Tag: Vikas Khanchandani

Republic Bharat has made a smashing entry into the Hindi News genre

MUMBAI: The Week 1 performance means that in just 7 days Republic Bharat has made tremendous inroads and on boarded audiences that some established brands have taken many years to reach. The breathtaking start for Republic Bharat, which delivered exclusive after exclusive in novel formats within the hard news space, has not only shaken up the entire Hindi news genre with its thunderous entry but has also sounded the bell for all content players in Hindi news ahead of the crucial election.

Coming on the back of storming into English news with Republic TV in May 2017, Arnab Goswami’s Hindi news brand’s Week 1 reach is unprecedented when compared to other launches within the Hindi Genre. The Highest reach genre which is Hindi Movies has seen 2 launches in last 3 years i.e. Rishtey Cineplex and Sony Wah andboth the channels launched with a reach of 5 Crs in its opening week and have grown today 3X of their entry reach numbers.

Meanwhile, continuing his run of being the top-news anchor in the country, Republic Bharat’s editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami’s own 7pm debate show, Poochta Hai Bharat, on his newly launched Hindi channel has garnered the highest reach in the genre.

“This is a brilliant start. Republic Bharat has beaten six channels and has a reach of seven crore plus in week one. No Hindi channel has had such a start and it's a matter of time before we hit no 1 now,” Republic Media Network editor in chief and managing director Arnab Goswami said.

Bharat’s extensive focus on big stories within its first week of broadcast creative massive impact with #MamtaBlocksCBI and #ShardaStings which not only delivered blockbuster impressions on social media but have also got Republic Bharat the #2 position in West Bengal.

Republic Network CEO Vikas Khanchandani said, “We are extremely happy that Republic Bharat has opened the charts with a massive 73 Mn reach in its maiden week. Our distribution and content teams have worked very hard to give us this fantastic start within the mass reach genre. The reach garnered is the highest that any new hindi channel launch has delivered in its opening week in the last 3 years. I am extremely confident that with this magnificent start the channel will move into the top slot much faster than I anticipated. I am extremely grateful to our audiences and partners that have helped us with their support and acceptance within the Hindi news category.”

With Republic Bharat leaping into the market and basing its content on bringing back hard news to Hindi news television right from Week 1, the large-scale debut of the channel clubbed with its unmatched launch-week reach means that the channel is all set to be a front runner in the category in the big election season.

IPG Mediabrands CEO Shashi Sinha said, “The Republic team has worked hard to deliver a reach of 73 MN in its week of launch. They have given a repeat performance on their launch strategy by delivering big breaking stories and delivering massive reach. It's a very good start and will give them an opportunity to build reach and market share in the coming weeks as the news genre sampling is very high in the run up to Elections. The Hindi genre is seeing an entry of another strong brand after a long gap of 6 years.

February 14, 2019
Republic Media Network elevates Vikas Khanchandani as Group CEO

MUMBAI: In a major announcement on the eve of the expansion of Republic Media Network, it has announced the induction of Bhaksar Das as group president and the elevation of Vikas Khanchandani as group CEO Republic Media Network.

Khanchandani will now assume overall responsibility of all the three network brands—Republic Television, Republic World Digital, and the upcoming Hindi News channel Republic Bharat.

Bhaskar Das was President of The Times of India Group and Group CEO at Zee Media Network. He was also Executive President at Dainik Bhaskar Group.

Republic Media Network MD and editor in chief Arnab Goswami said, “Vikas has led the channel exceptionally from the start, up to the expansion mode. As we get set to launch Republic Bharat, I am excited he will along with Bhaskar Das see the next phase of growth and consolidation of our new age Media – Tech company. We are on the look-out for growth opportunities that are both scalable and sustainable. I look forward to partnering and growing with them.”

Vikas Khanchandani said, “We are very excited about Dr Das joining forces with us to help scale the business at the Network. He is one of the most respected media professionals and our network will immensely benefit from his knowledge and experience. His announcement comes just after the one for Hersh Bhandari who joined us as the EVP – Revenue on Republic Bharat. With our current expansion in the management team, as a network, we are poised for growth and scale in business. We will look for opportunities, both organic and acquisitive growth, within technology and media. Republic is a disruptor brand and we will look at a global digital foray in the near future.”

