News Broadcasting
ARG Outlier Media writes to TRAI, accuses News18 India of flouting landing page directive
MUMBAI: ARG Outlier Media Asianet News, which owns channels like Republic TV, Republic Bharat among others, has accused TV18 Broadcast Ltd of flouting Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) 3 December 2018 directive to broadcasters and distribution platform operators (DPO).
A letter, reviewed by Indiantelevision.com, written by ARG Outlier Media earlier this month states that ‘TV18 Broadcast started its channel News18 India as a landing page on Hathway Digital’, exhorting the regulator to take action against the violator.
In December last year, TRAI had directed all distributors of TV channels and broadcasters to restrain, with immediate effect, from placing registered television channels, whose TV rating is released by ratings agency, on the landing page or the boot-up screen.
The reason behind this order, according to TRAI, was to protect the interest of service providers and consumers while ensuring “orderly growth of the sector”.
Though the TRAI diktat came into effect immediately, the sector regulator allowed some breather to stakeholders to become fully compliant by 31 March 2019 by making necessary changes in agreements that may have been already signed. However, distributors and TV channels had been asked to report to the regulator with updates within seven days.
Last month, TV18 Broadcast had written to TRAI about Republic Bharat being placed outside the Hindi news genre to drive up viewership.
“The action of placing ‘Republic Bharat’ of ARG Outlier Media outside its relevant genre is also a violation of authority’s broadcasting regulation as framed by the Authority (specially, sub-regulations 2 of regulation 18 of the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and cable) Services Interconnection (Addressable Systems) Regulations, 2017) and as such, impermissible,” TV18 said, requesting TRAI to investigate the matter and take appropriate action against all those violating the regulations.
TV18 said that the channel was being placed in other genres to allow it to “illegally garner higher BARC ratings and increase viewership”.
“As such, by placing Republic Bharat in non-Hindi news genres, an unfair and undue advantage is being given to ‘Republic Bharat’ when compared with its competing channels that continue to be listed in correct / Hindi news genre,” TV18 said in its complaint to the TRAI.
It is believed that competing Hindi news channels like Aaj Tak and India TV were the other complainants.
“In view of above, we humbly request Authority to kindly take cognisance of this complaint and investigate into the matter rather, in terms of applicable laws, take stem action against all those who may be / have been involved in listing of Republic Bharat outside its genre so as to deprecate such malpractices in future,” TV18 had stated.
News Broadcasting
News18 India to air Sabse Bada Dangal on 4 May counting day
Channel promises fastest results, live trends and analysis across five states.
MUMBAI: Ballots will do the talking and screens will do the shouting. As counting day approaches for high-stakes Assembly elections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, News18 India is gearing up for an all-day broadcast of its flagship election show, Sabse Bada Dangal, on 4 May from 6 am onwards. The Hindi news channel plans to deliver continuous, real-time updates as votes are tallied, combining live counting data with on-ground reporting and studio analysis. With political fortunes set to shift through the day, the coverage will track every swing, surge and surprise as trends turn into results.
The broadcast will feature a mix of senior political leaders, analysts and experts, offering instant reactions and decoding the evolving electoral picture. Expect heated debates, quick takes and detailed breakdowns as the numbers settle across all five states.
For News18 India, counting day has long been a high-visibility moment. The network is banking on its reporting reach, editorial bandwidth and technology-driven coverage to stay ahead in what is often a fiercely competitive news cycle.
With multiple battlegrounds and shifting narratives, the day promises both drama and data in equal measure. And if all goes to plan, Sabse Bada Dangal will once again turn the counting of votes into prime-time spectacle.
