ITV

Tag: News

  • TV9 Network forays into Bengal market

    TV9 Network forays into Bengal market

    NEW DELHI: With the aim to further reinforce its regional dominance and consolidate its position as the number one news network in the country, TV9 Network has embarked on a massive expansion plan for both its linear television as well as digital news businesses in West Bengal. The expansion plan will kick off with the launch of TV9 Bangla, a 24X7 news channel in the dynamic Bengal news market early next year. 

    Before the launch of TV9 Bangla, the network will unveil its digital offering, tv9bangla.com in December. As West Bengal prepares to go to the hustings, the grand entry of TV9 Bangla digital and TV platforms will be a game-changer for the robust Bangla news market. 

    TV9 Network CEO Barun Das said: “Gopal Krishna Gokhalre had famously said – ‘What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow’. But nearly a century later it would seem like that statement applies more to Bengal’s past than the present. An intellectually progressive state and exporter of the best talent to India and the world, we believe the state and its people still retain the wisdom and wares to make that its future as well. Bengalis are the typical argumentative Indians, they want to keep her ear to the ground and hence are naturally drawn to the news."

    “More importantly, Bengalis are proud of their language and largely consume news in their language. The discerning Bengali viewer will always have room for a neutral perspective and a balanced opinion. That’s the place in the Bengali heart and mind that TV9 Bangla aspires to occupy. We are here to strike the right balance with neutrality and a fair perspective forming the core of our operations. Our unbiased coverage and world-class presentation will give teeth to the Fourth Estate in West Bengal,” added Das. 

    On the timing of the launch, Das said: “The state is already into election mode. Indirect canvassing has already started and the heat is building up. Given Bengal’s propensity for the free flow of information, news viewership is bound to peak. We believe this is a perfect opportunity for TV9 Bangla to establish its credentials and win the maximum share of viewership and voice.”

    The network has onboarded veteran journalist Anjan Bandyopadhyay as the editor of TV9 Bangla news channel. A gold medallist from Calcutta University, Bandyopadhyay has 32 years of experience and has worked with almost all major media houses, including ABP, Zee, ETV and Sky Bangla. He was the Editor input of Zee 24 Ghanta and his last assignment was with ABP as its Editor-Digital.

    Hiring for both the platforms is in full swing.  Amritanshu Bhattacharya has also joined as the editor, TV9 Bengali Digital and will also serve as deputy managing editor, output, for the television channel. Bhattacharya comes with a rich experience of more than 25 years across print, audio visual and digital media, having worked with Jugantar, Aajkaal, ETV and Zee Media Corp. His last assignment was as an associate editor and head of digital of Zee 24 Ghanta.

  • Rajat Sharma re-elected as NBA president

    Rajat Sharma re-elected as NBA president

    NEW DELHI: India TV editor-in-chief Rajat Sharma was re-elected as the president of the National Broadcasting Association (NBA) at its 13th annual general meeting. The board has elected News24 Broadcast India Ltd chairperson-cum-MD Anuradha Prasad as its vice president, and Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd – Times Network MD and CEO MK Anand as honorary treasurer for the year 2020-2021.

    Accepting the charge, Sharma said in his address, “I would like to thank Mrs Annie Joseph, secretary-general, NBA for her efforts in ensuring that the objectives and initiatives of the NBA are achieved and implemented. I would also like to thank the staff of the NBA Secretariat, legal counsel, financial and corporate consultants as well as the auditors of NBA and bankers for their valuable time and cooperation.”

    He also spoke about BARC’s decision to hit the pause button on TRP measurement for news channels. “NBA has welcomed the decision of BARC to suspend the measurement of television viewership ratings of news channels for a period of twelve weeks. I have said in my statement that the corrupted, compromised, irrationally fluctuating data is creating a false narrative on What India Watches and has been putting pressure on our members to take editorial calls that run counter to the journalistic values and ideals of journalism. The current atmosphere of toxicity, abuse and fake news is no longer tenable and NBA as the custodian and guardian of Indian broadcast media believes a bold step of putting ratings of news genre on hold will help in improving the content. I would urge all the members broadcasters during this twelve-week period to take all the necessary steps to improve the content of their channels and move away from the tyranny of ratings and ensure that the independent self-regulatory model adopted by the news broadcasters is vigorously supported and its decisions adhered to by all of us.”

