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Time Warner’s broadcasting arm Turner has been showing keen interest in the Indian media industry. The international media conglomerate has reportedly entered into discussions with NDTV for investing in the entertainment side of its business, of which NDTV Imagine forms the core part. Sources close to the development informed that there was a “good chance” for these conversations to manifest into a relation.
Noor Fathima Warsia Feb 9, 2009 6:51 AM
Much as was expected, the latest TAM numbers see a widening of the gap between Star Plus and Colors again. Star Plus has scored 317 GRPs in the week, while Colors is at 271 GRPs. Zee TV has 209 GRPs, Sony is at 75 GRPs, Star One is at 63, and NDTV Imagine is at 61 GRPs. Sahara One is at 49 GRPs this week, while SAB at 47 GRPs and 9X is at 31 GRPs.
Noor Fathima Warsia Feb 5, 2009 7:02 AM
Bennett, Coleman & Company Ltd (BCCL) is arming itself to brave out the year ahead. BCCL’s top management has issued some stern directives to cut down on the company’s costs in every way possible. The steps include pink slips handed out to executives across functions, and across the BCCL print operations in the various markets. Even as BCCL officials were not available for comments on the report, sources from the company have said that the next few weeks would see the company let go of more of its executives.
Noor Fathima Warsia Feb 5, 2009 7:02 AM
No one said it was easy to be a Hindi GEC player, and it only gets tougher every day. From a STAR Plus airing 12-plus hours no-ad content, to Saturday stacks, big titles, and some more regression from Colors, to the demise of music format shows on Zee TV, to a slew of new shows on NDTV Imagine, and some effort of new properties even on 9X, every channel has got very busy… and the fight can even be for just a few TRPs to add to the overall GRP count.
Noor Fathima Warsia Feb 4, 2009 7:13 AM
In a town hall address to all its employees, India TV’s Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, Rajat Sharma, asserted that 2009 would be one of the best years of India TV, and that the company would not have any layoffs or pay cuts. He also said that India TV would launch two new channels and other media ventures in the year. Sharma also spoke on the shifts that he had noticed in audience viewing preference, where “hard news is back”.
Noor Fathima Warsia Jan 30, 2009 7:01 AM
Big Broadcasting’s 2009 deadlines don’t seem to have gone as planned. The delay in the launch of any of the channels, in the present state, is indefinite. Sources from Big had informed that the proposed movie channel, music channel and the kids’ channel were the first, followed by specialty channels. However, the movie channel team is now working on film distribution and marketing; the business head of the kids’ channels has quit the organisation, and it is understood that there is no progress on the specialty channels either.
Noor Fathima Warsia Jan 29, 2009 6:48 AM
Contrary to industry speculations, BCCL officials have stated that the company has “not invested in any form” in NDTV MetroNation. Even as NDTV MetroNation officials were not available for comments, it is understood that MetroNation had approached both Hindustan Times and BCCL for investments in this city-centric channel business from the company.
Noor Fathima Warsia Jan 28, 2009 7:15 AM
He has been in print, he has experienced television, and now it was time to check out the digital space. Veteran journalist and television celebrity Vir Sanghvi has aggregated all his experiences and works under one roof – Virsanghvi.com. The site also houses original content from the wordsmith, who is often discussed for his style in tackling mediums varying from politics to food. The attempt is a first for an Indian journalist, and the site already has support from media corporates such as Hindustan Times, STAR India and Discovery.
Noor Fathima Warsia Jan 23, 2009 7:03 AM
The Indian media agency business is never short of action, and the year 2008 was no different. In fact, the year would go down in the history of Indian advertising for several reasons - the top one being Sam Balsara’s acquiring a 51 per cent stake in WPP’s MediaCom India, and the second one being the impact of slowdown and the blow that many media agencies in India faced. <br> <b>Guest Article:</b> <br> <a href=http://www.exchange4media.com/Annual/2008/Guest_Jasmin.asp target= _blank >Who would have thought!: Jasmin Sohrabji</a>
Noor Fathima Warsia Jan 21, 2009 7:21 AM
9X has embarked on a severe downsizing exercise. From a 350-strong team, the channel has already asked around 80-100 of its executives to exit the company in the last one month. The departures have been from across the functions of marketing, programming and operations.
