In this year, 50 of the top 100 programmes on all the news channels in India were
. Aaj Tak properties.The channel had a market share of 22.3% (Source:TAM.
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Market It just keeps getting better all the time for India’s pay TV industry. Changes in consumption habits coupled with the easing of regulatory pressures have pushed India into number three position in the world’s cable and satellite (C&S) market. The migration to digital platforms is well under way with concomitant challenges and opportunities for India Inc. The Indian television household market currently numbers 112 million with an estimated 70 million Pay TV households. Of these 2 million subscribe to DTH while 68 million are connected to cable (Source: NRS 2006). The growth in the past seventeen years of Indian C&S has been phenomenal. In this period it logged a cumulative average growth rate (CAGR) of 38%. Estimates project that by 2010, 28% of an estimated 100 million pay TV households will migrate to digital pay television platforms such as Direct to Home (DTH), digital cable and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV). DTH will emerge as the leader over the next three years (Source: ASSOCHAM’s Report to the Prime Minister). Today’s total of 402 channels is expected to cross 500 by the end of 2009 with news channels showing a healthier growth in viewer ship than general entertainment channels. Tracking studies have shown that the news category witnessed a 75% growth between 2002 and 2004 (Source: TAM Media Research) and will continue to look northward. At the same time television industry revenues are expected to grow from the present Rs. 19,100 crore (US$ 4.78 billion) to Rs. 51,900 crore (US$ 12.98 billion) by 2010 (Source: industry estimates and PricewaterhouseCoopers analysis). Television will continue to maintain its dominance of the total advertising pie. One of the drivers of this market surge is the TV Today Network (TVTN), a Living Media Group company, whose name has become synonymous with credibility and quality. The TV Today Network is India's leading news broadcaster with a cumulative market share of 26.5% in the news genre in 2007 (Source: TAM: Average of 52 weeks of 2007; 4+ years; C&S Homes) ahead of its closest competitors by more than 20%.
Achievements Beginning with an impressive connectivity of 5.2 million homes in 2001, Aaj Tak, the company’s Hindi news channel increased its reach to 44.3 million viewers in 2007. In this year, 50 of the top 100 programmes on all the news channels in India were Aaj Tak properties. The channel had a market share of 22.3% (Source: TAM data for 2007; 4+ years; C&S Homes). These figures tell the story of a network that is not only a content 142
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seven RAPA awards; five ABBY awards and two Indian Marketing awards, amongst many others. International awards and recognitions bagged by TVTN include five Promax & BDA awards. The Business Standard Brand Derby survey in 2003 placed Aaj Tak amongst the most successful launches. The channel has never looked back and continues to outpace competition. The 2004 Cyber Media research on mind-share and preferences commanded by the various news channels in India placed Aaj Tak at the number one position with the highest topof-mind recall amongst viewers. A Nielsen study showed that Indians are the third most brand conscious consumers in the world. Small wonder then that a Nielsen survey of news channels has shown Aaj Tak with the highest brand equity score and a rating as The Most Preferred News Channel in India.
History
creator, but also a brand designer. TVTN as a company has achieved recognition on various national and international platforms. The portfolio of national awards includes seven Indian Television Academy awards for the Best News Channel; nine Indian Telly awards, including four for News Channel of the Year;
Starting with India's first video news magazine in 1988 – Newstrack – TVTN blazed adventurous new trails through credible live telecasts of major events like the Union Budget in 1997 and election results in 1998 and 1999. Aaj Tak, the half-hour daily news and current affairs programme on Doordarshan commenced in 1995. On 31st December 2000, Aaj Tak was launched as a 24-hour Hindi news channel. Within months, it romped ahead to India's number one status. In April 2003, TVTN launched India's first 24-hour English news channel – Headlines Today, which, too, grew rapidly in viewer reach and market share. This was followed by Tez, in August 2005 and by Dilli Aaj Tak in May 2006. The former is a truly differentiated product along the Headlines format while the latter is a city-specific Hindi news channel.