    He added, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Prakash Javadekar, secretary and officials in the ministry of information & broadcasting and the TRAI for their continued understanding and support on issues which confront us. Since 2008, our self-regulation initiative has been a source of pride for us. On behalf of the NBA board and on my own behalf I would like to place on record our sincere gratitude and thanks to the chairperson and independent members of the NBSA for their support, invaluable guidance and time.”

    The other members on the NBA Board are: –

    •     Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing Co Ltd MD MV Shreyams Kumar
    •     TV18 Broadcast Ltd MD Rahul Joshi
    •     ABP Network Pvt Ltd CEO Avinash Pandey
    •     Eenadu Television Pvt Ltd director I Venkat
    •     TV Today Network Ltd vice-chairperson and MD Kalli Purie Bhandal
    •     New Delhi Television Ltd editorial director Sonia Singh
    •     Zee Media Corporation Ltd CEO – cluster 1 Sudhir Chaudhary
  • Mathrubhumi delivers a special Diwali edition to its readers

    Mathrubhumi delivers a special Diwali edition to its readers

    NEW DELHI: Always delivering something different to its readers and clients, Mathrubhumi conceptualised yet another special edition, this time for Diwali 2020. Despite Diwali not being a big festival in Kerala, the publisher tried something different to stand out in the market by creating a hugely successful additional 10-page supplement and delivering it on 12 November. 

    The paper was curated with enriching content and advertising support, in addition to also ensuring the main issue of the day itself looks great. It covered ads from a variety of categories such as consumer goods, mobiles, local retailers, hospitality segment, OTC medicines, and educational institutions. 

    Mathrubhumi Group MD Shreyams Kumar said, “This is in line with the various innovations the group is embarking on, all with a view to offer our readers richer content in every aspect and the advertisers with relevant environment to connect with our readers. We have created history by inventing a new season after Onam.  I congratulate our entire team behind this for the stupendous success.  Taking the opportunity to also thank all our advertisers who saw the merit in being part of the special issue.”

    The publisher claimed in a press statement that the initial reactions from the market seem to suggest that this has indeed worked towards providing a sudden boost of energy and confidence to both the consumers as well as the merchants in Kerala.

  • NDTV group posts Rs 17.6 crore profit in Q2.

    NDTV group posts Rs 17.6 crore profit in Q2.

    KOLKATA: The  Prannoy and Radhika Roy-led NDTV group has posted Rs 17.6 crore profit for the quarter ended 30 September 2020. This marks a turnaround in profitability of Rs 28 crores over the same quarter last year, when the company had reported a consolidated loss of Rs 10.5 crore.

    According to a regulatory filing, the group’s broadcast company NDTV Ltd has earned a profit of Rs 5.3 crores, which is a turnaround of Rs 15.5 crores over the same quarter last year. NDTV has stated this is the best H1 (first half of financial year) result for the television group in its history.  

    Despite the slowdown of the economy with the onset of the pandemic, the group has reduced its bank borrowings by Rs 22 crores since the start of this financial year.

    NDTV Convergence, the digital arm of the group, has improved its revenue by a record 31 per cent over last year and its EBITDA is at an all-time high of 39 per cent.

    “NDTV is very proud of and grateful for the whole-hearted support extended to it by all employees, many of whom took a pay cut in the first half of the financial year. The management of the group continues to focus on shoring against any impact of the pandemic which could play out over the rest of the financial year,” the company stated.

  • NT Awards 2020: And the winners are…

    NT Awards 2020: And the winners are…

    NEW DELHI: Indiantelevision.com concluded the much-coveted News Television Awards in a virtual ceremony today. Conferring the honours was Indiantelevision.com founder and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari. The event was powered by TVU Networks.

    Over 120 awards were presented to multiple news media groups and eminent personalities in the industry. News channels were awarded in multiple categories – Programming Awards, Promo – Design – Packaging Award, Sales & Marketing Awards, Special Awards. These included the likes of Zee, Aaj Tak, NDTV, India Today, Wion, TV9 Telugu, ABP News, Odisha TV, ABP Ananda, Zee Rajasthan, News18 Lokmat and others.

