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Tag: Times now

  • Times Network appoints Rohit Chadda as president and COO of its digital business

    Times Network appoints Rohit Chadda as president and COO of its digital business

    Mumbai: Times Network has announced the appointments of Rohit Chadda as president and COO-digital business and Vinay Sarawagi as senior vice president of digital content.

    Rohit Chadda will lead the network’s digital operations and oversee product strategy, audience development, and operations planning for the digital businesses in his new role. In addition, he will collaborate closely with the network’s leadership team to drive the company’s overall digital transformation efforts and scale the business.

    Rohit is an award-winning entrepreneur and a seasoned and versatile professional with nearly two decades of experience in e-commerce, technology, fintech, media & entertainment, and OTT.

    Vinay Sarawagi will spearhead the overall content segment of the network’s digital business across platforms, playing a critical role in leading an innovative content strategy for the network’s digital arm, Timesnownews.com, and further boosting the network’s digital assets.

    Vinay is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in traditional and digital media. Vinay was previously responsible for developing a broadcast brand’s brand and audience, business strategy, and operations.

    Times Network MD & CEO MK Anand said, “We have been making concerted efforts in building our digital prowess to cater to an expanding user base across platforms. I am pleased to welcome Rohit and Vinay to the team, who bring expertise in driving successful digital strategy across business development and content innovation. I am confident they will be valuable additions in supporting our ambitious growth plans and help us scale new heights.”

    Speaking on his appointment, Rohit Chadda said, “I’m delighted to join Times Network to helm their digital mandate. My efforts will be to create new opportunities, capitalise on emerging trends and strengthen the network’s digital assets to facilitate its transformation to a digital-first organisation.”

    Speaking on his appointment, Vinay Sarawagi said, “I’m excited to join India’s most influential news network. At Times Network, audiences are at the heart of everything, and the unmatched brand connection with the viewers will continue to differentiate the network brands from the noise. I look forward to taking on this new role and synchronising my efforts to ensure that our audiences across mediums, formats and languages are served with unputdownable content, all day, every day.”

  • Barc Wk36: CNN-News18 beats Republic TV and Times Now, ranks No 1

    Barc Wk36: CNN-News18 beats Republic TV and Times Now, ranks No 1

    Mumbai: CNN-News18 has strengthened its position as it has maintained its dominance over the past 21 weeks while claiming to be the top English-language news channel in the country.

    CNN-News18 has a market share of 33.4 per cent, which is 29 per cent higher than Republic TV in terms of viewership this week (TG: 15+ AB | Full Week: 0200-2600 hrs | Wk 36), according to Barc data (eight channels considered).

    Meanwhile, Republic TV is ranked second and Times Now is ranked third, with a 25.9 per cent and 22.5 per cent market share, respectively.

    When the Barc ratings resumed in March of this year, the channel opened at number one and has remained consistent in cementing its leadership position since then.

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    The channel has been able to generate good traction for its content, even on digital. Its YouTube channel and social media handles are popular, with a high engagement rate.

    CNN-News18 also outperforms Republic TV and Times Now during prime time, with a 32.1 per cent market share between 1800 and 2400 hrs (AB15+ weekdays).

    CNN-News18 is part of the News18 Network, the country’s largest news network, which is watched by more than 70 million Indians each year across 21 news channels in 18 languages.

  • Ranjit Kumar joins Times Now Navbharat as senior executive editor

    Ranjit Kumar joins Times Now Navbharat as senior executive editor

    Mumbai: Times Now Navbharat on Friday announced the appointment of Ranjit Kumar as its senior executive editor to strengthen its editorial team.

    With in-depth knowledge in broadcasting as a producer, editor and output operations lead, Ranjit in this new role will work closely with the channel’s editorial leadership team and spearhead the overall functionalities including output desk, assignment, news research, guest coordination,  social media, and production.

    Based out of Times Now Navbharat’s Noida office, Ranjit will report to Times Network group editor and Times Now Navbharat editor-in-chief Navika Kumar.

