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Tag: News broadcasters

  • TV Today Network wins NT Awards’22 in various categories

    TV Today Network wins NT Awards’22 in various categories

    Mumbai: TV Today Network has won a total of 37 awards at the recently held News Television (NT) Awards in a glittering ceremony, which took place in Delhi on 10 June.

    The media group’s flagship news channels Aaj Tak and India Today TV won across the most coveted categories. Good News Today, the newest channel from India Today Group also bagged awards under the categories of ‘Best Animated Show by a News Channel’ and the ‘Daily News Bulletin’. The group’s digital properties namely aajtak.in and indiatoday.in also won big accolades at the NT Awards.

    The detailed list for this year’s NT awards 2022 won by TV Today Network is as follows:

  • Option of further delaying news channel ratings being discussed: Reports

    Option of further delaying news channel ratings being discussed: Reports

    Mumbai: The Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) India is contemplating the option of postponing the date of resuming TRP ratings. The TV measurement body had announced in February that ratings for news channels would resume on 17 March.

    As per a PTI report, several news channels have reached out to Barc asking for the release of TRP rating data from different periods.

    Some have asked that only data from mid-March be released, while others have suggested data of the previous three months be released. Different bodies of TV news channels have also expressed their views. So, the ministry is looking into the option on whether to extend the date for TRP rating resumption, according to the report.

    Barc suspended ratings for individual channels in the news genre in October 2020 following a TRP rigging scam allegedly involving some private channels.

    The I&B ministry directed Barc to maintain the status quo in February 2021 in view of alleged reports of manipulation of ratings data and review the whole ecosystem of publishing of ratings. It instituted a committee under chairmanship of Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati to make recommendations on strengthening the TV ratings ecosystem in India.

    The ministry had asked Barc to resume the release of news ratings on 12 January after review of steps taken by the TV measurement agency on corporate governance, streamlining of processes and their transparency.

  • Absence of TRPs has not impacted legacy media brands much: M K Anand

    Absence of TRPs has not impacted legacy media brands much: M K Anand

    Mumbai: Times Network did not follow the playbook when they launched the Hindi news channel Times Now Navbharat HD in August. The Hindi news genre is saturated with many channels but Times Network entered the HD space where the only incumbent was Aaj Tak HD, said Times Network MD and CEO M K Anand.

    “When we launched our channel in the HD news space, the only other channel was Aaj Tak HD which is a great comparison set to have,” said MK Anand at an event on Tuesday. “The opportunity to come top-down in the Hindi news category helped us to focus on the brand first and then go to the mass audience.”

    The broadcaster is planning to launch Times Now Navbharat SD channel on 1 January 2022 four months after the launch of the HD channel. The launch coincides with the upcoming UP Assembly elections 2022. About two months of additional revenue is generated by news broadcasters during an election year.

    “The cost of marketing and distribution is much cheaper during the elections and will help our SD channel achieve mass reach in a short period,” said Anand.

    Elaborating on the performance of the newly launched Times Now Navbharat HD, he said, “The channel has garnered 100+ million video views per month on its digital content. Our ad volumes are already at 55-60 per cent of Aaj Tak HD while maintaining the same ad rates. Maintaining the same ad rates has been very limiting for the ad sales team but they have still been able to reach such high ad volumes which is remarkable.”

    The network also launched Hindi business news channel ET Now Swadesh in August. While there have been no business news channel launches in several years in the language space, Anand stated that there was a huge gap for such content in the Hindi-speaking market.

    “After demonetisation and interest rates coming down, people began participating in mutual funds and financial markets. This has become a necessity if they want to beat inflation. Foreign institutional investors, sophisticated retail investors, and corporates are taking advantage of the great growth that the Indian stock market is seeing currently. But ordinary Indians are not. That’s why we launched ET Now Swadesh with the proposition ‘India is rising, come rise with us,” he said.

    Times Network MD and CEO also talked about how 60-70 per cent of the year’s revenue is coming from pre-booking anchor sponsors. “If we pushed our sales team for higher revenues then there is no chance of maintaining our ad rates and that would destroy the brand and the category competitors. Our rates are in proportion to where we stand compared to our competitors” he added.

    Anand observed that the absence of TRPs for the news genre has not affected legacy media brands as much as news channels without strong brand recognition. “This genre is bought on the basis of effective rate (ER) and not cost-per-rating-point (CPRP). The absence of ratings hurts broadcasters as they are not able to design their product, FPC, etc in the absence of data as to what is working and how they are performing vis-à-vis others in the genre.”

    The Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) India had suspended the Television Ratings Points (TRPs) for the news genre in October last year.

    The network is planning to distribute Times Now Navbharat on the free DTH platform DD Free Dish as and when MPEG slots become available. “We will bid for the MPEG slots if they become available,” noted Anand.  