    A round of personality awards were conferred to anchors, journalists, producers, cameraperson, video editor, and others. Some of the winners in the category include CNBC TV18 managing editor Shereen Bhan, India Today & Aaj Tak news director Rahul Kanwal, Aaj Tak’s Rohit Sardana, Zee 24 Kalak’s Janak Sutaria, Wion’s Digvijay Singh Deo, NDTV India's Nidhi Kulpati and others.

    The Hall of Fame Award went to India Today vice-chairperson Kalli Purie.

    The complete list of winners is shared here.

  • Catch NT Awards Live today

    Catch NT Awards Live today

    New Delhi: Last week, Indiantelevision.com concluded a successful two-day News Television Summit powered by TVU Networks, where eminent broadcast news industry leaders discussed imminent opportunities and challenges that lay ahead of them. They touched upon several core subjects like ad-volumes, subscriptions, pay-TV, ratings, regulations, and technology.

    Industry leaders such as TV9 News Network CEO Barun Das, ABP CEO Avinash Pandey, Zee News CEO & editor-in-chief Sudhir Chaudhary, Times Network MD & CEO MK Anand, Wion executive editor Palki Sharma Upadhyay, India Today & Aaj Tak News director Rahul Kanwal, Times Now editor-in-chief Rahul Shivshankar, PolicyBazaar head of brand & marketing Samir Sethi, and TVU Networks VP of sales – South Asia & MENA Sushant Rai participated in the discussion.

    Up next is the News Television Awards, also powered by TVU Networks. The awards will felicitate the best in broadcast news industry across multiple categories such as – Programming Awards, Personality Awards, Promo Design & Packaging Awards, Sales & Marketing Awards, and Special Awards.

    Read more about NT Awards

    Indiantelevision.com received over 500 entries that were rigorously screened by a 37-member jury that includes senior personages of the industry.

    The awards will be handed over to the winners in a virtual ceremony by Indiantelevision.com’s founder and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari. The event begins at 2.30 pm today.

    Join the festivities here.

  • Arnab Goswami’s arrest is attack on fourth pillar of democracy: NBF

    Arnab Goswami’s arrest is attack on fourth pillar of democracy: NBF

    New Delhi: The News Broadcasters Federation is shocked at the arrest of Arnab Goswami, editor-in-chief and MD of Republic TV; in a 2-year old abetment to suicide case, and condemns the manner in which he was taken into custody in the early hours, on Wednesday, from his residence by the Mumbai Police.

    NBF calls upon the government of India and state government of Maharashtra to follow the due process of law and ensure fair treatment to Goswami, editor-in-chief of a news channel.

    As the largest organisation of news TV broadcasters, NBF also calls upon the entire media and news fraternity to come together and stand for the freedom of the press, the fourth pillar of democracy.

    "The early morning arrest of Arnab Goswami by the Mumbai police is shocking and is a direct attack on the fourth pillar of democracy. This is sheer disrespectful, fascist and anarchist action against the Freedom of Expression and the press in the history of the country. We draw the urgent attention of the Government of India to draw specific processes to safeguard journalists who are being victimised for performing their professional duty," said NBF secretary-general R. Jai Krishna. 

    “For the protection of journalists and news media organisations, the central government should put in place a neutral agency as a deterrent against abuse of power by any agency to stifle the freedom of the press,” said NBF VP and OTV (Odisha) MD Jagi M Panda.

    “I condemn very strongly the arrest of Arnab Goswami. It is like breaking down the fourth pillar of democracy. I request the central government to intervene in this matter and put pressure on the state government. If required the emergency should be declared in the State of Maharashtra. As this happened during the emergency rule and similar is happening today. This attack is not at all acceptable and I request all the news media to come together because it can happen to any of us,” said NBF VP and founder Prag News Sanjive Narain.

    NBF VP and ITV Network founder Kartikeya Sharma said, "The sudden arrest of Arnab Goswami is condemnable. The entire media fraternity should come together to stand against such actions against Freedom of the Press."

