isn’t it ironical that some newspapers actually have magazine inserts these days?

     

    Other predictions

     

    An unlikely fall-out of segmentation of media is that we are likely to see more working relationships between players who are not in direct competition to each other. There is even likely to be greater co-operation between direct competitors, like India Today and Outlook, to protect their turf (magazine advertising) and grow it. A similar trend may be observed in radio.

     

    With consumers now buying around the year, traditional advertising peak periods, like Diwali, may well be on the decline. This can have serious ramifications on budgeting exercises for advertisers as well as the media.

     

    A shake out on media research seems likely in 2007. aMap versus TAM and NRS versus IRS are the two big title fights.

     

    Media agencies will continue to face a tough time, all of their own making. Dwindling avenues of compensation, advertisers seeking better ROI, Greater acceptance of the need for media audits, more aggressive media houses and man-power problems will continue to plague Media Agencies.

     

    With specialists emerging for each degree of the much abused 360 degrees approach to marketing, one wonders what will happen to the traditional media planner. However, all the specialization does present a great scope for people who specialize in multi-tasking to hold all of these activities together. Maybe the much abused client servicing person will be back in the spotlight, for the right reasons this time around.

     

    By the way, this is another prediction. 2007 will see the resurgence of the Account Executive – he will now play the role of the aggregator! Smart agencies will fuel this need among advertisers and help advertisers manage the process. Smart Agencies have realized that if you cannot get your client to give you all his business, lock stock and barrel, you keep an eye on the outflows and monitor where the money is going. For this you need sharp servicing!

     

    Finally, 2007 is a year in which we hope issues plaguing the industry are not swept under the carpet but addressed. (We at Spatial Access will be doing our bit to add transparency to the Industry)

     

    The rot, as they say, may be deep rooted but we need to make a start somewhere. And 2007 just seems right for it.

  • CNN Young Journalist Award 2006 winners announced

    CNN Young Journalist Award 2006 winners announced

    NEW DELHI: While Tejeswi Pratima Dodda and Rohit Vishwanath won this year’s CNN Young Journalist Awards, announced at a glittering function yesterday punctuated by rank bad compering, it was the inevitable choice of Ajit Jaykar as the CNN Citizen Journalist Awardee that drew the loudest applaud from the audience.

    Jaykar had done the ‘biggest story of the year’ shooting from his video camera, the first person to capture footage of the Mumbai blasts. It was thus sad that Jaykar was unable to collect his award at the function, for as Rajdeep Sardesai of CNN-IBN said, “like all good Indian journalists, he must be working somewhere on a Friday evening.
    Jaykar will receive a trophy, citation, Rs 20,000 in cash and a digital camera.

    Dodda – from NDTV 24×7, Hyderabad bagged the TV category award for her reporting “Children for hire”, on kids being used as domestic help, which was aired on CNN-IBN and which provoked the CM of AP to order a probe into the issue.

    Vishwanath, who works for Business World from Mumbai, won the runner-up award for his report on “Shop floor jobs are hot once again” a report on the fact that engineering jobs and not just those in IT, are still a favourite among Indian youth.

    Sonia Faleiro of Tehelka (Mumbai) won the runner up award in the print and online category and Poonam Agarwal from NDTV Delhi won the runner up in the TV category.

    CNN Aspiring Journalist Award was won by Raksha Kumar from Lady Shri Ram College in the TV category.

    The jury decided to give a special mention to Piyush Bhatia from Indian Institute of Mass Communication for his notable performance in the final rounds of the selection process.

    Satinder Bindra, CNN’s Senior International Correspondent, along with Rajdeep Sardesai and other jury members said the selections were a tough fight between young people who had at least two things in common: passion and determination.

    For the Young Journalist Awards, the contestants were given repeated inputs from incidents taking place in Iraq and were asked to report – depending on the medium – either stand in front of a live TV camera and report, or file in print or online.

    The winners in all categories were given a trophy and citation. The winners of the YJA will be sent to the CNN headquarter to work for a month.

    However, as Gurbir Singh, media editor of Hindustan Times, pointed out, despite the fact that there was a lot of zeal and passion, somehow, in terms of print, basic things like grammar, syntax, writing skills and expression remain to fulfil the highest standards, and “the industry needs to look inwards and see what can be done about this”

  • CNN wins best channel at ATF ’06; NDTV takes best news award

    CNN wins best channel at ATF ’06; NDTV takes best news award

    MUMBAI: In the recent 11th Asian Television Awards held in Singapore, CNN and NDTV 24X7 have scooped various awards for India.

