News Broadcasting
FT-BS to have joint ad schemes as tie-up formalised
MUMBAI: It’s official and formal now. Business Standard will not only get to access Financial Times’ content, but can also rely on its marketing muscle to give its bottomlines a boost.
The Financial Times of London today announced that it has picked up 13.85 per cent of equity stake in Business Standard, a premier Indian business newspaper, for Rs. 140.1 million and did not rule out the possibility of increasing its shareholding in the future as business expanded.
In September last, FT had announced its intention to acquire a stake in BS consequent to the government relaxing foreign investment norms in the print medium.
Addressing a press conference here today, FT Group chairman Sir David Bell said, “Like us Business Standard is aiming at the top section of business readership. That audience is growing and it needs to understand global matters better. We will bring a unique global perspective to the table. One of the things that we would be initially be looking at working together is coming out with surveys for instance on the pharmaceutical industry.”
The press conference also indicates that formalities have been completed and the equity transfer has taken place along with the money transfer.
Bell went on to state that joint advertising packages would be developed for The Financial Times and Business Standard. “Some of our global clients are keen on reaching Indian readers,” he explained.
Elaborating on the delay in FT’s entry into India, Bell noted that rules took a long time to develop. “At the moment FT does not see the need to take more stake. As and when Business Standard’s profits start increasing, FT would look at either taking some profit in the form of dividend or investing further in our print industry. Our aim is to see the Business Standard be the top financial newspaper in the country,” he added.
With the Indian government allowing foreign media companies to invest in domestic media companies in 2002, announcement of the BS-FT tie-up was the first in this sector. Subsequently, Times of India group has announced a tie-up with the Asian Wall Street Journal and MJ Akbar-Venkat Ram Reddy combine have already started printing International Herald Tribune from here after registering the brand in India, which has resulted in a controversy.
From today, all editions of the Business Standard will carry one page of Financial Times content from Monday to Saturday. FT’s content will also appear on Business Standard’s website.
According to Financial Times In Asia editor and publisher John Ridding, “India is a very important market for FT. Growing our brand and business in India is the next step in the evolution of our Asia edition. What makes us unique is our global stance. We do not have a US agenda or a UK agenda. Reliability and objectivity are two key strengths that we offer vis-a-vis the stiff competition.”
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.