    “I’m aghast and at the loss of words to hear that a celebrated and respected journalist Arnab Goswami of a leading news network like Republic TV is being yanked from his place at 7 am in the morning is absolutely loathsome and outrageous, this is not right at all,” said NBF VP and Fourth Dimension Media CEO Shankar B.

    “We strongly condemn the illegal detention and arrest of Mr Arnab Goswami for a case closed by the court much earlier. This action of the Mumbai Police is a blatant misuse of power. The media community should stand united against this kind of attack against the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed in the Indian Constitution," said 24 News Channel (Kerala) chief editor R Sreekandan Nair.

    “We condemn the arrest of Arnab Goswami, vindictive behaviour is unacceptable and freedom of the press must be protected,” said MH1 News MD and chairman Mahinder Bathla.

  • NBA condemns Arnab Goswami’s arrest

    NBA condemns Arnab Goswami’s arrest

    NEW DELHI: The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has condemned the manner in which Republic TV editor in chief Arnab Goswami was arrested by the police. According to the police, Goswami was arrested in a 2018 abetment to suicide case.

    The association released a statement noting, “NBA condemns the manner in which Arnab Goswami, editor-in-chief of Republic TV, was arrested by the Raigarh police. Even though the NBA does not agree with his type of journalism, we denounce retaliatory action, if any by the authorities against a media editor. Media is not above the law but due process must be followed." 

    NBA also appealed to the chief minister of Maharashtra to ensure that Goswami is treated fairly and state power is not misused for vendetta.

    NBA president Rajat Sharma also tweeted his views on the same.

     

     

    For the record, earlier in the day, Republic TV founder & editor in chief Arnab Goswami was picked up from his residence  by the Mumbai police. According to Republic TV, 10 policemen entered Goswami’s residence and pushed him around, before taking him away. According to the media firm, the police had no summons or arrest warrants at the time of his arrest. It has been said that Arnab has been arrested in connection with an old abetment to suicide case of a 53-year-old interior designer. A Mumbai police official said that an architect and his mother committed suicide in 2018 over alleged non-payment of dues by Republic TV. 

    Goswami, it says, has been arrested under Section 306 and Section 34 of IPC. Goswami has been taken to Raigad for questioning.

    However, the Republic Media has issued clarifications on the subject and pointed out that it is a false case and has been made as part of a larger vindictive exercise against an independent journalist and an independent news organisation.

    Several bureaucrats and ministers have also lent their support to Goswami and condemned the act.

  • Indian media not muzzled: BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli

    Indian media not muzzled: BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli

    NEW DELHI: Amidst the huge chatter of Indian media being biased and muzzled, BJP national spokesperson and Supreme Court advocate Nalin Kohli has claimed that the country has a robust media otherwise no channel or outlet would be running anti-BJP and anti-Modi stories. He was in a live webcast with Governance Now MD Kailashnath Adhikari during the Visionary Talk series held by the public policy and governance analysis platform. 

    Calling media as an important and fourth pillar of democracy the BJP senior leader said that media is free and vibrant in India what you see on social media is demonstrative of the right to freedom of speech. He refuted the charges that the media is muzzled and said that that media has been muzzled only once during emergencies. “Everybody remembers those days.”

    “If media was really muzzled then how are people using media to abuse prime minister, Narendra Modi and BJP government so openly and freely. I believe and am convinced that media is independent” said Kohli.  

    Kohli blaming the opposition for manufacturing issues and blaming the BJP government for stifling freedom of speech and said that it is a charge leveled against the BJP government without any foundation. “As the opposition, they have a right to manufacture issues. Unfortunately, issues are manufactured without foundation” he said.

    While responding to a question on how the government will regularize social media content, Kohli, who has also been convener of BJP’s national media cell said there is the issue of territorial jurisdiction when it comes to social media. He reiterated that that freedom of speech is an extremely valuable fundamental right under Article 19 of the Constitution but also puts reasonable restrictions on that freedom. He said that nothing can be beyond the constitutional framework and the best way is to self-regulate.

     “There is always a way to express yourself with civility and you cannot threaten anyone. To threaten a lady or her daughters with rape, obscenity, and abusive language is a reflection of an individual’s own self. If we forget to be civil, how can we have civilization” he asked.    

