ITV

Tag: Network18

  • The No.1 attitude leaves no room for complacency: Network18 MD and Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi

    The No.1 attitude leaves no room for complacency: Network18 MD and Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi

    Mumbai: Network18 group’s portfolio of channels have recently dominated the Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) ratings. In lieu of their achievements, the group’s managing director and editor-in-chief Rahul Joshi on Friday addressed the company’s 4500 employees in a heartfelt letter of congratulations.

    The network’s news brand News18 India is the latest to join the bandwagon of the group’s leading channels in their respective genres. News18 India has garnered the highest share of ratings in the Hindi-speaking market (HSM) 15+ for three consecutive weeks and had 13.6 per cent share as of Week 31 (30 July to 5 August).

    Joshi stated, “News18 India trounced Aaj Tak from its perch two weeks ago and widened its lead in the following week stamping its leadership authority. We’ve been in the top three for a long time, often beating Aaj Tak in the metros, but this time the lead is across time bands, age groups, socio-economic classes and what have you.”

    He further continued, “Hats off to Team News18 India for this comprehensive win over Aaj Tak and others, such as India TV, and also those trailing a distance away, like Zee and ABP. We’re more convinced about our leadership since it comes on the back of both rising reach and time spent, which means the engagement with the brand is high and the leadership here to stay.”

    Network18’s English general news brand CNN-News18 garnered 30 per cent share of the ratings among English news channels, 15 weeks ago. This is 60 per cent higher than its closest competitor Times now, the flagship channel of Times Network.

    Joshi called English business news channel CNBC-TV18 as the group’s ‘crown jewel’ which opened with a market share of 80 per cent in the English business news genre when Barc first published ratings after a 17-month hiatus. The channel’s share in prime-time market hours was even greater at 90 per cent.

    Network18’s digital news brand Moneycontrol has over half a million paid subscribers, over 55 million monthly unique users and 7.5 million app installs, revealed Joshi in the letter. This makes it the 14th biggest news brand globally in terms of paid subscribers. News18.com is fewer than six years old and has nearly 125 million monthly visitors who consume stories and videos in nearly every major Indian language. It is also the only digital brand to report live from 125 districts in the country, according to Joshi.

    “The idea behind this note is not to brag about our achievements. Or, truth be told, not just that! I write this note with all humility to thank you for your contribution and ownership in taking our brands to leadership positions. What’s more heartening is that this time the turnaround has been driven by the young and restless at Network18,” said Joshi.

    “I hope in the months and years ahead, you will make this giant media colossus dance to digital and social tunes. As we pivot the organisation into India’s largest multi-platform company with a digital DNA, I’m sure the young, restless, next-rung leadership will take charge and forge ahead.”

    “The senior leadership team and I will continue to guide in the future, not so much as captain but as coach; not as hands-on leader but friend, philosopher, mentor. That alone will make your company a breeding ground for young talent, many of whom have taken our brands to leadership positions in the past few years.”

    “The problem with being No. 1 is that there’s only one way to go—further up. The No. 1 attitude leaves no room for complacency; in fact, it instills a large dose of paranoia and restlessness to stay ahead. Always at the top,” he concludes.

  • History TV18 to telecast a special anthology titled ‘India@75’ on 1 August

    History TV18 to telecast a special anthology titled ‘India@75’ on 1 August

    Mumbai: History TV18 has announced a special anthology titled India@75 starting 1 August every night at 7:05 p.m in commemoration of India’s 75 year of independence.  

    The month-long programming will highlight stories from travel, culture, history, military prowess and stories of inventiveness and possibility. The programming will feature shows such as travel series Journeys in India hosted by Emmy-winning writer Bill Ball, Flavours of Punjab, Rajasthan and Southern India, India 75 Wonders, Special Operations India: Surgical Strikes, Kargil, Firepower: Defending India, Indian Army: 24 Hours, and India: Marvels & Mysteries.

    A+E Networks managing director and TV18 CEO – broadcast Avinash Kaul said, “At History TV18, we are proud to commemorate this landmark anniversary of Indian Independence with India@75. India is a land of contrasts. A rich tapestry of incredible stories, ancient heritage and modern marvels, natural wonders, and inspirational individuals. We are excited to showcase the essence of India through our month-long programming, featuring some of the best local and India-focused content. India@75 is an ode to India and her story – one that is still being scripted every day and that continues to inspire and fill our viewers with a sense of pride.”