    Speaking about the appointment of Ranjit, Kumar said, “It is heartening and encouraging to see Times Now Navbharat’s promising growth and strong resonance with the viewers, within a year of its launch. In our constant endeavour to deliver best-in-class content to our viewers, we are bolstering our editorial team that is committed to our growth mission. We are delighted to welcome Ranjit to the team, who brings the perfect combination of knowledge and domain expertise. With his deep understanding of the Hindi television news space and newsroom operations, I am confident Ranjit will be a valuable addition in helping us scale new heights and set new industry benchmarks.”

    On joining his new role, Kumar commented, “Times Now Navbharat has made a distinctive impact in the Hindi news genre with its superior content, and I am thrilled to be a part of one of the finest news teams in the country today. What sets the channel apart, is the credibility, accuracy and decisiveness it brings in its news reportage, which is a reflection of true journalism. I look forward to taking on this mantle and synergizing my efforts to help the channel meet its objectives.”

  • News18 India garners 12.8 per cent average market share during Week 27-30: Barc

    News18 India garners 12.8 per cent average market share during Week 27-30: Barc

    Mumbai: News18 India has widened its lead in the Hindi-speaking 15+ market with 12.8 per cent market share during Week 27-30 as per Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) India data.

    As per Barc ratings released on Thursday, Aaj Tak garnered a 12.02 per cent relative share and India TV stood at 12.01 per cent.

    Republic Bharat had 11.2 per cent relative share, followed by TV9 Bharatvarsh with 9.8 per cent share, Zee News at 7.2 per cent, ABP News 6.6 at per cent, Times Now Navbharat at 6.4 per cent, News Nation at 5.8 per cent, Good News Today at 5.1 per cent and Zee Hindustan at 4.1 per cent.

    News18 India further strengthened its position during primetime hours between 1800-2400 hours with 13.6 per cent market share. Aaj Tak had a 12.1 per cent relative share, followed by Republic Bharat at 12.0 per cent, TV9 Bharatvarsh at 10.6 per cent, Zee News at 7.6 per cent, ABP News at 6.6 per cent and Times Now Navbharat at 5.7 per cent.

    Source: BARC data, TG: NCCS 15+ (All Viewership data based on TV only) Wk 27-30’22: 22nd July’22 to 29th July’22, All Days, 24 hrs Market Share – HSM – Urban + Rural

    In the last few months, News18 India has spruced up its content and programming strategy, coupled with new marketing initiatives.

    Network18 CEO Hindi Cluster Karan Abhishek Singh said, “Continuous dominance of News18 India as the country’s top news channel shows the kind of viewer’s affinity and trust the channel enjoys. Our robust line-up of shows and anchors also keeps us ahead in primetime. Our focus on news, unmatched perspective, insightful analysis, and debates are the key differentiating factors that keep us ahead of the competition.”

    The channel has not only performed well on TV, but its digital audience base has also seen steep growth.

    News18 India managing editor Kishore Ajwani said, “There are a multitude of reasons which have helped us become a daily household name across India. The strong line-up of story-driven shows, the diversity of content, debates that offer perspective, and our fast-paced information delivery, all of these offerings have contributed to the increase in engagement with the audience and resonance of the channel.”

  • NT Summit & Awards: Experts discuss the importance and relevance of authentic news coverage

    NT Summit & Awards: Experts discuss the importance and relevance of authentic news coverage

    Mumbai: Is television new coverage balanced or has news journalism become a business? Should news broadcasters present the facts clearly while programming it? Do you think that the coverage of TV news is becoming more communal veering away from national issues such as inflation, rising liquid petroleum gas (LPG) prices and unemployment? Experts & opinion leaders in the news broadcast industry deliberated their views and talked about these tough questions head-on at the recently held News Television (NT) Summit in New Delhi.

    The powerful session was joined by Indian National Congress national spokesperson Dr Shama Mohamed; Times Now editorial director & editor-in-chief Rahul Shivshankar; Zee Media Corporation editor Rajnish Ahuja; Samajwadi Party national secretary & spokesman Rajeev Rai; BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla; CNN-News18 managing director Zakka Jacob and moderated by media professional & former editor of Star News Ravina Raj Kohli.