Product Aaj Tak is TVTN's flagship brand, delivering the latest news in a viewer-friendly language – as and when it happens. Besides the unrivalled bulletin coverage, Aaj Tak has also pioneered feature-based programming within the news genre with leading shows such as Seedhi Baat, Vishesh, Khel and Jurm. Headlines Today is a comprehensive and smart news product focused on a predominantly urbane and time-constrained audience. But it also has features designed for individuals who want more than just news. One of its distinguishing marks is the special feature-based format that goes beyond the news in order to draw the reader into a deeper involvement with national issues. The news show has also pioneered content-based programming like Entertainment Quarter, Sports
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Quarter, Alpha Male and Techtronics. Tez is a 24-hour Hindi news channel – what might be called in the print media jargon as ‘a quick read’ – that packages readily digestible news to individuals short on time for detailed news bulletins. It is the first truly distinctive product in the increasingly cluttered Hindi news space. Tez attracts more time-spent per viewer than channels like IBN7 and NDTV India (Source: TAM). Dilli Aaj Tak has been specially created for people who live in the Capital and the National Capital Region and, therefore, want to know what is happening in their immediate backyard. This 24-hour Hindi news channel provides a unique local focus on a comprehensive range of news-related, environmental and consumer issues aimed at maximum audience involvement. To achieve its mission of capturing news as fast as possible, TVTN has a dynamic team of
over 1000 professionals. A network of stringers further strengthens the channel’s objective of continuous and timely news. The news gathering setup is complemented by state-of-the-art technology and infrastructure that includes lightweight cameras, online editing, newsroom automation, 2D/3D graphics and virtual sets. The channel has live uplink facilities from over 20 bureaus and numerous OB vans to cover news as it happens.
Recent Developments TVTN first expanded the channel's viewer ship by taking it to the Middle East in February 2001, to an audience of Indians in the UAE, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. It has now augmented its international presence by launching Aaj Tak and Headlines Today exclusively on Dish Network in the US in 2005, on World TV in Europe in 2007 and on the Max Mix bouquet in the UK in the same year.
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Promotion
Brand Values
TVTN’s communication strategy has been to capture the local Indian flavour and maintain an aggressive and fearless brand identity. Its unique, simple, provocative and above all, relevant messaging is designed to SPUR the Indian viewer into a greater involvement with the medium. At Aaj Tak SPUR is an acronym for Simple, Provocative, Unique and Relevant. When Aaj Tak was a capsule on Doordarshan, it enjoyed tremendous popularity and was renowned for its editorial integrity and speed of coverage. The programme’s debut as a 24-hour channel – a new concept in the industry – relayed a key proposition to viewers: its familiar editorial strength would be at the service of its viewers around-theclock, around the year. With increasing competition, the 24-hour concept ceased to be a differentiator in the news genre. Aaj Tak responded to the challenge by repositioning itself as Sabse Tez (the fastest). This concept highlighted the programme’s unparalleled leadership in capturing the news drama as it unfolded across the nation. The slogan, too, contained a subliminal appeal: that of the most honest, reliable and smartest form of journalism. The brand philosophy was communicated brilliantly through satirical, tongue-in-cheek scripting in the memorable Aaj Tak black and white films. Using all forms of communication across media, TVTN has established a strong brand connect with viewers and communicates with them continually. The company pioneered the use of SMS as a powerful interactive tool in the news field. More than ten million viewers have used its 52424 SMS short code to present their opinions. A new 360-degree campaign for Headlines Today rolled out in March 2008 to differentiate the channel from competition. The campaign revolves around the concept of ‘Refreshingly Different,’ seeking to communicate the contemporary and smart values of the brand. It stands for accuracy, integrity and speed of news delivery but in an unconventional manner. Similarly Tez, whose founding slogan was kahbrein phataphat (news in a jiffy) now tells its readers jab jaldi ho tab tez (when you’re in a hurry watch Tez). Dilli Aaj Tak has its own imaginative tagline: Aapka shahar aap tak – your city at your doorstep.
The objective at TVTN has always been to communicate the network's metamorphosis from category entrant to a position of leadership and growth. Brand communication and promotional initiatives are rooted in the fundamental objective of transforming viewers into worthy partners and to develop a bond of trust with them. The aim is to capture the changing face of India in the fastest, most imaginative, memorable and accurate manner. Uncompromising managerial and editorial excellence drives the company to unexplored heights. Aaj Tak is not just a news leader. It has championed causes for social change. Award winning public service campaigns and groundbreaking Aaj Tak stories have challenged the status quo and defied establishments. Its accuracy and timeliness of content have justified its credo of aankhen khol de (eye-opener) journalism.
www.aajtak.com
THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT
TV Today Dominating the news scenario, Aaj Tak has won the Best News Channel award seven years in a row The Limca Book of Records has mentioned Aaj Tak as the recipient of the largest number of SMSs (over 10 million) by a television channel between 1st May 2002 and 25th May 2004 In 2007, of the top 100 programmes, 50 were on Aaj Tak
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