GECs
Notching up visibility: News Nation
MUMBAI: It’s already very crowded in the Hindi news genre, but this new entrant believes it can make a difference.
Enter News Nation: the Hindi news channel launched in February, promoted by Newsnation Network, having Abhay Oswal as chairman and veteran journalist Shailesh Kumar as editor in chief.
Targeted at an educated and sophisticated Hindi-speaking audience and offering insights into politics, crime, corruption, cricket and Bollywood, the channel is now preparing to announce its arrival on the Hindi news stage.
While work on News Nation began one-and-a-half years ago, the marketing campaign only started taking shape three to four months back. According to sources, approximately Rs 10-12 crore have been spent on the entire promotional campaign.
Of which, the TVC campaign branded ‘Khabrein Jo Banti Hai Aapki Power’ kicked-off on 18 September and will run till the end of this month on channels including Colors, Star Plus, Sony, Sab, Life OK, Sony Max, Star Gold, Movies OK, Times Now, CNN IBN, ET Now, CNBC TV 18, CNBC Awaaz, NGC, Discovery and Animal Planet. Both TVCs created by McCann Erickson sport a retro look and give the message that News Nation will keep audiences up-to-speed with ‘news they can use’.
With HSM markets in the age group 15+ male across SEC A B and C as the channel’s target audience, advertisements have been placed in key spots during the day such as the popular show Comedy Nights with Kapil on Colors, the Lootera premiere on Sony, and the soon to premiere Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara also on Sony.
Meanwhile, radio and outdoor campaigns are scheduled to begin mid-October, to run till the first week of November. Regular advertisements will run across prominent radio stations in Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Jaipur. Apart from these, contests will run either as contest on the TVC or as election-based.
Across the HSM market, 10-11 cities will witness outdoor advertising from News Nation. Approximately 810 hoardings and bus shelters and transportation vehicles have been blocked to feature the channel’s ads. Trade sites are a priority on the digital front. A search engine optimisation will soon be conducted, allowing visibility to increase four-fold. The digital department, operated by a five-member team, aims to get more robust.
The entire campaign is being handled by a marketing team comprising three of the 320 employees in the organisation which includes everyone in the head office in Noida and bureaus in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata as also the Hindi-speaking states. As of now, News Nation has no plans to enter the southern market.
Now that there’s a newbie in an already cluttered Hindi news space, only time will tell if it creates a unique identity or blends into the crowd.
GECs
Samsung TV Plus launches Kings of Comedy channel
New free FAST channel brings iconic Hindi comedy shows to millions of Samsung Smart TV owners.
MUMBAI: Samsung TV Plus has just turned up the laughter volume and it’s completely free. The leading free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service in India has launched Kings of Comedy, a premium comedy channel featuring some of the country’s most beloved primetime shows. Available exclusively on Samsung TV Plus, the channel delivers back-to-back hits including Comedy Nights with Kapil, Khatra Khatra Khatra, and Comedy Nights Bachao, with no login or subscription required.
The launch marks a milestone for free streaming in India, offering audiences a dedicated comedy destination directly from their Samsung TV home screen. It arrives as Samsung TV Plus India celebrates its 5th anniversary, during which the service has grown its monthly active users by 42 per cent and more than doubled its total viewing hours. The platform now offers over 180 free channels across 14 languages.
Samsung TV Plus India general manager and head of business development Kunal Mehta said, “Comedy is the heartbeat of Hindi entertainment, and Kings of Comedy brings together the shows Indians already love, completely free on their Samsung TV. Our focus remains the same take the content people know and make it effortless to access.”
Globally, Samsung TV Plus has surpassed 100 million monthly active users across more than 4,500 channels, solidifying its position as one of the world’s leading free streaming services.
Kings of Comedy is now available on all compatible Samsung Smart TVs. For viewers seeking non-stop laughter without any cost, this new channel delivers a royal treat proving that sometimes the best entertainment really does come with no strings (or subscriptions) attached.
