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Tag: Times News Network

  • Six Times Network employees test positive for COVID-19

    Six Times Network employees test positive for COVID-19

    MUMBAI: Times Network has informed that six of its staff members have been tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, as the pandemic shows no signs of abating.

    An official statement of Times Network says that while fulfilling their duties, four colleagues at Mirror Now and two support staff members (shared resources) “have been tested positive despite practicing all safety measures and precautions.”

    “Following Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation guidance, they (employees who have been tested positive) have been shifted to the mandatory quarantine facility at a private hospital in Mumbai and are doing fine.”

    The network has informed that the rest of the team members have all been tested negative and continue to be lodged safely. “Similarly, the operations of Mirror Now and ET Now have been shifted to an alternate location in Mumbai to ensure non-stop news coverage to our viewers, which was kept ready for an emergency scenario and managed by a fresh standby team,” reads the statement.

    “In spite of this mishap, the network will continue with the strategy of housing our teams in captive locations as we believe this is the safest option to ensure they don’t get infected by the virus,” said the statement.

    Times Network has already opted for WFH alternative to minimise external contact by following the government’s decision to be in self-isolation to curb the spread of the virus.

    The network’s news headquarters and tech teams were also accommodated in captive locations within our premises and other boarding locations in Mumbai and Delhi with dedicated sanitised transportation to ensure they did not have to travel from home daily.

    The media company also said that it stands by its commitment to ensure employee and their families’ safety, and responsibility to the larger community as it continues to offer seamless broadcast service to the viewers.

    So far, India has reported over 8,000 positive cases of COVID-19, Maharashtra tops with nearly 2,000 cases alone. The death toll due to the virus has surpassed the 250-mark across the country.

  • News broadcasters gear up to face coronavirus challenge

    News broadcasters gear up to face coronavirus challenge

    MUMBAI: Amid the coronavirus (COVID19) pandemic, news channels are facing the challenge of keeping the show running. Many of them have opted for alternative methods to not only keep employees sound and safe but also ensure that the business and credibility of the channel don't go down.

    With the government urging private firms to rest 50 per cent of the workforce by giving them a work-from-home option, news channels across genre have readily accepted the module and are trying to cope with the smooth functioning of the programming of the news network.

    In this regard, Times Network’s EVP & head – human resources S Srivathsan says, “Our editorial (newsrooms) teams in Mumbai and Delhi are divided into two groups, wherein one group works from office and the other works parallel from remote locations to support the newsroom function.”

    In addition, to ensure the safety of our workforce across the organisation, Srivathsan adds, “For our other departments and functions, we have adopted technological services to ensure day-to-day operations are fully functional over skype, video & audio conferencing, without any disruptions.”

    ABP News Network chief executive officer Avinash Pandey says: “We have a very robust and well-tested work-from-home capability, and the majority of our employees have the flexibility to work remotely. Our contingency measures for digital business and long-term resilience will ensure seamless business continuity and optimum employee productivity. This is our time to thrive and we want our advertising partners to stay invested in the news genre.”

    From the first piece of information being flashed on the news channel to the final analysis of the story, many departments and people are involved to get a fast and accurate output. And, to achieve this, each member of this chain has to be on his/her toes. However, during these testing times, the channels, probably, for the very first time, are doing something that could never have been thought of before.

    Srivathsan also says: “As a precautionary measure, we are encouraging our employees to make use of personal vehicles and car-pooling to minimise the use of public transport. We have also made adequate arrangements for pick-up and drop services for our staff members.”

    Moreover, “We have also ensured mandatory thermal screening at our offices and provided masks, sanitizers to all our news channels on-filed reporters, who are ensuring non-stop reportage on this situation from potential high-risk areas,” he adds.

    Pandey says that newsrooms might be vulnerable to this epidemic but this isn’t a first for them. "As journalists, we have always worked during strikes, natural disasters, riots, epidemics, wars, etc. We realise our sense of responsibility during these times to contribute to wider cultural currents of cosmopolitanism whilst taking the necessary precautions," he says.

    “Being a responsible news organisation, we feel it’s imperative we exercise caution, increase awareness and curb fake news," says Srivathsan. “As we operate with the abridged workforce, we are committed to our employees’ safety while continuing to work collaboratively & cohesively to ensure our broadcast services remain uninterrupted.”

