News Broadcasting
Raj TV stakes claim to number two spot
MUMBAI: Raj TV seems to be in no mood to give up its claim as the second most popular channel in Tamil Nadu.
A few months ago, the channel had cited TAM data to indicate that it was the number two channel after Sun TV. The credit to this, Raj gave to its Friday night blockbuster movies. However, the claim had sparked off a scramble for the slot.
Eight months down the line, the big fight continues.
Pointing to a survey initiated by The Hindu and conducted by TNS Mode (the fourth largest market information group in the world), Raj TV has again asserted its number two position in Chennai.
This, of course, means that Raj is the most preferred channel after the undisputed leader Sun TV and its sibling KTV.
The TNS poll was conducted in Chennai among 230 men and women.
According to the survey, while a major chunk (77 per cent) respondents claimed to be loyal viewers of Sun TV and 5 per cent watched KTV, Raj was the hot favourite among four per cent television viewers.
Of the rest, viewership for Vijay TV and Sumangali Cable Vision (which also belongs to the Sun TV stable) was two per cent each. The other channels – including Jaya TV – put together figures for only 10 per cent viewership, Raj claims.
The survey indicated that 26 per cent respondents watched television for one to two hours. Only 13 per cent people said they watched the channel for more than four hours.
Raj TV backed its claim to popularity with another significant aspect that the TNS survey revealed. According to the survey, Raj TV is the only channel besides Sun, whose daily serial ranks among the top five most popular shows in Chennai.
The survey shows that Raj’s Geethanjali is the fourth most popular serial in the metro. The number one serial Metti Oli, number two Annamalai, number three Kungumam and number five Appa are all aired on Sun.
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.