    CNN in the Asia Pacific region won Cable and Satellite Channel of the Year, CNN Today was selected as the Best news program, Kristie Lu Stout won the Best news presenter or anchor award, while Stan Grant won for Best current affairs presenter and also for Rising from the Ruins in the Best news/current affairs special category, asserts an official release.

    Commenting on the win CNN International’s senior vice president Rena Golden said, “To take home the prestigious Cable and Satellite Channel of the Year award on top of four other honours is simply a brilliant achievement and testament to our world class on-air and behind-the-scenes teams across the Asia Pacific region.”

    CNN International managing director Chris Cramer added, “This success is particularly sweet when you consider the proliferation of competition and the fact that these awards are voted for by our peers. Twenty one years after we launched, we continue to lead by example.”

    NDTV 24X7 won The Best News Programme for Waves of Destruction, a runner-up for Best Single News Story/Report for Bihar Floods – Forces of Nature, a runner-up for Best Live Event Coverage for Blast in Srinagar Transport Office and a runner-up for Best News/Current Affairs Special for Inside Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.

    Barkha Dutt was a runner-up for The Nation Tonight and Nidhi Razdan for The X-Factor in the Best News Presenter or Anchor category.

    Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd’s Zoom TV India won the Best Entertainment Programme award for Dangerous.

  • News broadcasters look at innovative ad sales

    News broadcasters look at innovative ad sales

    Mumbai: Approximately Rs. 600-700 million news market in India may get radically stirred if a proposal being considered by the newly-formed News Broadcasters Association of India sees the light of day.

    According to the still-under-discussion proposal, hindi language news broadcasters with sizable market shares are looking at the pros and cons of offering a uniform advertising rate to clients.

    The proposal, reportedly mooted by a few news market leaders in India who are part of News Broadcasters Association of India, may initially exclude the english news channels from this proposed uniform approach to ad sales, which might be a stumbling block in it going through.

    Scepticism notwithstanding, one news channel head admitted that the proposal is being considered.

    “It’s (having common ad rates across hindi news channels) certainly on the agenda, but there are too many ifs and buts to be sorted out before any possibility of actual implementation,” the chief executive who did not want to be named said.

    The executive explained that the idea is to find common ground on various news broadcast-related issues, including infrastructure, distribution and, probably, ad sales too.

    Still, the revenue sharing formula being suggested too is debatable. As per an initial suggestion, after offering common ad rates, the revenue would be split amongst news channels as per respective market share in terms of viewership and ratings.

    For example, if Rs. 100 is generated through this common plank, then the bulk of it would go to the news channel boasting the largest market share and then split up as per market share percentage.

    However, another news channel head questioned the model suggested, saying the proposal may be “lofty, but the revenue share formula would throw up various questions.”

    Still, most news channels admit there’s no denying that having common approach to issues, including editorial, distribution and infrastructure, is worth exploring in the Indian market as certain expenses are spiraling.

    For instance, distribution and placement charges of news channels have increased manifold over the last two years with limited bandwidth of cable networks and mushrooming news channels.

    Presently, the major Indian news channels in hindi and English include Aaj Tak, Star News, Zee News, NDTV India, NDTV 24×7, Sahara’s eight-odd channels, India TV, CNBC TV18, Awaaz, CNN IBN and IBN7.

    The News Broadcasters Association of India is also in the process of finalizing content code for its member companies and exploring having an ombudsman on the lines of Editors’ Guild of India, which primarily oversees the print medium.

  • News broadcasters look at innovative ad sales

    News broadcasters look at innovative ad sales

    Mumbai: The approximately Rs. 600-700 million news market in India may get radically stirred if a proposal being considered by the newly-formed News Broadcasters Association of India sees the light of day.

    According to the still-under-discussion proposal, Hindi language news broadcasters with sizable market shares are looking at the pros cons of offering a uniform advertising rate to clients.

    The proposal, reportedly mooted by a few news market leaders in India who are part of News Broadcasters Association of India, may initially exclude the English news channels from this proposed uniform approach to ad sales, which might be a stumbling block in it going through.

    Scepticism notwithstanding, one news channel head admitted that the proposal is being considered.

    “It’s (having common ad rates across Hindi news channels) certainly on the agenda, but there are too many ifs and buts to be sorted out before any possibility of actual implementation,” the chief executive who did not want to be named said.

    The executive explained that the idea is to find common ground on various news broadcast-related issues, including infrastructure, distribution and, probably, ad sales too.