Noor Fathima Warsia Jan 21, 2009 7:16 AM
BCCL’s Times Global Broadcasting has unveiled the name of its forthcoming business news channel – ‘ET Now’. The intention is clear – the channel will leverage the brand name and the content strength of The Economic Times. A convergence model has been put together to enable the same leadership across ET, ET Online and ET Now. While media experts are clear that ET Now is a worthy competition to the genre leader, CNBC-TV18, they also state that the convergence model could either be a gamble that could pay off for ET Now, or not.
Noor Fathima Warsia Jan 20, 2009 7:06 AM
Mindshare India may just be the quickest Mindshare office to have embarked on, and completed, the new structure that the agency had decided on at a global level in early 2008. The restructuring process that had begun in April 2008 in India had opened up many key positions at the agency; all of which are now filled. R Gowthaman, Leader, Mindshare South Asia, believes that this places the agency on a position that takes it “beyond standard transactions”.
Noor Fathima Warsia Jan 16, 2009 6:30 AM
Unlike 2007, when the ratings of most of the shows had dropped from what was seen in the previous panel, in 2008, the ratings of most shows have gone up. Consequently, the GRPs of many channels have shot up from what they were in the previous TAM panel.
Noor Fathima Warsia Jan 16, 2009 6:29 AM
The Indian news broadcasters demonstrated a rare show of unity on January 13, 2009, when all key editors of mainstream news channels in a letter to the Prime Minister protested against the MIB’s decision to amend the Cable TV Act without consultations with the broadcasters. All news channels had telecast their stand on this development at 8.00 pm on the day. Following this and several meetings with various Government and political officials, the PMO has assured consultation on the Cable TV Act. All editors have welcomed the move. <br> <font color=red><b>Comment:</b></font> <a href=http://www.exchange4media.com/e4m/news/fullstory.asp?section_id=5&news_id=33665&tag=28624&pict=0 target= _blank ><b>Gag order – a united media can put Govt on the backfoot</b></a>
Noor Fathima Warsia Jan 15, 2009 7:32 AM
Star Plus has effected changes in its scheduling to house the new show ‘Yeh Rishtaa Kya Kehlata Hai’. While the channel’s top-rated property ‘Bidaai’ goes back to being a half-hour show, both the shows would be extended to Fridays. Star has put together a host of marketing activities for ‘Yeh Rishta...’ that the channel’s Sr CD Vivek Bahl believes has the potential to be bigger than ‘Bidaai’.
Noor Fathima Warsia Jan 12, 2009 6:26 AM
Starcom MediaVest Group has identified four key markets that it would be investing in the near future. These comprise India, China, Russia and the Middle East. Andrew Swinand, President, Global Operations, Starcom MediaVest Group explained that the India agenda for SMG was a busy one and included factors ranging from further accelerating the diversified services offering in the country to the launch of its second brand MediaVest in India.
Noor Fathima Warsia Jan 12, 2009 6:24 AM
Indi Media Company Pvt Ltd, a newly formed company by Vinay Chhajlani, CEO of Naidunia and Founder of Webdunia, and Jehangir Pocha, former editor of Businessworld India, has bought over the 100 per cent stake of INX News. All previous owners including Indrani Mukerjea and Peter Mukerjea are said to have exited the company following this move. Sources close to the development inform that Pocha would head NewsX and the other forthcoming channels from INX News as its Editor.
Noor Fathima Warsia Jan 10, 2009 7:00 AM
The first week’s ratings of the new TAM panel are here. The industry is still grappling with what the overall impact of the new panel would be, given the fact that the second phase of this update would be active only by week 6. Hindi GECs have scored better than what the ratings of the last week were, even though the two panel numbers cannot be compared directly.
Noor Fathima Warsia Jan 9, 2009 7:28 AM
Businessworld's Editor Jehangir Pocha, who had taken charge in March 2007, has decided to move on. Even though speculation on this had been rife for some months now, it is understood that Pocha has now put in his papers. Details on his replacement at Businessworld are not known as yet. It is learnt that Businessworld would make an announcement on this today.
Noor Fathima Warsia Jan 9, 2009 7:26 AM
The heat of the slowdown on the advertising agencies has not subsided in the New Year. Where on the one hand, there are clients that have completely stopped advertising for now, on the other hand, there are those who have begun giving the feelers that contract renewal wouldn’t continue to be as automatic as it has been in recent times.