January 21, 2019
Republic Bharat, Arnab Goswami’s Hindi offering, to debut on 26 January

MUMBAI: The Hindi offering of the Arnab Goswami-led network Republic is set to hit the airwaves on 26 January, a source close to the development informed Indiantelevision.com. Republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani, in a recent interaction with Indiantelevision.com, however, had side-stepped queries about Republic Bharat’s (in short format it would be known as R Bharat) launch, though he added it would materialise in the first quarter of 2019.

Hersh Bhandari, the former national revenue head for India Today Television, is all set to join the brand new Hindi news channel. With him onboard, R Bharat aims to start strong as far as revenue performance and grow exponentially from there. He spent six years at Times Network. Bhandari has also had effective stints at the Star Group, NDTV Media, Mastiii and TV Today Group, collectively translating in 20 years of experience in the media industry. He has played a key role in helping channels boost their presence and revenue over the years and aims to replicate the same with R Bharat.

"We are pleased to have Hersh Bhandari on board and he is now a part of the Republic Network. With a proven track record of being a powerhouse and implementing strong customer focused strategy, he will lead the team to scale up the Republic Bharat advertising business. We wish Hersh all the very best in his new role," Khanchandani added.

The Hindi sibling of Republic TV will have Shamsher Singh as its editor. Singh has over 20 years of experience and has worked with leading television news channels, including India News, Zee Hindustan and Aaj Tak.

According to media reports, earlier in June this year Republic TV had circulated a note through a financial consultancy firm based out of Gurugram stating that the company was planning to raise capital of around Rs 120 crore (Rs 1,200 million) to set up a Hindi news channel. The investor note also stated Republic TV had “overachieved” its projected revenue and profitability estimates to close FY18 with Rs 155 crore (Rs 1550 million) in revenue and planned to close FY19 with close to Rs 2 billion in revenues.

Pointing out that `India’ is equated with `Bharat’, Khanchandani previously said, “Republic Bharat or R Bharat resonated with all of us and we were instantly drawn to it. It has stood out as a differentiator and as a name that smashes the clutter. The name is powerful and will connect with the audiences across HSM markets. The audiences will embrace Bharat.”

December 17, 2018
Republic Bharat, Hindi news channel, to launch Q1 of 2019

MUMBAI: Well, it’s finally happening and at an opportune moment too. Ahead of announcement of dates for the general elections or India’s great dance of democracy, Arnab Goswami-helmed Republic TV is getting its Hindi sibling to debut in the first quarter of 2019 with a reliable industry insisting the launch could be sometime in January itself.

Republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani, who confirmed to Indiantelevision.com about the Hindi news channel from the family, however, refused to give a firm date for going on air. He deftly side-stepped queries on the Republic Bharat (in short format it would be known as R Bharat) launch date by saying it would be in the first quarter of 2019.

According to the Khanchandani, the Hindi sibling of Republic TV will have Shamsher Singh as its editor. Singh has over 20 years of experience and has worked with leading television news channels, including India News, Zee Hindustan and Aaj Tak.

The Hindi news genre has more than 20 TV channels. Aaj Tak from the India Today Group leads the audience numbers game in all the three markets comprising urban plus rural (U+R), rural and urban.

Why choose a name like Republic Bharat, especially when the company had run into problems on the christening of Republic TV?

Pointing out that `India’ is equated with `Bharat’, Khanchandani said, “Republic Bharat or R. Bharat resonated with all of us and we were instantly drawn to it. It has stood out as a differentiator and as a name that smashes the clutter. The name is powerful and will connect with the audiences across HSM markets. The audiences will embrace Bharat.”

On its debut last year, Republic TV had not only smashed the audience measurement numbers, but also unsettled some legacy players who had even questioned the way audience data was obtained by the then new entrant. That after several rounds of slug fest all the players kissed and made up was another story altogether.

However, industry observers believe that if the success of the noisy English news channel Republic TV is any indication, the parent is bound to deliver a strong platform in the Hindi space too.

According to media reports, earlier in June this year Republic TV had circulated a note through a financial consultancy firm based out of Gurugram stating that the company was planning to raise capital of around Rs 120 crore (Rs. 1,200 million) to set up a Hindi news channel. The investor note also stated Republic TV had “overachieved” its projected revenue and profitability estimates to close FY18 with Rs 155 cores (Rs. 1550 million) in revenue and planned to close FY19 with close to Rs 2 billion in revenues.