    Echoing Srivathsan’s view, Pandey says, “At ABP News Network, it is our topmost priority to ensure that the viewers are apprised at all times, while also safeguarding the health of our employees.

    The novel coronavirus that has first appeared in the Wuhan city of China has spread over 100 countries. At least three succumbed to the infection and over 150 positive cases have been confirmed in various states of India.

  • She Inspires Us: ET NOW announces Women’s Day special programming line-up

    She Inspires Us: ET NOW announces Women’s Day special programming line-up

    MUMBAI: ET NOW, Times News Network’s English business news channel announced an exclusive programming line-up to celebrate the spirit of Women's Day with ‘She Inspires Us’. The channel offers viewers, a compelling range of special feature shows and interviews, the one-hour special programming will air from 6-8 March 2020.

    Featuring a gamut of change agents, ET NOW presents inspiring stories of brave women from different walks of life and the challenges they overcame to become trailblazers in their own right.

    The programming lineup includes:

    1.  ET NOW will air interviews with iconic women leaders, who broke the glass ceiling in various sectors including Zia Mody, Devina Mehra, Rubi Arya Manisha Girotra and Sairee Chahal amongst others.

    2.  Bikernis – ET NOW presents a special feature show on India's first women's only biking club with chapters across the country.

    3. Special Edition of IDD with Seema Verma –This special episode of India Development Debate brings to the viewers the inspiring story of Seema Verma. Abandoned with a young child at 17, Seema became a domestic help before becoming a successful professional marathoner.

    4. Fight for Equal Pay: A special edition of India Development Debate that will discuss the need to address the gender pay gap with an expert panel comprising Manisha Girotra, Chief Executive Officer, Moelis India, Rituparna Chakraborty – Executive Vice President and Co-Founder, Teamlease and Pranav Haldea, MD, Prime Database.

    5. GIG Economy Special: ET NOW brings presents a day in the life of Trupti Swami, who works at women last-mile delivery service 'Hey Deedee".

    6. Startup Central: Ahead of Women’s Day, ET NOW interviews Tanvi Johri, Founder and CEO of Carmesi the all-natural women’s personal care brand. Knowns as the Pad Woman, she was awarded “Female entrepreneur of the year’ by Jeff Bezos

    7. ISRO'S SHEROES – Be it India's mars mission, a moon mission or the first manned mission, women scientists at ISRO are leading from the front to take India to space. ET NOW’s special feature show will present the inspiring women of ISRO, who are scripting India's space odyssey.

    8. SPORTS: The special feature show will focus on female athletes, who are making India proud which includes Indian women’s cricket team in the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup 2020.

    9. Different Strokes: From equine dentistry to premier chocolatier to humour on YouTube, ET NOW presents the stories of women leading in roads less taken. The show will feature Ananya Birla, Indian singer, songwriter, entrepreneur and mental health advocate, Dr Akruti Choksi, one of the pioneers in the Equine Dentistry field in India who quit human dentistry to follow her passion and love for horses, Sanjana Patel, Creative Director & Executive Chef, La Folie's and Prajakta Koli, Indian YouTuber.

  • News channels unveil programming, content strategy for Trump’s visit to India

    News channels unveil programming, content strategy for Trump’s visit to India

    MUMBAI: When the US president comes visiting, news channels need to stay on their toes. Indian news channels are now gearing up for a special and round-the-clock coverage of the maiden visit of the United States of America’s president Donald Trump to India on 24-25 February.

    Times Now, Mirror Now and ET Now will bring a 360-degree news reportage to its viewers on US president, Donald Trump’s first-ever visit to India. Times Now with ‘Modi Trump Summit’, will run a curated programming line-up all through the day on 24 and 25 February offering viewers a comprehensive update on Trump’s visit.

    Mirror Now will begin rolling coverage from 11 am anchored by news editor, Tanvi Shukla and will also host a special Urban Debate edition at 9 pm. On day-2 of Trump’s visit, it will focus on the joint statement between two nations on trade, terrorism and defence and host a two-hour primetime special show on the key takeaways and the outcome of the meeting.