Noor Fathima Warsia Jan 8, 2009 6:46 AM
The year 2008 saw intense competition between NDTV 24x7 and Times Now. If the first half of the year saw NDTV 24x7 lead in the English news genre, the second half belonged to Times Now. The genre has seen the number one position shifting too often in the year, and on most occasions, in the favour of Times Now.
Noor Fathima Warsia Jan 6, 2009 7:29 AM
TAM Media Research has updated its universe and added more markets beginning 2009. Pune and Ahmedabad have been added to the six metros. There is a further state split allowing individual measurement of Chhattisgarh and Punjab. Assam and Bihar would be added in the mix and a first step to measure below Class 1 towns would be seen with Maharashtra (less than Class 1) added to the overall strata. This would increase the sample size to 8,000 from the current 6,900.
Noor Fathima Warsia Jan 5, 2009 6:57 AM
TAM Media Research’s ratings of the last week of 2008 are here. The Hindi general entertainment genre has had a good year-end. The ratings were especially noteworthy for Colors as the channel has recorded it highest ever GRP of 255. Star Plus led the genre with 295 GRPs and Zee TV took the third slot with 191 GRPs. Sony and Star One were near about neck and neck, followed by NDTV Imagine. SAB, 9X and Sahara One follow in that order.
Noor Fathima Warsia Jan 2, 2009 7:09 AM
ET TV, the business news channel from the Times Group, is all geared to meet its first quarter 2009 launch deadline. In a recent internal announcement, Ravi Dhariwal, CEO, Publishing, BCCL, said, “In what is perhaps a global first, the Times Group is working on a convergence model that will make it possible for print, television and online to work together.” This structure is being put together for The Economic Times brand for now.
Noor Fathima Warsia Jan 2, 2009 7:06 AM
You do not traditionally put out reports for a January 1 – that is a day off. Well, we thought it different this year, and some of the decisions were different. So, here sits the entire exchange4media team, penning down (keying in rather), what it was like to bring the news of the media and advertising space to our readers every single day.
Noor Fathima Warsia Jan 1, 2009 7:51 AM
One outcome of the clutter in the Hindi GEC genre, combined with the slowdown in the economy, is of channels going on a repeat mode. At least two Hindi GECs – Zee Next and 9X – are on that route. Has the repeat mode damaged the value of these brands? Do they have a role to play in the media plan? exchange4media finds out.
Noor Fathima Warsia Dec 31, 2008 6:38 AM
Whether it is the cash crunch caution that advertising agencies are observing, or just the gloom sentiment, the international award festivals, like various other aspects, are set to be impacted. While some agencies have decided to exercise extreme restraint on the number of entries they would send, the others are prioritising the festivals that they would be participating in. Some have stated that the delegation size would come down in 2009.
Noor Fathima Warsia Dec 29, 2008 5:23 AM
Lowe India, or the Lintas advertising group, has had a busy 2008, and according to R Balki, Chairman and NCD of the agency, 2009 would be no different in terms of the overall business approach. Lowe Lintas has been busy as usual and new accounts like Godrej’s Hit and Renew, Godrej Saralee, Dr Batra’s, Hindustan Times, Hanes, Flying Machine, Knorr and businesses from The Future Group were added to the agency’s client portfolio. The marketing services of Lintas Group, too, have seen significant restructuring in the year.
Noor Fathima Warsia Dec 29, 2008 5:21 AM
In the last couple of months, newsprint prices have dropped by 18 per cent to 25 per cent on a month-on-month basis. Most publishers expect a further “correction” in prices but are also quick to state that this does not bring any relief given the current economic pressures that the industry is facing.
Noor Fathima Warsia Dec 26, 2008 6:35 AM
Whether it was lack of choice or a major calculated gamble, but 9X’s decision to air only repeat programming even after the dispute between the workers and producers was over has put the channel in an uncomfortable position with quite a few advertisers. While some media agencies have renegotiated their deals with the channel or have taken the channel off their media plans, some are comfortable with the fact that the channel is still delivering the kind of GRPs that it was even with original programming.
Noor Fathima Warsia Dec 24, 2008 6:27 AM
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