    “Freedom of speech does not mean curtailing other persons freedom by fear…because after Article 21 provides for life and liberty. If a person feels intimidated or stalked or threatened because of the exercise of freedom of speech of someone else that too needs to be reviewed.  We are reaching a point where these issues are being discussed. Perhaps they will be debated and over a period of time…some kind of framework may come, maybe self-regulation by the platform whether it would require a court to intervene, laws to come in…that’s a much larger debate’’ said Kohli.

  • How Covid2019 impacted ad rates & consumption of news genre

    How Covid2019 impacted ad rates & consumption of news genre

    NEW DELHI: Covid2019 impacted every category of the television business. In the news genre, ad volumes, as well as ad rates, were hit initially, but have since regained momentum. There was a massive surge in viewership, which is now beginning to stabilise. And with more and more people getting onto the digital platform, the news consumption pattern has witnessed a slight change.

    In a session titled – ‘Advertising on News’ at Indiantelevision.com’s News Television Summit, co-powered by TVU Networks, eminent advertisers and agency heads discussed how stakeholders in this business are analysing the rapid changes and adjusting their strategies to it. The panellists included FBB, Future Group CMO Prachi Mohapatra, Policy Bazaar head of brand marketing Samir Sethi, Wavemaker CEO – south Asia Ajay Gupte, Essence SVP & MD – India Anand Chakravarthy, ITV group CEO Varun Kohli. It was moderated by E&Y partner M&E Ashish Pherwani.

    Pherwani began by asking Kohli how he sees the ad rates at news channels in the current scenario. Kohli mentioned that Covid2019 had hit everyone adversely big time. “The FMCG brands that were operating on the other genre started coming to the news genre because the latter was growing. All other genres were lacking fresh content, except movies where the channels just played their libraries. Overall, the news genre was impacted for the first two months of the financial year but then it regained,” added Kohli.

    He elaborated that in the post-Covid scenario, especially during the festive season and election times, the frequency news channels will be able to get their old rates back. “So maybe the leaders might not have gained it yet but the frequency channels have started getting their rates back in some order because they are making a lot of sense to the agencies and advertisers in terms of CPRP mix.”

    Adding to this Gupte from Wavemaker shared that Covid was a big blessing for the news genre. “GEC was not launching fresh content and newspapers also suffered during that time, which led to news on television doing really well. During that time, there was a high viewership throughout the day and the viewership among women also went up. Interestingly, we are also seeing a lot of appointment viewing coming into play, which was not there earlier. Previously, the news channels sold on the basis of TRPs or day parts, but now it’s also selling some shows that command a premium,” explained Gupte.

    He went on to add that during this time a lot of extended family viewed news channels, so it will be interesting for the latter to think about creating content that works for other family members too.

    Pherwani then touched upon changes in consumption of news on the digital front, especially more after the Covid period, to which Chakravarthy from Essence responded that people are fast moving towards digital consumption.

    “I think with English news genre, building a product which is completely differentiated and is able to add value over and above what a digital platform to my mind will determine how long this genre will exist. If we do not change the nature of how English news channels position themselves and their content and what they offer, I fear that they may be over indexed today and will start witnessing a decline in ad revenue before it starts moving to digital very quickly – especially in a country like India, which is rapidly becoming digital. On the other hand, in the language news sector, the content and consumption of news is picking up slowly. It is happening but there is a possibility of a longer run,” he outlined.

    Seeking a marketers point of view, Pherwani called upon Mohapatra, who mentioned that the digital consumption has rapidly increased especially from the start of the lockdown. However, her mantra regarding spends on digital news is that she seeks a brand-safe environment to operate and a clear RoI on it.

    On the other hand, Sethi from PolicyBazaar stated that his brand continues to stay bullish on TV as it is extremely RoI focussed. Moreover, television offers the consumer freedom to surf the internet. He mentioned that whenever a PolicyBazaar spot runs on television, a simultaneous surge within 10 seconds is observed by the brand while it is mapping the data. People can watch the spot and engage with the brand on the website but when a similar set of audience is watching news on OTT, they hold back from exploring the internet.