KPMG India partner and head- media and entertainment Girish Menon told Indiantelevision.com, “Hindi news is the largest [segment] when it comes to news channels in terms of audience share. Given the brand value and equity Republic TV has, it makes sense to diversify into the Hindi space too.”

Highlighting that Republic TV’s parent has a “comparable digital channel” and adding Hindi to that platform will give it a wider user base, Menon added, “Brands will obviously get access to a much wider audience base. From an audience perspective, Hindi has a bigger base than English. The success, however, will depend on the content strategy and how it plays out with the viewers.”

November 29, 2018
RepublicWorld delivers a smashing performance on its video watch time and all its digital assets for the Karnataka Elections 2018 counting day

RepublicWorld, India’s No.1 English news channel, has set a new benchmark for its digital assets on counting day of the Karnataka Elections 2018. The figures recorded on its digital assets are unprecedented and speak volumes about RepublicWorld’s stronghold in the new-media space. Some of the key highlights are as follows:

RepublicWorld’s Video Performance

1. Karnataka Election Counting Day data shows 65% growth in video watch time across RepublicWorld’s digital platforms compared to Gujarat Election Counting Day with wider distribution and deeper reach

2. At 21.9 million watch minutes, RepublicWorld’s digital consumption stands tall with its broadcast performance (Republic TV watch time on broadcast as reported by BARC was 26.9 million during Gujarat Election Counting Day Coverage)

3. RepublicWorld’s HD news feed (For Karnataka election) across all digital platforms delivered 14,600% more watch time than that of the leading HD news channel on broadcast during Gujarat Election Counting Day as reported by BARC

Broadcast Source: – BARC | Target Group:- NCCS AB 22+ | Market:- India |Gujarat Election – 18th Dec’17 | Karnataka Election – 15th May’18
Digital Source: – Brightcove Analytics (Above data does not include numbers from Vodafone Play & Jio OTT platforms)

R. Interacts Engagement Performance (Within RepublicWorld App)

Over 535,000 conversations exchanged by our app users through ‘Talk to Arnab’ chat feature available on the RepublicWorld app. This saw a spike of 4,900% in terms of engagement on the app as compared to its Twitter engagement for Karnataka Election Counting Day
Source: – Google Analytics

RepublicWorld’s Social Media Performance

Over 7.8 million impressions on RepublicWorld on Twitter and more than 10,000 tweets using the #May15WithArnab hashtag, which alone gathered a potential reach of 296 million. (Data for Karnataka Election Counting Day)

Over 3.4 million video views of news & analysis updates on Facebook with an excellent audience engagement of 5% and above

Source:- Facebook & Twitter Insights

The extensive data gathered was also presented in simplified and comprehensive visual formats, using technology by data-visualization partner Gramener to delight viewers with accurate and in-depth insights. The coverage was in English and also in Hindi through R. Bharat (Hindi News arm of Republic TV). They also streamed updates live on RepublicWorld’s OTT partner platforms Hotstar, Daily Hunt, SonyLIV, Vodafone Play, Jio and many more.

CEO Vikas Khanchandani was delighted. “Our persistent efforts and elaborate planning before the Karnataka Elections, just like we do before every election, has shown exceptional results,” Khanchandani said. “Our performance on digital platforms goes to show how connected the youth of the nation feel with our brand, and how much they trust us for smart analysis, fast and accurate opinions. Our digital assets are performing at par with our broadcast platform, and all this time we continue to engage newer audiences. A clear indication that RepublicWorld has connected on a trustworthy level with its audience, further building our brand on the pillars of integrity, youth appeal, consistency and top-notch content.”

RepublicWorld is committed to providing exceptional content. Better coverage to their digital viewers through a vast array of new-age digital mediums. Their focus has always been to provide the most accurate and fastest news while enhancing user experience.

May 18, 2018
Republic TV partners Gramener to enhance election coverage

MUMBAI: Republic TV has signed on Gramener for real-time media coverage. Powered by Gramener, the channel has lined up real time coverage for all Indian state elections and mainly for the 2019 general elections. Gramener, which has signed a multi-year deal with Republic TV, will help enhance the visual look both on-air and online to present the data in a constructive and meaningful manner.

Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami said that the Republic Network focuses mainly on covering elections, political debates and election related panel discussions.

“Our viewers expect us to cover every election in the most accurate and in-depth manner. With the explosion of noise today, it’s becoming more and more crucial to present viewers with the accurate picture and present it in a manner that’s easy to understand and evaluate. Hence we have partnered with Gramener in a continued pursuit to focus on analyzing data and bringing to the audience fantastic visual presentation of election results. Election means Republic TV and Republic TV equals news,” he said.

Republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani said, “As a brand, we want to provide deeper insights to the audience using simple data representation for election coverage. A major reason for us to retain our number 1 spot since the past 52 weeks is our keenness to analyse data with precision and speed. In today’s noisy and complex world, we have the ability to focus on what’s important and draw out results which our users find extremely valuable. I’m glad that Gramener, our strategic partner, will help us further strengthen this ability by decoding complex election data and build a unique experience for our audience with live data graphics and fastest numbers in all Indian state elections and the 2019 General Elections.”

Gramener, a data science company, forayed into visual data journalism in 2013 and has since conducted multiple projects in visualising election campaign data with clear number-based analyses, including national elections in 2014 and multiple state elections since then.

Commenting on this collaboration, Gramener CEO Anand S said, “Media and entertainment is a key vertical for growth and we devised intelligent solutions for Global audience. We would bring cognitive and data science expertise to sharpen the election analysis with cutting-edge analytics and visualisation tools in a real-time environment.”

Republic TV’s election coverage will be telecast on air and will also be available on the website and on the Republic TV app.

Also Read:

How Republic TV is spreading its wings through media partnerships

Republic TV continues to lead as English news genre ratings drop

Republic TV continues lead as genre ratings rise

May 15, 2018
Republic TV, BTVI join hands for budget coverage

MUMBAI: Republic TV, spearheaded by Arnab Goswami, and Business Television India (BTVI) have entered into an alliance for content and programming around Union Budget 2018. The Republic TV- BTVI alliance promises to offer viewers a distinctive experience. In the days ahead, both partners will work together to combine their respective domain knowledge around Union Budget 2018 programming.
Republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani said, “Union Budget 2018 is the most anticipated budget, with major announcements expected one year post demonetisation and GST implementation. Republic TV, along with BTVI, will bring together leading financial experts across sectors, think-tanks, global investors and the country’s best editorial minds to present the most insightful and sharp perspective of the Budget.”
Despite a decline in viewership in the news genre, Republic TV has managed to maintain its pole position in ratings.
BTVI COO Megha Tata said, “We are very excited about this association. Republic TV’s credibility in news coverage and BTVI’s expertise in English business news space will create a unique proposition for the viewers of Union Budget 2018. With the two forces joining hands, I am very confident about delivering an all-around perspective to our viewers.”

December 11, 2017
Imam Bukhari challenges ‘fake’ story, Republic TV denies receipt of notice

MUMBAI: You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life, said Winston Churchill. There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that’s not being talked about, said Oscar Wilde. Arnab Goswami fits both.

The ‘shahi imam’ of Jama Masjid in Delhi, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, has reportedly served a defamation notice on Republic TV’s promoters including its founder and editor, Arnab Goswami, for what he says “was malicious reporting on the mosque.”

Republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani however told Indiantelevision.com that the channel did not receive any notice yet. And, if at all the man had despatched the notice, the matter would become sub-judice. (In law, sub-judice, Latin for “under judgment”, means that a particular case is under trial or being considered by a judge or court.)

In his notice, Janta Ka Reporter wrote, Bukhari demanded an on-air apology from the channel and removal of any video content existing on the web platforms owned by Republic TV within 15 days.

In its programme on 30 August, Republic TV had claimed that electricity supply to the historic mosque was cut by the Delhi Electricity Department due to non-payments of bills. The channel had run this story repeatedly while also using its official Twitter handle to tweet about it. Its tweet reportedly read, “Imam Bukhari has money to buy luxurious cars but can’t pay electricity bills?”

Imam Bukhari said the story was baseless and defamatory, as the power of the mosque was never cut.