  • Bharat 24 announces senior-level appointments in key function of the sales & marketing team

    Bharat 24 announces senior-level appointments in key function of the sales & marketing team

    Mumbai: Soon-to-be launched national hindi news channel, Bharat 24, has kept the industry buzzing with a slew of new appointments. Recently, the channel has announced senior-level appointments in key functions of sales and marketing ahead of its launch.

    Bhim Shankar Negi has joined Bharat 24 as vice president (North and East). With over 16 years of media sales experience, Negi is known for increasing revenue with his solution-based approach, especially with selling events, IP’s and customized brand solutions for his clients. In his previous role, he has worked with leading media networks like Zee Media, Network18, NDTV and The Times of India.

    Speaking on his appointment, Negi said, “It is a privilege to have been entrusted with this new responsibility. While Bharat 24 is the first-to-introduce augmented reality in its studios, we are confident of offering a wide range of customized media solutions to fraternity”.

    Partha Sarthi Kuila is appointed as vice president for the west and south region. He will be based out of the Mumbai Office. In his illustrious career spanning over two decades, Partha has been responsible for driving ad sales revenue from the west & south markets where he has worked with Zee Media, Sab TV, Network18, 9X Media, Star India and Red FM.

    Speaking about his new role, Sarthi Kuila said, “I am extremely delighted to join the team at Bharat 24. My experience and learnings will help me charter into newer arenas to tap into the full potential of the channel.”

    The channel also announced the appointment of Nishant Mishra as vice president of marketing. He will be responsible for the brand’s launch and other marketing activities in his national role.

    Nishant has been instrumental in creating successful brand strategy, curating IP’s and customized brand solutions for the leading media brands he has worked with in his career spreading over 15 years like TV Today, TV 18, Zee and iTV Network. Before joining Bharat 24, he was associated with India Ahead News as DGM, Marketing & Branded Content.

    On these new appointments, Bharat 24 chief business officer and strategic advisor to the board Manoj Jagyasi commented, “Bhim, Partha and Nishant bring a wealth of experience & strategic thinking which should bolster our growth plans for Bharat 24. Cashing in on all the excitement for Bharat 24 in the market, I am pleased to inform you that we are already in advanced stages towards signing a few large advertisers”.

  • Pushpendra Singh joins Viacom18 Sports as chief product officer

    Pushpendra Singh joins Viacom18 Sports as chief product officer

    Mumbai: Viacom18 Sports has appointed Pushpendra Singh as its chief product officer. He took to LinkedIn to share this development.

    Prior to his new role, he founded the short video production, and creator economy startup – Fandawn.

    “Super stoked to announce my new stint as chief product officer at Viacom18 Sports. With IPL digital media rights in its kitty, Viacom18 is here to build an awesome sports video streaming experience. Excited for all that is ahead, the impact we will make, and disruption we will create in our business. Thank you Viacom18 team,” reads his LinkedIn post.

    Singh has expertise in product management and growth, content strategy, and mobile and internet platforms. Over the years, he has worked with companies like MX Player, MX TakaTak, Gaana, Amazon, Snapdeal, Genpact Headstrong, and Sapient.

  • Dipika Kaura joins Network18 as editor, standards & practices

    Dipika Kaura joins Network18 as editor, standards & practices

    Mumbai: Dipika Kaura has joined Network18 Group as editor, standards and practices. She has worked with the network earlier as well in several different capacities.

    She was executive editor and head of the desk at CNN-News18 before she left the group in 2020. She was also the founder member of CNN-News18 in 2005 and its sister channel CNBCTV18 many years before that.

    Kaura will be closely working with both input and output teams at CNN-News18.

    “She will work towards raising the editorial standards of the news channel, which has occupied the leadership position in the English TV news genre for the past few weeks,” said the statement. “With her wide newsroom exposure and experience, Kaura will add to the editorial gravitas of the channel. All reporters’ enterprise stories will be vetted by her before they go on air.”

  • CNN-News18 leads English general news genre with 26.3% market share: Barc

    CNN-News18 leads English general news genre with 26.3% market share: Barc

    Mumbai: CNN-News18 has garnered 26.3 per cent market share in the English general news genre becoming the leading English news channel, as per Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) data.

    The channel garnered 40.2 per cent viewership share in the prime-time segment (2+ | Monday to Friday | 1800—2300 hrs) compared to competitors that trailed behind at 25 per cent and 20.2 per cent viewership share.