    “At the Times group, we are obsessed with brand development. As you can see from the array of iconic brands that we have created over the years such as TOI, ET, TN, Femina, Filmfare, etc,” said Anand. “In our checklist of people, content, distribution, marketing and sales, we have been ultra-focussed on the brand right from day one.”

  • News Broadcasters Association rechristens as News Broadcasters & Digital Association

    News Broadcasters Association rechristens as News Broadcasters & Digital Association

    Mumbai: News Broadcasters Association (NBA), the largest body of news broadcasters in the country, has decided to change its present name to ‘News Broadcasters & Digital Association’ (NBDA).

    NBA consists of the nation’s top-rated news channels and commands more than 80 per cent of news television viewership in India. With the media landscape has changed drastically due to technology, enormous choices have now become available to viewers to access content on various mediums and digital seems to be the future. NBA Board has decided to change the name of NBA to NBDA in order to reflect the addition of digital media news broadcasters as its members.

    “NBA has decided to bring within its purview digital media news broadcasters. In its new phase, with the inclusion of digital media news broadcasters, the NBA board has decided to change the name of the body from NBA to NBDA,” said NBA president Rajat Sharma announcing the decision.

    “I firmly believe that the NBDA will become a strong collective voice for both the broadcast and digital media. Along with commercial and regulatory issues, it will also enable the Association to defend the fundamental right of free speech and expression guaranteed to the media in the Constitution of India in a better manner,” Sharma added.

    The pride of the NBA has been the setting up of an independent self-regulatory body News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) 14 years ago. The NBSA has put in place a time-tested complaint redressal system and process, headed by eminent judges of the Supreme Court of India and eminent persons who have striven to improve broadcasting standards.

    NBDA board has decided that with the inclusion of digital media news broadcasters, the name of the self-regulatory body, NBSA be rechristened as ‘News Broadcasting & Digital Standards Authority’ (NBDSA).

  • Association of Regional TV Broadcasters of India merges with NBF

    KOLKATA: The Association of Regional Television Broadcasters of India (ARTBI), on Friday merged with the News Broadcasters Federation (NBF), making NBF the largest body representing the business interests and editorial freedom of news television broadcasters in the country.

    “The amalgamation of ARTBI makes NBF beyond doubt the largest pan India broadcasters’ body, more than twice as large as another existing broadcasters’ association. With this significant scale NBF will set new news standards and highest self-regulation and editorial standards,” said News Broadcasters Federation president Arnab Goswami.

    The decision was ratified at the NBF Governing Board meeting on 18 June. The amalgamation is the first-ever coming together of two industry bodies in the news broadcasting sector, under a single umbrella to help news broadcasters be independent and successful. It is crucial as it would help regional news channels and their digital platforms to understand and comply with regulatory requirements. The huge step aims to strengthen the industry by building the Federation more democratic, diverse, and united in spirit, in the best interest of the news broadcasting industry and the public at large.

    “We are happy with the merger of India’s first recognized Association of Regional Television Broadcasters of India with NBF. Now the time is there for the consolidation where we must consolidate NBF and ARTBI together so we form the largest body and can do much better for all stakeholders involved,” said ARTBI founder Kartikeya Sharma.

    ARTBI is the only regional news broadcasting industry organisation that also sits on the empanelment committee to empanel channels and it is recognized by the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB). Post the amalgamation, NBF members will also benefit from the empanelment and other benefits.

    “NBF most proudly and humbly welcomes the members of ARTBI into the NBF fold to stand together strongly for the sustainability of the news broadcasting sector in India,” said NBF secretary-general R. Jai Krishna. “The joint entity will support and help smaller and regional news broadcasters, and will upgrade the standard of the news broadcasting industry in a more comprehensible manner.”

    “Association of Regional Television Broadcasters of India (ARTBI) has been working for resolution of the issues of regional channels at national and state levels with government and other agencies for the past over a decade. The broadcasting industry has evolved during this period. The issues of regional and national broadcasters are almost the same. To leverage the strength and bring in efficiency it has been decided to merge ARTBI with NBF. I am sure this initiative will strengthen the cause of regional channels,” said Rakesh Sharma, Convenor, ARTBI.

  • NBF members comply with new IT rules

    Kolkata : The News Broadcasters Federation has stated that all its current members duly complied with requirements of the 25 Feb issued Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (“IT Rules, 2021”) by providing required information of their entities. Even actively prospective members have complied with the new rules before the due date, it said.

    The ministry of electronics and information  technology (MeitY) and ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) had asked for compliance status data of the new IT rules on 26 May from digital platforms of traditional news media companies, even allowing 15 days for due compliance.

    NBF affiliate news broadcasters,  both national and regional networks, provided information sought under IT Rules, 2021 even before the 10 June deadline. 

    With this, NBF has assumed the status of first industry organisation to quickly adopt the code, aimed at a “strong and robust self-regulatory mechanism” facing more accountability and transparency in audiovisual news streaming. 