    Unlike Times News Network’s news channels, Network18’s CNN-News18 has lined-up exclusive programming on the first official visit of the international dignitaries. Titled ‘Namaste Trump’, the special reportage will cover every facet of President Trump’s Indian tour.

    “The programming will comprise engaging news reports on Trump's India visit in view of the upcoming US presidential elections. Starting 22 February, the channel has lined-up non-stop programming capturing major highlights of the US President Trump’s India visit,” says News18 Network’s chief executive officer – English and business news cluster Basant Dhawan.

    Tracking the bilateral discussions on key trade and political issues, the channel will also analyse the socio-political implications of the entire tour.

    As Trump’s visit to India going to be one of the biggest televised events this year, Dhawan says, “It has led to a great deal of advertiser interest. We have been actively engaging with the advertising community and our teams have been working closely to create innovative solutions for our clients.”

    Times Now and Mirror Now have deputed over 15 reporters each covering the visit from Ahmedabad, Agra and Delhi. Whereas, Network18’s CNN-News18 on-ground reporting coverage from Ahmedabad will be led by Maha Siddiqui —senior editor of the network, and the channel's programming will be led by the channels executive editor Bhupendra Chaubey along with other senior editors of the group network.

    In this regard, the CEO – English and business news cluster says, “Our reporters will be reporting live from ground zero – whether it is bilateral meetings or First Lady’s visit to schools in New Delhi.”

    The US president, who already is enroute to India along with wife Melania, will inaugurate Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat and address at least one lakh attendees. “The programming of the network will aim to draw a parallel between ‘Howdy, Modi’ in Houston last year and ‘Namaste Trump’ in India this year,” explains Dhawan.

    Times Now reportage will highlight a national and global political outlook, ET NOW will cover the economic and business aspects of Trump’s visit. Whereas, Mirror Now will present the key takeaways for India from this visit, with an emphasis on trade and visa issues. All three channels of TNN will use LiveU, OB Vans and phone cameras to air the live feed.

    To decode what it essentially means for India-US ties, TNN’s Mirror Now will bring expert voices that include Barkha Dutt – Senior Journalist, Maroof Raaza – strategic and defence expert and Anil Trigunyat – former diplomat and senior journalists from the Washington Post amongst others.

    "With the CNN advantage, we have exclusive access to international experts and news stories. Additionally, CNN’s journalists travelling to India as part of President Trump’s contingent will also share their outlook with CNN-News18 exclusively,” opines Dhawan.

  • Hindi news channels viewership increases by 14 per cent in week 6 of BARC

    Hindi news channels viewership increases by 14 per cent in week 6 of BARC

    MUMBAI: Delhi Legislative Assembly election has proved to be most fruitful for the news channels across genres. However, Hindi news broadcasters’ viewership has substantially grown by over 14 per cent in week six as compared to week five, according to the data published by Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC).

    One of the reasons behind the growth of viewership was the recently concluded Delhi elections. The polling was done on 8 February and the results of the same were declared on 11 February. Delhiites gave the mandate to Aam Aami Party, which garnered as many as 62 seats in 70-member Assembly.

    TV Today Network’s Hindi news channel Aaj Tak has continued to be the leader with the first spot in the top five channels list in the genre. The channel’s viewership grew by around 25 per cent to 146178 weekly impressions in week six as compared to 117478 impressions in week 5 of BARC. The channel also continued to maintain its dominance in both rural and urban segment viewership.

    Outperfoming all its peers, ABP News Network’s Hindi news channel ABP News has given a tough fight to all other four channels in the list, including Aaj Tak. The channel, grabbing the second position, has improved its viewership count substantially by 24 per cent to 108032 impressions in week six as against 87015 impressions in week five. The channel was at the fifth position in week five of BARC.

    Retaining its position at number three, News18 India, a Hindi news channel of Network18, grew by around 7 per cent to 101566 impressions in week six as compared to 95139 impressions in week five. Similarly, India TV maintaining its stance at fourth position grew by over 12 per cent to 99324 weekly impressions in week six compared previous week to 88477 impressions in week five.

    Meanwhile, the Zee Entertainment Enterprises’ Hindi news channel Zee News has fallen to the fifth position from second and has seen a marginal increase of viewership growth by 1 per cent to 98564 impressions in week six as compared to 97652 weekly impressions in week five of BARC.

