News Broadcasting
Times goes tabloid; drops broadsheet edition
MUMBAI: You are never too old to change. That could be the latest anthem of 216 year old Times.
The Times will become a tabloid-only publication starting on Monday, 1 November. The decision comes about 11 months after the British national daily, owned by a unit of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, launched a tabloid version for commuters to help it reverse a downturn in circulation.
Although the senior bosses at The Times remained tight-lipped, the news that Times has abandoned the broadsheet edition leaked out after a major marketing campaign to promote the changes had been hastily arranged for the weekend, alongside ads being booked in the trade press, say media reports.
UK newspapers that have switched to the smaller format have bucked the trend of declining newspaper circulation.
Coincidentally, the move comes six months after The Independent ended its own dual format experiment and discarded the broadsheet edition of the paper in favour of a tabloid in September 2003.
According to the reports, recent sales figures for the newspaper – of which only 30 per cent are broadsheets – has seen a modest increase in regions outside the London and South East, such as Wales and Ireland. The news will come as little surprise to the industry, the speed in which the speculation has mounted this week has been swift and secretive.
Sales of the title have increased by 4.5 per cent year on year to 661,000 copies on a Monday to Saturday.
Eyes will now be on The Times’ closest rival in the broadsheet market, The Daily Telegraph. The paper has been silent over any possible move to a compact format since the Barclay Brothers wrestled control of the UK’s best selling broadsheet title in the summer from the Hollinger International empire. The Guardian is planning to convert to a midsize Berliner format.
Over the past decade, The Times more than doubled its circulation after it started a price war in a bid to overtake the Telegraph. Murdoch also owns tabloid heavyweight the Sun, Britain’s top-selling newspaper. The Times was first published in 1785 as The Daily Universal Register before taking its current name in 1788.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Fury in the Gulf conclave on West Asia crisis
Three-hour summit to unpack geopolitical fallout and impact on India
MUMBAI: CNN-News18 is set to host a special three-hour broadcast, Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave, on April 7, aiming to decode the escalating West Asia crisis and its far-reaching implications for India.
Scheduled from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, the conclave comes at a time when tensions between Iran and the United States are reshaping global geopolitics and triggering economic uncertainty. With India’s deep energy ties, trade links and large diaspora in the Gulf, the developments carry significant domestic relevance.
Built around the theme ‘Conflict, Consequences, and The Future,’ the programme will feature six curated sessions combining one-on-one interviews and panel discussions. The focus is to cut through the clutter and offer viewers a clearer understanding of the fast-evolving situation.
Key sessions include ‘Diplomacy in Times of War’ featuring Shashi Tharoor, and ‘World After the Iran Conflict’ with voices such as Ram Madhav, Reuven Azar, representatives from the European Union and the Iranian Deputy Envoy. Another session titled ‘Another Dunkirk?’ will bring together K. J. S. Dhillon and Jitin Prasada among others.
CNN-News18 editorial affairs director Rahul Shivshankar said, “In times of war, clarity becomes the most powerful tool. Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave brings together credible voices to address the questions and confusion that arise amid an overwhelming influx of information.”
He added that the initiative is aimed at delivering “facts, perspective, and insight” at a time when misinformation can easily cloud public understanding.
Echoing the sentiment, CNN-News18 CEO– English and business news Smriti Mehra said the conflict marks a defining global moment, with consequences that extend well beyond the region. She noted that the conclave seeks to present the crisis with “depth, nuance and responsibility” so audiences can better grasp its real-world impact.
As geopolitical tensions continue to dominate headlines, the conclave positions itself as an attempt to bring order to the noise, offering viewers a structured, insight-led look at a complex and rapidly shifting global situation.
