News Broadcasting
November sweepstakes: CBS creams oppn; ABC neck-to-neck with NBC
MUMBAI: The Viacom owned CBS network is going from strength to strength. It has come out on top for November in the 18-49 demographic for the first time since 1980. The network also finished first in viewers for the seventh consecutive sweep dating back to November 2002 and placed first in adults 25-54.
CBS’s November win in viewers, by more than 3.5 million viewers, is the largest margin of victory by any network since 1987. CBS’ victory was fuelled primarily by the Network’s regular programming, including series best performances from Two And a Half Men, which had its most watched and highest rated episode in adults 18-49. This demographic is considered key as far as attracting advertsers is concerned. The 100th episode of CSI, attracted its largest audience ever. In India the show airs on AXN.
For November CBS had nine of the top 15 programmes in viewers. CSI was number one. In the 18-49 demographic CBS claimed seven of the top 15 series.
What is interesting is that among all viewers, CBS is actually down compared to last November. Fortunately NBC is struggling to repeat the success of Friends. The most surprising part of this tale, really, is ABC which literally came out of nowhere thanks to Desperate Housewives, Lost, and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
Thanks to the huge gains made by Desparate Housewives, ABC is up compared to last year. Fox meanwhile, cannot wait for American Idol to return in January. Its ratings are rather flat and the Rupert Murdoch owned broadcaster is now wallowing in Never-Never Land as a lowly number 4. Fox managed to attract an average of a little over seven million viewers for November in the 2+ category. CBS attracted double that to finish on top.
NBC has narrowly beaten ABC for second spot 10.74 million viewers vesus 10.71 million. In the 25-54 and 18-49 slots ABC and NBC fnished a joint second.
At a conference call, Viacom co-COO Les Moonves said that the ratings vindicated CBS’s strategy of trying to appeal to the widest possible audience in hopes the younger viewers follow, instead of simply pandering to youth. He expects the victory in the 18-49 age group to pay off in May, when advertisers commit to spending money for the following season.
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.