    Despite being the biggest financial event in the country – Budget 2020, the viewership of news channels across genre, except business news channels, had slowed down by 20 per cent in week 5 (1-7 February) as compared to the previous week, BARC data had mentioned on its website.

    The rise in the viewership of channels growth in week six has pointed out that the audience is more inclined towards political developments than financial happenings in the country. The current data has reversed all negatives posted in week five as compared to the current week as per BARC.

  • News viewership grew by 60% during budget speech

    News viewership grew by 60% during budget speech

    MUMBAI: The biggest financial event of the country—Budget 2020 — has helped news channels, especially business news channels across segment to increase their viewership substantially, a data from Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) says.

    Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman gave the longest budget speech from 11 am to 1.43 pm on 1 February. The Hindi, English and Hindi+English business news channels recorded a rise of over 60 per cent to 3 million impressions during these 2 hours and 43 minutes.

    Moreover, at least 22 million eyeballs of unique viewers were glued to the screen of business news channels across genre, which posted growth of over 30 per cent.

    BARC on its official twitter handle mentioned: “During #Budget2020, Indian news viewership saw an impressive growth with regards to impressions and unique viewers!”

    The budget viewership was recorded during week 5 of BARC that was compared to the same time slot of week 4 of the weekly impressions. BARC in its Twitter post said: “The growth in impressions were considered over the previous week 4 during the same time period from 11 am to 1.43 pm.”

    The audience measurement body also said in its micro-blogging post that BBC World News has been excluded as the budget speech wasn’t aired live by the channel.

    Despite Budget 2020, the viewership of general news channels across genre were slowed down in week 5 (1-7 February) as compared to week 4 (25-31january), the BARC mentioned on its website.

    However, the budget being the most important event for the business news channels, both CNBC TV18 of Network18 group and ET Now of Times News Network, in the English category, grew by over 100 per cent to 727 and 266 weekly impressions in week 5 respectively.

    The Reliance group-owned business news channel, CNBC TV18 being the leader in the business news channel in week 4 had garnered 275 weekly impressions. On the contrary, ET Now had received 123 weekly impressions in week 4.

    In the Hindi business news category, both Network18’s CNBC Awaaz, and Zee Entertainment Enterprise’s Zee Business grew by 21 per cent and 41 per cent respectively during Budget week. The former garnered 2492 weekly impressions, whereas the latter settled at 2131 impressions in week 5 as compared to 1965 and 1249 impressions in week 4 respectively.

    Week 5 was considered to be weak compared to week 4, as it had no major important event for news channels to keep viewers engaged except for the Budget 2020 and Delhi poll campaigns that concluded on February 6. Whereas, week 4 had seen many national importance events such as Republic Day, Delhi Assembly poll campaigns, and the Shaheen Bagh firing. 

  • All news channels, except biz news, see viewership slump in BARC week 5

    All news channels, except biz news, see viewership slump in BARC week 5

    MUMBAI: Despite the biggest financial event in the country – Budget 2020, the viewership of news channels of across genre, except business news channels, slowed down in week 5 (1-7 February) as compared to week 4, according to the data released by Broadcasting Audience Research Council India.

    Week 4 (25-31 January) had seen many national importance events such as Republic Day, Delhi Assembly poll campaigns, pre-budget preparation, and Shaheen Bagh firing. The news channels across genre had buzzing news information almost every day during week 4 of BARC.

    Hindi News

    The TV Today Group’s Hindi news channel Aaj Tak, leading the race in the viewership in the Hindi category, has retained its position at the top among peers. However, the viewership of the channel has dropped by 12.3 per cent to 117478 weekly impressions in week 5 as against 133942 in week 4.

    In week 5, news channels had no major or national importance event except budget 2020. However, the Delhi poll campaign being one of the buzzing events was concluded by the evening of 6 February as per the model code of conduct of Election Commission of India.

    Not just Aaj Tak, in the Hindi news segment, all other channels featured in the list of the week 5 saw a slump in viewership pattern as against week 4’s viewership. Zee News maintaining its second spot in the list of week 5 fell by 8 per cent to 97652 weekly impressions as compared to 106097 impressions in week 4.