The notice reportedly stated: “It was expected that as an organisation having a wide broadcast television news channel audience, you should have verified the facts before embarking upon such unprofessional and irresponsible statements which are nothing but intended to defame our client. The aforementioned news report is not only a glaring case of false and fake reporting but has also been telecast with mala fide intent to adversely affect the image and reputation of our client,” the Indian Awaaz reported.

Media companies will not only need journalists but good lawyers too if they wanted “the show to go on.”

September 11, 2017
Arnab Goswami is free to report on Sunanda Pushkar case

MUMBAI: The Delhi High Court on Friday refrained from issuing any interim order restraining journalist and editor Arnab Goswami and his channel Republic TV from airing news or debate in connection with Shashi Tharoor’s wife Sunanda Pushkar’s death case.

As the case was sub-judice, Republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani chose not to comment on the latest order while talking to Indiantelevision.com

Pushkar was found dead in a South Delhi five-star hotel on the night of 17 January, 2014. The matter is being investigated.

Earlier, in May-end, the Delhi HC had sent a notice to Goswami asking him to avoid rhetoric in the story in the Tharoor’s defamation plea. Justice Manmohan had then observed: “You cannot call him names. That is uncalled-for.”

While the channel was then careful in how it reported about the case, a senior advocate, appearing for Tharoor, said some Republic TV reporters were not taking the same care while tweeting.
The Lok Sabha MP had filed a civil defamation suit against Goswami and the channel, seeking damages and compensation of Rs 20 million.
Now, a day ago, Justice Manmohan issued a notice to Goswami and the channel seeking their responses on Tharoor’s plea to restrain them from allegedly misreporting the contents of court proceedings in Pushkar case. The court said the subject needed detailed hearing and, only then, a detailed verdict could be given.

The judge now stated the Congress leader had not shown any law by which investigation could be done by the journalist/editor. “Show me that after the first date of hearing (29 May), he (Goswami) has called you a murderer,” the judge said, adding: “I cannot dictate what should be the editorial policy of a news channel.” “Certainly, the public surely has the right to know what has happened in the case. The police has not even filed a chargesheet for last three and half years,” the judge said.

Tharoor, who was second in the race to become the UN secretary-general, had alleged that, after the last date of hearing on 16 August, the journalist/editor and his channel continued to indulge in misreporting and had broadcast an eight-hour programme on 4 September related to his wife’s death.

The politician had also sought direction to the channel and its editor that they should not mention the expression “murder of Sunanda Pushkar” anywhere, since it is yet to be established by a competent court whether her death was “murder.”

Tharoor, in the petition earlier, had stated: “It is not out of place to say that Goswami and the TV channel broadcast news reports and ‘alleged expose’ which were intended to lead the viewers to believe that the deceased was murdered either by Tharoor or at his instance.”

Also Read:

Republic TV & Pushkar’s kin restrained, hearing on 21 Sept

Arnab Goswami told to respect Tharoor’s right, Delhi HC hearing on 16 Aug

Shashi Tharoor files defamation case against Arnab Goswami’s Republic

September 9, 2017
New NBA member Republic TV wants regional & web players in

MUMBAI: Republic TV seems to have buried the hatchet with News Broadcasters Association and joined the body in what the former calls “in the larger interest of the ecosystem.” Republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani on Monday morning confirmed the development after the editor Arnab Goswami told Indiantelevision.com that he wanted Khanchandani to speak on the development.

It may be recalled that Republic TV’s ratings success, soon after the 6-May launch, was not uneventful. The NBA had written to BARC India not to publish the new channel’s data until it’s cleared of wrongdoing on allegations of multiple feeds (LCNs). But, Goswami had discounted the importance of NBA, calling it a “cabal” — a toothless body now used for lobbying and run by 4-5 people.

However, Khanchandani now tells Indiantelevision.com: “NBA needs to be democratised with wider representation and voice from the various regional news players. We are looking forward to playing an instrumental role to make it an inclusive body. There is also a need and opportunity to expand the canvas / scope as a leading industry body in the light of ever-increasing consumption of news content over the web.”

ALSO READ :

“The NBA is a toothless group,” says Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami

Times Now – Republic TV slugfest continues as ratings gap narrows

Republic TV, TRAI, NBA and the case of multiple LCNs

Republic TV curiosity factor wanes, NBA channels data absent in week 21

BARC-NBA face-off: Experts feel ad agencies, TV channels will take individual call; resolution best option

August 14, 2017