News Broadcasting
TV5 to spawn business news channel TV5 Money
MUMBAI: Telugu news channel TV5, promoted by Shreya Broadcasting, has around 290 reporters covering the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh,and delivering hourly news bulletins and 30 special bulletins. It has, however, gained a reputation for its incisive business reportage and programming.
Now the management led by MD B Ravindranath is spawning a digital baby exploiting TV5’s business specialisation USP. Called TV5 Money, it will make its debut as a channel on Youtube, as an app, a website and on IPTV platforms on 3 August and it will be focused on business and lifestyle news.
The new service is being steered by TV5 business head Vasanth Kumar and a separate editorial team – from that employed by the mother news channel – has been put in place. TV5 Money will deliver real time financial market coverage, business news, commodities trends and life style content, says Kumar. The management claims that it will provide unbiased, in-depth investment analysis and assist investors on mutual funds, insurance products, derivatives and commodities trading.
The test signal was started in an informal programme on 29 July by Ravindranath.
Kumar points out that it was the success of TV5’s business news programming voices that encouraged the company to consider launching a separate business news channel. But the management decided to take dainty steps initially in the digital domain. He, however, is sanguine that channel’s market research expertise will make viewers’ journey into the complex financial markets easy.
Ravindranath too is confident that TV5 Money will gain traction quickly with viewers. “TV5 commenced operations in 2007,” he says. “But it very quickly positioned itself on top of the ladder in the regional broadcast news industry. It is known for its unique regional content, unbiased attitude and exceptional coverage of state, national and international news, making it Telangana and Andhra’s leading Telugu news and current affairs channel.”
Shreya Broadcasting chairman BR Naidu believes that its track record and team which will stream out non-stop coverage are sure to contribute significantly to the overall rise of regional broadcast news. “Telugu viewers from the smallest part of India nationally will be attracted to it,” he says.
A view that is echoed by a media analyst. Says she: “First of all Andhra and Telangana are very broadband friendly thanks to the strong IT focus the government has set out. Because of this, it should find a online audiences tuning in, especially in offices where broadband pipes are pretty thick. Then, the Telugu speaking populace is very industrious and they have seen an upgradation of their lifestyles over the years as the economy there has progressed. They want to know where to invest their money, and TV5 Money could help give them perspectives and opinions. By launching as a live streaming service, the company is cutting short its time to market and also keeping distribution and other costs low. But it will have to give it an extensive social media and digital marketing push to capture eyeballs quickly.”
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.
