News Broadcasting
Vissa TV banks on grounds events, movie acquisition to raise channel share
MUMBAI: Regional channel Vissa TV has finally zeroed on an action plan to better its performance in the Telugu television arena.
The Telugu channel from Raj Television Network Limited will be introducing more shows based on ground events and giving a complete make over to its film programming to shed the ‘underdog image’ it had been carrying ever since its launch in June 2003.
According to the latest channel share figures released by TAM (Andhra Pradesh 1 mn + towns including Hyderabad, 23 May to 19 June) Vissa TV holds a modest 2 per cent share.
Talking to Indiantelevision.com, Vissa TV vice president R Radhakrishnan explained the reasons why the channel had been faring poorly: “Basically we are new entrants in the Andhra Pradesh television arena and we have been facing fierce competition. Taking into account the Telugu’s craze for films, we have this handicap called ‘fresh movies’. The older channels hold the chunk of popular movies”
Radhakrishnan revealed that Vissa had adopted an aggressive movie acquisition strategy and would be looking to acquire the maximum number of new films available this year.
Talking about the extra measures taken by Vissa to tap the maximum audience share from the film-crazy viewer segment, Radhakrishnan said the channel had started telecasting Telugu feature films on weekday afternoons and on Friday nights.
Radhakrishnan said the channel would be launching as many as five new shows in the next three months, which include two ground event based shows.
“We are planning a fashion show during the first week of August, followed by a model hunt in September 2004 across seven to eight major towns in Andhra Pradesh.”
The channel has also bagged exclusive telecast rights of the South Indian Filmfare awards for an estimated Rs 5 million. The show will air on 11 July. The live event was held on 12 June.
Vissa TV will launch a daily show for women in August targeting the afternoon band. Two interactive programmes are also being lined up for an immediate launch.
Commenting on Vissa TV’s progress with the launch of its news channel Vissa News, Radhakrishnan said they were in the process of setting up infrastructure and the launch would take place during early 2005.
News Broadcasting
Times Network to air JVC Exit Poll across 5 regions on April 29
Four-hour broadcast spans states and Puducherry with data-led analysis
MUMBAI: Times Network is set to roll out what it calls one of its most expansive election programming efforts yet, culminating in the JVC Exit Poll on 29 April, with a multi-hour broadcast spanning key poll-bound regions.
The exit poll will air across Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, beginning at 5pm and 4pm respectively. Co-powered by Vedanta and Jindal Stainless, the programming aims to combine on-ground reportage with data-driven projections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
The network has deployed over 50 journalists across these regions, gathering voter sentiment and local insights in the run-up to polling. The effort builds on its ongoing election formats such as Election Yatra and Election Premier League, which have tracked campaign narratives and community-level issues.
In parallel, Times Now Navbharat has focused on constituency-level reporting in West Bengal through its Jan Gan ka Mann series, capturing voter opinions across diverse segments.
The coverage has also featured interviews with prominent political leaders. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan have appeared on the network’s election specials. From Tamil Nadu, voices including deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran, BJP leader K Annamalai and NTK’s Seeman have also featured in discussions.
On the day of the exit poll, the network’s primetime anchors, including Navika Kumar, Zakka Jacob and Sumit Awasthi, will lead the coverage. They will be joined by a panel of political analysts, psephologists and senior journalists offering real-time insights and interpretation of trends.
The programming will integrate grassroots reportage with analytics from the JVC Exit Poll, aiming to give viewers an early sense of electoral outcomes ahead of the official results on 4 May.
With its combined English and Hindi broadcast reach, Times Network is positioning this effort as a comprehensive look at voter sentiment, blending field reporting, data and debate to decode what could lie ahead when the final mandate is revealed.