    Mohamed highlighted some data and mentioned that in May, 65 percent of primetime news was dedicated to communal issues and only one percent to LPG price rise. In April, 23 percent of primetime airtime was given to communal issues and seven per cent to the petrol price rise. The coverage of the film ‘The Kashmir Files’ accounted for 20 per cent of primetime news and eight per cent was allotted for fuel hike coverage. In December 2021, 22 percent of primetime coverage was on communal issues.

    She pointed out that there are well-known examples of both historical and modern media’s role in amplifying hate and leading to atrocities such as genocides such as ‘Radio Rwanda’ and the role of ‘Facebook in the massacre of Rohingyas’.

    Mohamed also stated that the role of the media is to ask difficult questions from the established government. “In the US, when a CNN reporter was struck out of a press conference by ex-president Donald Trump, he took the matter to the Supreme Court of the United States. Even right-wing news channels such as Fox News stood by the reporter. The media stood its ground and that’s why Trump is out,” she added further.

    Times Now’s Editor-in-chief Rahul Shivshankar noted that every government is worried about the influence of unregulated media. There are troves of misinformation sent via WhatsApp but by the time someone points it out, the fake news has made the damage.

    BJP’s Shehzad Poonawalla remarked that in the past journalists always had an incestuous relationship with politics and power. “Every media house has to cater to certain compulsions whether it be commercial or political,” he said. “Today, we are in an era of democratisation thanks to prime minister Modi and digital India. Everyone has access to a cheap data connection and fast data. I don’t think the media needs lectures from anybody, especially the opposition or the people in power. They do a fine job.”

    CNN-News18’s managing director Zakka Jacob was of the view that the agenda on TV was not dictated so much by politics and commercial factors as much by what made a great picture. He said, “The best pictures are those that make it to TV. All the news channels were covering the Rajya Sabha elections but due to a picture story, everyone’s agenda had changed in an hour or two. We tend to confuse news with top bands and ticker bands but at the end of the day it is about great pictures.”

    “It is easy to belittle news channels but at the end of the day, it is the easiest medium to switch off from or change the channel. If viewers are not watching opinion shows on TV, then we’ll be the first ones to cut it from the programming. We are answerable to what the viewer wants to know about,” he further added.

    The event was supported by Dalet who was ‘co-powered by’ partner as well as industry support partners GTPL Hathway, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, JW Player and Live U.

  • Times Now Navbharat launches ‘Dekhega Navbharat, Jeetega Bharat’ initiative

    Times Now Navbharat launches ‘Dekhega Navbharat, Jeetega Bharat’ initiative

    Mumbai: Further strengthening its bond with the viewers in Hindi news segment, Times Now Navbharat has announced the launch of a new initiative called ‘Dekhega Navbharat, Jeetega Bharat.’ A 100 day long nation-wide consumer campaign, the initiative promises to elevate the news viewing experience, keeping the viewers informed and gratified at the same time, it said.

    To participate in ‘Dekhega Navbharat, Jeetega Bharat,’ viewers are required to give a missed call to the number flashed on the channel, anytime during the contest period contest, to receive an SMS question along with two answer options, said the statement. “All the questions are based on general awareness related to daily news updates projected on the channel. Selected winners will be rewarded with daily tempting prizes including seven-seater car, electric scooter, gold coins, LED TVs, vacuum cleaner, laptops, mobile, digital watches, motorcycle, grocery shopping or petrol for one year and many more exciting gifts,” it added.

    “The first two weeks unrolled viewership data indicates that we have already achieved our first phase ranking target and broken into the A-set of HNCs,” said Times Network MD and CEO MK Anand. “The best news is that our TSV performance is on target. We have ensured that our Distribution is the best in class with highest penetration and best locations in the EPGs across platforms giving Times Now Navbharat the highest OTS in the genre. The ‘Dekhega Navbharat, Jeetega Bharat’ campaign is one of the biggest multimedia campaigns across categories and we are confident that we will see our Reach numbers go to capacity taking us to our final target.”