    “The channel’s viewership has gained viewership steadily because of the added focus on programming, along with broad-basing content to all geographies across the country,” said the statement.

    “I want to thank our viewers who have reposed immense faith in CNN News18’s programming and in our journalism,” said CNN-News18 managing editor Zakka Jacob. “We have always believed in keeping it classy, that you don’t have to shout from the rooftops. That is reflected in our choice of stories and programming formats. CNN-News18 has to be the youngest newsroom in the country. We are reflective of a new, young India which is not shy of asserting itself. We are a young and dynamic team, and we are just getting started.”

    “The channel has managed to clinch the top position with its philosophy of bringing news which is rational and thought-provoking without any jingoism,” said Network18 Group CEO – business news Smriti Mehra. “A slew of new shows launched such as ‘Bits To Billion – The Unicorn Story’ focusing on the inspirational stories of the Unicorns, ‘Plain Speak’ which brings out the hard facts of the most talked-about news story and ‘A Billion New Ideas’ highlighting the power of the Ideas, Innovations and Intentions have put the channel firmly at the top.”

    (Source: Barc India – All India | Urban+Rural | AB 15+ segment | Week 14-17’22).

  • Tech Mahindra brings in N Dilip Venkatraman as global head, M&E

    Tech Mahindra brings in N Dilip Venkatraman as global head, M&E

    Mumbai: Tech Mahindra has brought N Dilip Venkatraman on board as global head, media and entertainment.

    With over 20 years of corporate experience, Venkatraman has held key positions at India Today Group, Dish TV, Pugmarks, and Zee Network.

    Prior to joining Tech Mahindra, Venkatraman had launched a video technology startup VideoTap in 2016, which helps video content producers across genres to increase engagement within the video itself and achieve higher ROI.

    He was previously associated with iTV Network as group COO, strategy and business development, where he was responsible for planning strategic solutions and business development for the network. He also helped the media company revamp its digital strategy for the entire Network and relaunch newsx.com, inkhabhar.com, sundayguardianlive.com

    An alumnus of IIM-Bangalore, Venkatraman has also been the CEO of Network18-owned CNN-IBN & IBN7, where he was responsible for the strategic, financial, and operational management of the channels. 

    ​​​​​​

  • Network18 joins forces with Truecaller to combat women harassment

    Network18 joins forces with Truecaller to combat women harassment

    Mumbai: Network18, in partnership with Truecaller, has launched #ItsNotOk campaign to raise awareness on why it’s important for women to call out harassment issues. The campaign was unveiled on 8 March to mark the occasion of International Women’s Day.

    A survey conducted by Truecaller suggests that one in every three women receives sexually inappropriate calls or messages and eight out of ten women receive harassment and nuisance calls in India. While most women block these callers or phone numbers on Truecaller, very few report their harassers to authorities and the rest suffer in silence.

    Through the campaign, Network18 and Truecaller are espousing that policy makers, social support systems and media platforms have a collective responsibility to stop women harassment in our country. The key focus of the campaign will be on what women can do at an individual capacity and what our society can do collectively to curtail harassment of women.

    The initiative will bring together all stakeholders including state police, NGOs, counsellors, legal help and government representatives to talk about how society can work together for a safer environment, where women feel empowered.

    The campaign will see minister of state for women and child development Dr Munjpara Mahendrabhai Kalubhai deliver the keynote session. On the other hand National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma and Truecaller co-founder Nami Zarringhalam will be part of Network18’s stream-athon on Facebook and Twitter, where they will share their views on how can women stop harassment.

    The campaign will also see engagement from multiple influencers from various fields, including the likes of Jwala Gutta, PV Sindhu, Aditi Rao Hydari and Neeti Palta. While Jwala Gutta will be part of streamathon, tweetathon and Twitter spaces activity on 8 March. PV Sindhu and Aditi Rao Hydari will also be a part of a Insta live session, while Neeti Palta will be part of a tweetathon and engaging on Twitter Spaces. Twitter Spaces will be hosted on News18 India, CNN-News18 & News18 Gujarati handles.

    Others including social activist Ranjana Kumar, special commissioner Shalini Singh, DCP KPS Malhotra, Psychiatrist Dr Anjali Chhabria, Yogita Bhayana of PARI foundation, lawyer Aaliya Waziri, Vineet Kumar of Cyber Peace Foundation, UN Women Representative for India Susan Ferguson will also join the discussion to talk about the various aspects of women harassment including trauma, counseling, legal recource, and police initiatives.