    It has also endorsed the responsibility of accountable journalism expected from its member broadcasting companies,  and their digital outlets, who enjoy their all-pervading presence across languages, states and, through the length and breadth of India.

    The NBF self-regulatory authority is established as a unique content regulatory mechanism notwithstanding the platform delivering the information, to significantly large audiences in the country.

  • News Broadcasters Association welcomes suspension of TV ratings

    News Broadcasters Association welcomes suspension of TV ratings

    KOLKATA :The NBA welcomes the decisions of BARC to suspend the measurement of television viewership ratings of news channels for a period of twelve weeks. NBA, which represents the news channels believes that the suspension is an important step in the right direction.

    BARC which measures TV viewership on behalf of broadcasters, advertisers and advertising agencies should use twelve weeks to completely overhaul its systems and restore the credibility of the information it collects about What India Watches.

    Earlier, the NBA also stood in favour of brands like Bajaj, Parle, Dollar and Amul for their decision of boycotting news channels spreading 'toxicity, abuse and fake news'. NBA president Rajat Sharma said such a decision would contribute to the association's fight against this menace.   

  • TV Today Network cites tepid growth, less revenue for discontinuing Delhi Aaj Tak

    TV Today Network cites tepid growth, less revenue for discontinuing Delhi Aaj Tak

    MUMBAI: Recently, TV Today Network announced that the transmission of its Hindi news channel Delhi Aaj Tak (DAT) will be discontinued from the midnight of 30 June 2020. Speculations on the reasons for the closure were rife. The news network, however, has cited the tepid growth of the channel as a reason for discontinuing its operations.

    In a regulatory filing, TV Today Network said that DAT contributes less than one per cent to the total revenues of the company. It informed that total income from DAT for FY 20 was Rs 370.93 lakh out of the total income Rs 89,956.52 lakh of the company. The net worth contribution by DAT was also negligible.

    “Further, the business of DAT has not grown over the years, hence it is not viable to continue with the transmission and operations of DAT. Also, services of some of the people working in channel ‘Dilli Aaj Tak’ can be utilised more effectively in supporting the operations of the flagship channel of the company viz. AajTak. It is pertinent to mention that since the channel comprises of an insignificant portion of business of the company, therefore the said discontinuation shall not have any material impact on overall business of the company,” it added.

    The channel was launched 12 years ago on 31 December 2007. TV Today Network also has three other channels: Aaj Tak (Hindi), India Today Television (English), Aaj Tak Tez (Hindi).

  • News Broadcasters Federation welcomes SC order on fake news

    News Broadcasters Federation welcomes SC order on fake news

    MUMBAI: The News Broadcasters Federation has welcomed the Supreme Court order against the menace of fake news. The apex court in its order on Tuesday, 31 March , made observations on the “menace of fake news either by electronic, print or social media” and has put the onus on the media to ensure unverified panic inducing news is not circulated. 

    The NBF, which is the largest body of news broadcasters pan-India, not just acknowledges but welcomes the Supreme Court Order which states “we expect the Media (print, electronic or social) to maintain a strong sense of responsibility and ensure that unverified news capable of causing panic is not disseminated.” In the midst of India’s current battle against the novel coronavirus, the NBF recognises that there is a great need to be vigilant against fake news that is being proliferated both on certain media platforms, as well as on social media, said the federation in a release. 

    NBF president Arnab Goswami said in a statement that the NBF stands in solidarity and supports completely the proactive initiatives undertaken by the Government of India to contain, control and defeat the COVID-19 pandemic whose grave impact spans over 199 nations and over 8.5 lakh individuals, at present. The NBF believes the nationwide lockdown to contain the COVID-19 threat needs to be upheld, and any fake news that deters this national fight needs to be debunked at the earliest. In light of this, the NBF strives to uphold it's national duty and stands by the Supreme Court intervention to curb rampant fake news. 

    He added that the battle against the novel-coronavirus is and must remain a national effort, with each pillar of our democracy doing its part to ensure the social distancing norms are maintained, the lockdown rules are followed, and the concerted efforts to spread fear and mistrust amongst the people by a handful in detriment to this effort are defeated. The NBF believes that it's fundamental duty “to defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so”, in the present times, includes being an active participant in fighting fake news. 

    “India is at the cusp of its battle against the pandemic, and has rapidly increased efforts to flatten the curve and delay the onset of Stage-3, that is, community transmission. The nature of the infection and the person-to-person spread means there is a need for restriction of movement in our nation of 1.3 billion, and any fake news to defeat this effort needs to be curtailed at the earliest,” he points out.

    Goswami notes that the NBF acknowledges that this fight requires a united effort by all sections of society, all organisations and all groups need to come together. The NBF pledges its complete support to our frontline warriors and stands behind the Supreme Court order to curb fake news during the extraordinary situation currently faced by the nation and the world.