    Maximising the reach, Times Now Navbharat has also launched a reverberating marketing campaign that entails planned on-air promotions of over 40,000 spots across its bouquet of channels, Hindi GEC, Hindi movies and social media platforms and print ads in leading national dailies. A TVC featuring the channel’s primetime anchors is also released on the Network’s channels and social media platforms.

  • Times Now garners 699 TVT and leads English news genre in Week 10: Barc data

    Times Now garners 699 TVT and leads English news genre in Week 10: Barc data

    Mumbai: Times Now was leading in ratings amongst English news channels last week (5-11 March), according to data released by Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) India. 

    The assembly elections for the states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa concluded last week with the results being declared on 10 March.

    Times Now had a 30 per cent share of TVTs (number of target households in thousands where an ‘event’ was on average across minutes) and garnered a total of 699 TVTs. 

    The Barc data was for all Indian cities with a population of one million and more & a target audience between the 15–60 age group.

    “The last two years have been extremely tough, with the pandemic transforming the world,” said Times Network MD and CEO MK Anand.

     “People’s lives changed dramatically, altering consumer behaviour across all categories, be it food, fashion, holidays, entertainment or news consumption. The news space saw an added disruption with alleged malpractices unearthed in the rating system impacting viewers’ sentiment,” Anand added.

    He said, “All in all, there was trepidation when approaching the date, as to how news consumption has changed and how that would impact our shares. We are happy to note that our efforts to keep up with changing consumer preferences have been reciprocated by viewers. Times Now has seen a marked increase in reach and time spent. The gross ratings have increased by 20 per cent, vis-a-vis our performance in 2020 when the ratings were suspended.”

    He added, “With renewed consumer appetite for news, the comparative ratings have been shaken up with Times Now shining as the true leader. Our reach has increased across the Universal TG of 2+, which is an indicator of good health. Besides this, we are stronger in primetime than before and are also showing a marked preference by the reigning TG of 15-60 years.” 

    “Besides this, Hindi is an important space that we are watching and TY9 Bharatvarsh is the new leader. Two of the top three Hindi news channels being non-legacy players is an indicator that the Hindi news viewer wants to change. Our attention is now going to be on putting Times Now Navbharat into the top set asap.”

    In the English news genre, Times Now was followed closely by Republic TV which garnered 633 TVT and a share of 27 per cent. India Today Television was next at 14 per cent share of TVTs followed by CNN News18 at 13 per cent. The share of the remaining channels including WION, BBC World News, Mirror Now and India Ahead were in single digits.

    Barc has released individual channel ratings in the news genre for the first time after a data dark period of 17 months. The TV audience measurement agency has also announced that it will release 13 weeks past data. All data will be released weekly on a four-week average rolling basis.

    Source: Barc | Wk 10’22 | All India 1 mn+ | 15-60 Yrs

  • Times Now, Mirror Now to air docu-series on formation of Bangladesh

    Times Now, Mirror Now to air docu-series on formation of Bangladesh

    Mumbai: Times Chronicles, the content studio from Times Network has launched “1971 Birth of a Nation,” a documentary series on India post-independence. The seven-part docu-series will begin airing on 27 November on Times Now and Times Now World starting at 6 p.m and Mirror Now starting at 7:30 p.m.

    “The 1971 war between India and Pakistan was a pivotal point in world history, resulting in the formation of a new country, Bangladesh. The 13-day military conflict is one of the shortest wars in history and it ended with a decisive win for India. The documentary explores the reason behind the genocide in East Pakistan and the political history behind the birth of a new country Bangladesh,” said the channel in a statement. “The series also brings a comprehensive account of the political tussles that led to India overthrowing Pakistan, what caused friction between East and West Pakistan, how the political diplomacy of Indira Gandhi prove ingenious in the period leading to the war, role of MI, IB & RAW in the 1971 war, Operation Searchlight and Dhaka University massacre and significance of India’s intervention in the matters of East and West Pakistan.”