    Moreover, News18 India, which also retained its spot on the third position, saw a drop by 5.2 per cent to 95139 weekly impressions in week 5 versus 100395 impressions in week 4. Whereas India TV maintaining its fourth position but fell by 3.3 per cent to 88477 weekly impressions as compared to 91481 weekly impressions in week 4.

    Replacing Republic Bharat, ABP News has bagged the fifth spot in the list of week 5 with weekly impressions of 87015. However, Republic Bharat tried to clinch a fifth spot in the urban segment of Hindi news channel with 51613 weekly impressions in week 5.

    English News

    In the English news category, Republic TV has maintained its lead in week 5, however, it slumped by over 12.5 per cent to 654 weekly impressions as compared to 749 impressions in week 4. Despite out throwing DD India from second spot, Times Now has also dropped by 3.3 per cent to 515 weekly impressions in week 5 compared to 534 impressions in week 4.

    Meanwhile, India Today Television, taking Times Now last week’s spot, has dropped by 17.7 per cent to 303 weekly impressions in week 5 versus 368 impressions in week 4. Moreover, DD India falling to fourth position this week has substantially dropped by 74.6 per cent to 181 weekly impressions in week 5 as against 713 impressions in week 4.

    DD India, a government-owned news broadcaster, was able to gain exponential impressions in week 4 due to 71st Republic Day event, which was authorised to show the exclusive footage of the event and also share it with other news channels by giving give courtesy to DD India.

    Similarly, CNN News18 maintaining its position at the last spot but also fell substantially by over 30 per cent to 163 weekly impressions in week 5 as compared to 237 weekly impressions in week 4.

    Business News

    Budget being the most important event for the business news channels, Both CNBC TV18 of Network18 group and ET Now of Times News Network, in the English category, grew by over 100 per cent to 727 and 266 weekly impressions in week 5 respectively. CNBC TV18, leading between the two, had garnered 275 weekly impressions and ET had achieved 123 weekly impressions in week 4.

    Similarly, in the Hindi business news category, Both CNBC Awaaz and Zee Business grew by 21 per cent and 41 per cent respectively. The former garnered 2492 weekly impressions, whereas the latter settled at 2131 impressions in week 5 as compared to 1965 and 1249 impressions in week 4 respectively.

  • News channels go all out to cover upcoming Delhi election

    News channels go all out to cover upcoming Delhi election

    MUMBAI: Election days belong to news channels. Right from guessing the outcome to getting audience views to covering the result day, news channels cash in on every opportunity. With 2020’s first election – the Delhi battleground – approaching, channels have lined up insightful content with innovative approaches.

    The ABP News Network has assigned one reporter in every constituency of Delhi, to highlight the realities of the ground. The Hindi news channel believes having 70 on-ground reporters for the elections will ensure accurate and real-time updates. On the other hand, both Times Now and Mirror Now will cover the polls with over 20 reporters assigned respectively.  

    With respect to programming and content line-up, ABP News has scheduled a different bouquet of programmes for weekdays and weekends, under the umbrella of Kaun Banega Mukhyamantri. There are eight shows: Seedha Sawal, Siyasat ka Sensex, Vijay Factors, Delhi Darshan, School Chalen Hum, and Big Interviews with Big Faces.

    At the end of the polling day, Times Now in association with IPSOS, a global leader in market research will broadcast the exit poll. Similarly, the English news broadcaster will also bring the result day live with a new-age look for election result analysis, featuring some of the country's top election experts.

    Mirror Now will have non-stop coverage on counting day, 11 February, from 6 am onwards. The channel will also air election updates and press conferences (if any) will be interspersed with other news bulletin.

    ABP News Network has onboard Sugarlite, Rakesh Masale, Tata Altroz and Signature Pan Masala as official sponsors for the Delhi election shows all day long. “We not only want to grab eyeballs but also create a profound impact on our viewers by incentivising voting, improving civic engagement and bringing a positive impact on the democratic process,” said a channel representative. 

    The Delhi Legislative Assembly election, scheduled on 8 February, is hotly contested between two key political parties –the Bharatiya Janata Party which holds the centre and the Aam Aadmi Party, which is the incumbent in the national capital.