News Broadcasting
ABP News Network asserts digital dominance
MUMBAI: ABP News Network (ANN) has witnessed a massive consumption uptick on its digital platforms, owing to the strong, round-the-clock coverage on COVID-19. Garnering the trust of billions, the digital arm of ANN has become a credible choice for the viewers in every major news week.
According to the BARC and Nielsen Crisis Consumption report, viewership in the country has witnessed a rise of 11 per cent to 622 million viewers between 21 – 27 March 2020 (week 12) when compared to January 11-31, 2020 (week 2). Through minute-to-minute updates and comprehensive insights on the pandemic, ANN’s digital platform has garnered a whopping 15.7 billion impressions in the month of March (Source: YouTube Analytics), attesting their dominance on the digital front.
In addition, the group has witnessed record-breaking viewership in March 2020, with 1.3 billion views on YouTube (Source: YouTube Analytics), surpassing the previously recorded numbers of the general election in May 2019, as content consumption on smartphones have increased by 12 per cent with users spending 3.8 hours a day on their devices.
Apart from YouTube, ABP News & ABP Ananda have done exceptionally well on Facebook, keeping the viewers apprised and engaged. ABP News has garnered 12.34 million total interactions and 223 million views, surpassing its nearest competitor Aaj Tak with 45 per cent higher total interactions (Source: CrowdTangle; 20 March-31 March). And, ABP Ananda has achieved 2.28 million total interactions, six per cent higher total interactions than its nearest competitor Zee 24 Ghanta (Source: CrowdTangle; 20th Mar-31March 20).
The BARC-Nielsen report also highlighted that viewers chose to ‘search’ for more news through multiple channels during the lockdown. In this light, ABP Live App has also emerged as the viewers’ topmost pick from Week 2 of March 2020 (09-15) to week 3 of March 2020 (16-22), observing a humongous upsurge with plus 46 per cent users and plus 138 per cent total video views.
Since its inception, the digital arm of ABP News Network has championed issues on multiple spectrums – may it be social, political, environmental or cultural. The platform possesses a rich portfolio of diverse content that appeals to different age groups and audiences.
ABP News Network chief executive officer Avinash Pandey says: “We are proud to be a pioneer in the digital news segment. With the COVID-19 situation evolving, we have seen it as our duty to provide the viewers with a veracious account of all developments through our digital platforms.”
“Our commitment to deliver the best, even amid trying times has brought us to this leading position and we are pleased to be the viewers’ most-preferred news destination. It is now time for advertisers to fine-tune their media plans amid the ongoing shifts in consumer behaviour to leverage the highly-engaged audiences across the digital spectrum,” adds Pandey.
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.