    Still, the revenue sharing formula being suggested too is debatable. As per an initial suggestion, after offering common ad rates, the revenue would be split amongst news channels as per respective market share in terms of viewership and ratings.

    For example, if Rs. 100 is generated through this common plank, then the bulk of it would go to the news channel boasting the largest market share and then split up as per market share percentage.

    However, another news channel head questioned the model suggested, saying the proposal may be “lofty, but the revenue share formula would throw up various questions.”

    Still, most news channels admit there’s no denying that having common approach to issues, including editorial, distribution and infrastructure, is worth exploring in the Indian market as certain expenses are spiraling.

    For instance, distribution and placement charges of news channels have increased manifold over the last two years with limited bandwidth of cable networks and mushrooming news channels.

    Presently, the major Indian news channels in Hindi and English include Aaj Tak, Star News, Zee News, NDTV India, NDTV 24×7, Sahara’s eight-odd channels, India TV, CNBC TV18, Awaaz, CNN IBN and IBN7.

    The News Broadcasters Association of India is also in the process of finalizing content code for its member companies and exploring having an ombudsman on the lines of Editors’ Guild of India, which primarily oversees the print medium.

  • NDTV launches opt-out tech for Delhi with ‘Fight for Delhi’

    NDTV launches opt-out tech for Delhi with ‘Fight for Delhi’

    MUMBAI: After launching the opt-out technology in south-only and Kolkata-only shows, NDTV has announced to use its opt-out technology to launch a special show for Delhi.

    NDTV 24X7’s Delhi viewers will now have a 30-minute show dedicated to the news that affects the capital. Using its opt-out technology, starting 6 November. The channel will broadcast Fight for Delhi at 7.30 pm on weeknights. While the capital watches this show, the rest of the country will watch NDTV 24X7’s national beam.

    Fight For Delhi will bring the people of Delhi face-to-face with their elected representatives so they can get an immediate response to their concerns, states an official release.

    “It’s a problem-solving show that forces bureaucrats, ministers, anyone who’s in charge to commit on air, to making the change that people want. And we will follow up on the promises that they’re made. It’s a show that campaigns for Delhi and its people,” says NDTV 24X7 managing editor Sonia Singh.

    “Sheila Dikshit, has committed to meeting voters once a week on this show. Our viewers will share their issues with her, and she will appoint a person to help them out by a fixed date,” comments NDTV chairman Prannoy Roy.

    The statement issued by the company stated that NDTV’s opt-out program in South India, ‘Southern Edition’, generated a huge response in the four states it airs every night at 7 pm. Viewers in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu watch their own local news on this show, while the rest of the country receives NDTV 24X7’s national beam. Once a week, southern viewers also get their own edition of “The Big Fight”, an NDTV hallmark. With the use of the opt-out technology, viewers in Kolkata also watched city-specific programming during Durga Puja.

    Opt-out technology, developed by NDTV, enables geographical areas to receive an independent video signal. It’s based on automatic satellite transmission without any manual intervention. There are individual boxes that are programmed to receive and switch frequency at the desired time to shift out of the regular feed and again switch back to the main feed when the opt-out is over.

  • NDTV brings opt-out tech for Kolkata viewers during Durga Puja

    NDTV brings opt-out tech for Kolkata viewers during Durga Puja

    NEW DELHI: NDTV today announced the launch of the `opt-out’ technology in Kolkata starting with Durga Puja and the onset of the festival season.

    This initiative will enable the viewers of Kolkata to watch region-specific news and special programmes on NDTV 24×7. With this launch, Kolkata becomes the fourth location to have the opt-out technology, according to an official statement from NDTV.

    Earlier this year, NDTV had launched the opt-out technology for its viewers in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

    The viewers of Kolkata will be able to watch the 30 minutes `opt-out’ programming at 10.30 pm everyday, which started on 25 September and will last till 2 October.

    The new technology will enable viewers in Kolkata to watch special programmes, catering to the taste of local viewership during this festive season.

    Opt-out works on a technology, which is an innovative step in the broadcasting system. The process involves automatic satellite transmission without any manual intervention.

    There are individual boxes that are programmed to receive and switch frequency at the desired time to opt-out of the regular feed and again switch back to the main feed when the opt-out is over, with a two second changeover interval between the switch.

    NDTV plans to expand its coverage for the `opt out’ service to other states also in the near future and this will be executed for all its three channels, NDTV 24X7, NDTV Profit and NDTV India.