News Broadcasting
CAS and what it offers: The TAM View
MUMBAI: AC Nielsen’s TAM Media offers its viewpoint on the government’s plans to introduce conditional access systems (CAS).
What CAS is expected to deliver:
Security, reliability, accountability.
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) and CAS PeopleMeter and CAS peacefully co-exist in multiple NMR markets.
One of the most complex markets, USA, also has CAS set-top boxes with NMR tracking the viewership on a daily basis
The PeopleMeter is attached to the tuner of the set top box (instead of the TV tuner) to trace the frequency of the channel being viewed
NMR has technology experts to help Indian market (and TAM) during the growth phase of CAS
How will life change for TAM, after CAS?
TAM will have to undertake some changes such as
-Frequent base-lines to estimate penetration of CAS in the universe
-Resampling, if necessary (we expect proportionate TAM sample also to move to CAS as per change in universe)
-Monitoring changes in viewing behavior across the CAS homes closely (eg: Change of status from non-remote owning home to remote ownership)
After assessing market changes & learning from other CAS markets within the Nielsen network, we see changes in the following areas:
We have been accustomed to having two discrete universes within TV homes:
1. C&S
2. Terrestrial
After CAS, we will move from two universes to three
1. Terrestrial
2. C&S : in 4 metros
*FTACS (Free To Air C&S)
*CAS C&S
3. C&S : Other (Rest of the country)
Internationally, NMR has seen some amount of consistent changes in household statuses during the early days of CAS:
This instability exists because of
-The Flirtatious: Certain homes being very upbeat initially and flirting with a lot of channels. Then changing tack and going back to a tighter list of channels
-The Unsure: Homes which take longer to take a decision
-The Drop-outs: Homes that prefer to be happy with only the FTA channels and convert only if there is a big event or a scheme to convert to CAS
The CAS propagation is not likely to be uniform – across markets
*Mumbai, Delhi – Penetration of C&S was very fast in these markets. Also, their staple diet on TV is all pay. We see highest growth for CAS in these two markets.
*Kolkata – Was one of the slowest to catch the C&S train. We see this market very slow in responding to CAS.
*Chennai – Their main channels like Sun TV, Raj TV and Jaya TV are all only about to go pay (Star’s Vijay TV is the only pay driven channel at this point). Hence, most of the potential CAS users will be fence sitters – Across the population strata.
*CAS homes may move primarily to an analog set top box (cost reasons) rather than a digital set top box enabling only a one way communication between the cable room and the CAS home.
*This information from the cable operators’ end will indicate:
-Penetration for each of the pay channel (presently available in NRS)
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