    Offering a glimpse into the mindsets and emotions of the times, the series will feature first-person accounts and anecdotes of senior officers from the Indian Army, Navy, and Airforce and brings together government officials, historians, journalists, victims of the 1971 war, Bangladesh – Mukti Joddhas, who were in the thick of the action at the time. This includes Probal Dasgupta – author of “Watershed 1967: India’s Forgotten Victory Over China,” historian and army veteran,  1971 survivor Ratna Biswas, 1971 survivor and executive director, research initiatives, Bangladesh Meghna Guhathakurta, lieutenant general Depinder Singh (retd) – assistant to Sam Manekshaw from 1969 to 1973 during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, colonel MS Joon, who played a key role in training the Mukti Bahini in 1971, former Indian bureaucrat Jayanta Sanyal, former Indian ambassador to the European Union, Belgium, Luxembourg and China Chandrashekhar Dasgupta, Lt Col Quazi Sajjad Ali Zahir (retd) – Mukti Joddha, national security analyst and author Nitin A Gokhale, and Times Network consulting editor Maroof Raza amongst others.

    Culled from the archival reels gathered from Films Division of India, the series visually recreates the historic scenarios and circumstances by capturing actual locations of the battles, war memorials, unseen footage, and pictures of the wars.

  • Times Now & ET Now launched on Australian streaming service Flash

    Times Now & ET Now launched on Australian streaming service Flash

    Mumbai: Strengthening its foothold in Australia, Times Network has launched two of its news channels Times Now and ET Now on Australian streaming service Flash, in partnership with Foxtel Group.

    Flash is a dedicated Live and on-demand news streaming service that features more than 20 local and global news sources. The news network will cater to the content preferences of the viewers in the region, with a focus on India, it said on Monday. “As the only Indian news channels available on Flash, Times Now and ET Now will deliver reportage on national, political, local, financial & business news, and enable Australian viewers to stay informed on the latest and trending news stories from India,” it further added.

    “With an evolving consumer preference for watching Live news content across platforms, we are excited to partner with Flash, to provide Australian viewers access to our best-in-class news channels on a dedicated news streaming service,” said Times Network COO and executive president Jagdish Mulchandani. “We are thrilled to enhance our reach in the region with this launch. Delivering reliable and world-class TV viewing experience, I am confident that our news channels will be an enriching addition to the discerning viewers seeking superior global and India news reportage.”

    “Flash will transform the way Australians consume the news that matters to them by bringing together the widest range of local and international live news sources in a single, easy-to-use, feature-packed service,” said Flash CEO Julian Ogrin. “And we are thrilled to have Times Now and ET Now as part of this unrivalled offering on Flash.” 

  • Times Network expands its global footprint with DistroTV

    Times Network expands its global footprint with DistroTV

    Mumbai: Times Network has partnered with California-based media technology company, DistroScale to distribute its news channels globally. DistroTV is an independent, free, ad-supported streaming television service available across international markets.

    Through the partnership, the network channels Times Now, Times Now Navbharat, and Zoom will be available in the UK and Europe. Mirror Now will be available across the UK, US, and Europe. Times Network is now present in over 100 countries, said the broadcast network in a statement.

    The channels will be a part of DistroTV specialised Southeast Asian package ‘DistroTV Desi’.

    “Catering to the appetite of the rapidly growing global audience, DistroTV is a robust network that offers us the opportunity to strengthen our reach amongst oversees South-Asian viewers and I am confident that with our holistic offering we will continue to keep them informed and entertained,” said Times Network, chief operating officer and executive president, Jagdish Mulchandani.

    “Times Network is part of India’s largest media conglomerates and a great brand that provides news and entertainment channels to audiences in India and around the world,” said Distroscale, co-founder and chief executive officer, Navdeep Saini. “We are thrilled to welcome a multitude of their channels, including their news channel Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, to our diverse, and growing fast platform. The addition of these channels signifies our ongoing commitment to deliver thought-provoking and engaging content to a globally-minded audience.”

    “We are excited to launch four channels from the Times Network for our audiences from UK, Europe, and the US on our specialised SE Asian package ‘DistroTV Desi’. Our international audiences will consume their daily dose of news and infotainment on the Times Now, Mirror Now, and Times Now Navbharat channels and be entertained by the glitzy showbiz, music, and celebrity updates on Zoom,” added Distoscale, vice president of business development, Rajesh Nair.