ITV

Tag: News First

  • News First enters Year 3 with a New Tagline, ‘Fearless…For You’

    News First enters Year 3 with a New Tagline, ‘Fearless…For You’

    Mumbai: When News First started on 20 September 2020, it was the most extreme challenging times one can imagine.

    Started in the midst of Covid Phase 1.

    Welcomed without BARC ratings within 4 weeks of launch.

    Embraced by Covid Phase 2 soon after.

    The rollercoaster in the first 18 months didn’t deter News First.

    When the ratings eventually were restored, News First had broken into the Top 5. No mean achievement given the once in the many generations obstacles  upfront.

    News First had made a name for itself in super quick time with exclusives not  seen in Karnataka.  

    This includes political breaks, programming innovations like AI MAYA, high  impact investigations like Murugasri Scandal (the notorious religious head) –  which no one dared pursue, World Exclusive interview with KGF director Prashant Neel, Getting Karnataka’s most famous TV legal eagle,  TN Seetharam to host a weekend show on the channel – for the First time on  Indian News Television …the list goes on.

    Today, News First has become the channel of choice for Politics, Cinema and  Cricket.

    The channel is in the Top 3 in a number of markets, in reach and time bands. The brand is amongst the leaders on outube and Facebook too. Three years after being every moment for the people of Karnataka, News First  is making a departure.

    The channel is embracing the a new tagline, Fearless… For You.

    Speaking about this MD & CEO S Ravikumar said, “Every moment in our three year journey was about dare and care.  This is evident in the number of news breaks we dared to do and the number of  stories for the people we carried. We felt the time was right to translate our actions into our brand messaging. The existing tagline shows our softer version. The new tagline adds aggression to the softness.”

    Editor in chief Maruthi SH said,“Our dares and cares have always been for people in need. But the dares have extended to exclusive shows, exclusive interviews, exclusive  concepts and celebrating other achievers’ dares. To that extent, dare has a whole wide range of meanings for us at News First”

    Business head S Divaakar said, “Our news content was always our forte. People have helped us grow steadily. The market is seeing it week on week. My team is looking forward to surge with the aggressive new intent of the  brand.”

    A new year, a tagline, with new intent.

    News First surely has stood the test of challenging times.

    The times ahead will show how far they can go from the current position of  strength.

  • Kannada channel ‘News First’ turns One

    Kannada channel ‘News First’ turns One

    Mumbai: Kannada news channel – ‘News First’ has turned one, bagging accolades with its quality reporting, and refined language that has clicked with Karnataka’s news viewing audiences.

    According to the channel, the advertisers too have seen the potential in the new entrant, considering the number of advertisers it has onboarded over the past year. The channel launched last year on 20 September, following a mega campaign- “Quality Andhray News First, News First Andhray Quality” (Quality means News First, News First means Quality).

    Focussing on the pandemic coverage, News First took its campaign to the villages with “HaLLEE Chalo” (Let’s go Village-ward, Drive away Corona – Save Villages). The campaign was also supported by the state and central governments leading to renewed Covid awareness and action across villages. A city focussed Covid awareness campaign, ‘My City, My Safety’, for Bengaluru’s apartment complexes was met with equal interest by the government and people alike.

    Apart from the relentless Covid coverage, the channel was also noticed for several people-centric and inspirational programming. Some of the programmes that stood out include Nimma Paravagi (On behalf of the common man), Naanu Nanna Sadhane (Recognising Business Achiever’s from Tier 2 – Tier 3 cities), Yaavdhu Asaadhya Valla (Nothing is impossible), Vijayaee Bhava (May victory be with you), Idhidhu Idhange (News as it is) Mane Mane Meenakshi (Every household has a lady who loves TV serials).

    News First has relied on delivering news breaks and exclusives accompanied with high-quality graphics, and tastefully done sets, and strong content focus with shows ‘India First’ and ‘Prime Show’.

    News First CEO, S Ravikumar said, “Well begun is well, done. One can’t say half done so early in a brand’s life. More so in the year of the pandemic. We’ve done well under the circumstances. Market and audience feedback has been encouraging. We’ve covered all of Karnataka cable and DTH homes. The team has lived up to its potential. Some of our shows have received good traction. But when excellence is ideal, there is always room for improvement. The withdrawal of BARC ratings upset our plans. Any strategic maneuvering can be done only after the ratings are out. But we are optimistic about our brand’s performance and hence the ratings.”

    The promoters Ravi & Maruthi ensured that the channel creates a buzz before the launch, he added.

    According to Ravikumar, the channel has attempted to stand out, on the back of its quality aesthetics. “So anyone flipping channels can stay for a glance. Grabbing the floating viewer is the key. There are many of them out there eager to switch and stay. News First has definitely made a start by holding this viewer tired of noise and news drag,” he added. The channel’s non-prime time programming like Mane Mane Meenakshi and Vijayee Bhava have also clicked with audiences.

    Editor-in-chief SH Maruthi said, “The program names too aren’t run of the mill or copy-pasted from national channel shows. Previously known words and phrases have been brought to life as program names across different time bands. The catchy program names are meant to create a sense of belonging in audiences. The rediscovered names are meant to make audiences feel one with the brand and experience an indescribable gush of emotions.”

    The BARC ratings withdrawal was a downer, but that has not diminished hopes about the brand’s perception.

    Business head S Divaakar. “Milestones are key moments in the life of any brand. We are happy to have reached the one-year milestone. A century of sorts during cricketing times! Always a good feeling. However, we are aware that it’s just the beginning of an indifferent year. We have a long way to go. The market is easing up after the lockdowns. As soon as BARC eases up on the ratings, the game will truly be on!”

    The channel has also bolstered its presence on social media, especially YouTube and Facebook.    

  • News First stings on launch day, gets Karnataka assembly talking on second day

    News First stings on launch day, gets Karnataka assembly talking on second day

    News First, Karnataka’s much awaited Kannada News Channel, didn’t disappoint on launch day.

    The channel chose to live up to its tagline of Pratikshana Nimmondhege, Every Moment with You, with a sting operation that showed the
    rampant spread of drug usage amongst children and youth alike, in government and private schools.

    While most Kannada channels are going to town with an overdose of sandalwood linked drug stories, News First decided to go the societal benefit route.

    The hard hitting story showed the modus operandi of drug peddlers luring and addicting vulnerable children between class 5 and 12. 

    The opposition too saw reason and made sure it was a talking point in the monsoon session of the Karnataka assembly, which started a day after the channel’s launch.

    KPCC president DK Shivakumar applauded News First for starting off with a socially relevant story of dire importance. Senior Congress Leader Dr Parameshwar promised to make it a subject of discussion in the assembly.
    JDS Leader Basavaraj Horatti lived up to his on air promise of raking up the children drug abuse story in the assembly.

    Quoting News First, Horatti spoke at length about the story and need for the state government to act fast.

    The government took cognisance off the issue and promised to initiate work in the direction in two days. 

    News First seems to be making all the right noises from the word go.

    Trade too seems to be showing keen interest despite the trying times.
    For a news channel launched in a crowded market place, day 1 showed sufficient promise with a tidy line up of commercials. 

    The men behind the venture, Ravikumar and Maruthi – formers execs of TV9 Kannada, and their team have contributed to increased interest in the News First.

    Armed with an experienced team, sophisticated setup and quality focus, News First is keen to shake up the Kannada News TV market.

    By the looks of it, the channel’s campaign “The Team that built Karnataka’s No. 1 News Channel, takes fresh aim” appears to have hit target.

    Well begun, isn’t exactly a battle half won in this case.

    But everybody loves a good start, at the cost of a wake up call !