    “Through this campaign Network18 and Truecaller aim to push for providing a safer digital environment for women,” said Network18 CEO business news cluster Smriti Mehra. “We believe that it is crucial for policy makers, social support systems and media platforms to increase awareness around all aspects of women safety.”

    “This International Women’s Day, we want to reiterate that the safety of women is critical and we all need to come together to put an end to harassment in digital communication,” said Truecaller India chief product officer and managing director Rishit Jhunjhunwala. “Every woman has the power to achieve a lot more when empowered to #callitout. The campaign #ItsNotOk was launched in 2017 with the aim to support women and ensure a safe environment. This year, with support of Network 18, we are taking a new path and urging women to come forward to #callItOut and take action against unwanted communication.”

  • News18 to telecast of BYJU’S ‘Young Genius S2’ starting 15 January

    News18 to telecast of BYJU’S ‘Young Genius S2’ starting 15 January

    Mumbai: News18 has announced the second season of BYJU’S “Young Genius” starting on 15 January and will air every Saturday and Sunday across the News18 network, HistoryTV18 and Colors.

    This season features prodigies aged 6-15 years showcasing their superlative achievements in a new avatar. The 22 contestants have been chosen from 20,000+ children across India from different fields such as performing arts, academics, technology and sports to name a few.

    Senior anchor Anand Narasimhan is back on the show and will be joined by celebrities like Vidyut Jammwal, Shankar Mahadevan, Mouni Roy, Geeta Phogat, Pulela Gopichand, Geeta Kapoor for this season.

    “We are elated to host season 2 of ‘Byju’s Young Genius’ and give a platform for many inspiring kids who have the potential to shape the future of this country,” said Network18 CEO – Hindi news cluster Karan Abhishek Singh. “This show is based on a unique concept that showcases young prodigies across such diverse expertise areas. Having children from different backgrounds and skills that are extraordinary in today’s world, the show is an adequate representation of umar choti, kaam bade.”

    “At Byju’s, we have always believed that every child is unique and gifted and with a national platform like ‘Byju’s Young Genuis,’ we have been encouraging spirited children across the country to showcase their exceptional talent,” said BYJU’S marketing head Atit Mehta. “This year as we start season 2, we are certain of finding some more hidden gems and brilliant young talents of India who will be an inspiration to all of us.”

  • NTO 2.0: Indiacast publishes new RIO effective from 1 April

    NTO 2.0: Indiacast publishes new RIO effective from 1 April

    Mumbai: Indiacast, the distribution company jointly owned by TV18 and Viacom18, has published its new reference interconnect offer (RIO) in compliance with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (Trai) new tariff order (NTO) 2.0 effective from 1 April.

    The revised RIO contains the a-la-carte and bouquet prices of 59 channels owned and operated by Network18, TV18, and Viacom18. The RIO contains the MRP of the new sports channels launched by Viacom18 tentatively named Sports18 and Sports18 HD and priced at Rs 12.

    As per clause 23 (a) of the RIO, “The availability of Sports18 and Sports18 HD channels (Sports18 channels), as well as bouquets comprising of Sports18 channels, are dependent on introduction of Sports18 channels.”

    “In case TV18 decides not to introduce and/or there are any changes in the introduction date of Sports18 channels, then intimation of the same will be sent by TV18 to affiliate in writing,” it added.

    “In case of any change in introduction date of Sports18 channels, then the availability of Sports18 channels as well as bouquets comprising of Sports18 channels shall be effective the last intimated date of introduction of Sports18 channels.”

    “Further, until the introduction of Sports18 channels, the validity of the remainder provisions of this agreement shall not be affected and any stipulations so far as they are related to Sports18 channels will come into force only from the date of introduction of the Sports18 channels.”  

    Viacom18 channels, including their flagship GECs – Colors (Rs 21), Colors HD (Rs 23); their regional language channels – Colors Kannada (Rs 21), Colors Kannada HD (Rs 23), and Colors Marathi HD (Rs 17) will not be included in any bouquet. As per NTO 2.0, Trai mandated that a channels’ MRP must not exceed Rs 12 for it to be included in any bouquet. The broadcaster has also intimated affiliates its free-to-air channel Colors Cineplex Bollywood will be converted into a pay channel effective from 1 April and will be priced at Rs 0.10.