News Broadcasting
Times, BBC look to shake up print media scene with JV
MUMBAI: The Indian print media industry is set for exciting times. The Times Group and BBC Magazines (a division of BBC Worldwide) today announced the signing of a formal agreement to set up a joint venture company to publish magazines in India.
The 50:50 JV will produce and market magazines from both companies in India. It will also facilitate the exchange of content, titles and know-how for the Indian market.
While the formation of the new 50:50 JV will take place only after the necessary statutory and regulatory approvals have been received, the aim is to come out with a number of localised niche publications. The JV will also take over the publishing of the 29 magazines that are published by the Times Group.
Other magazines that the JV will look to grow in circulation include Just Like That, Kidzone, Shipping Journal. Addressing a media briefing this afternoon Bennett, Coleman and Co. MD Vineet Jain said, “In October we had signed a 50:50 JV for the magazine business and today we are announcing the finalisation of the deal. BBC’s brands stand for integrity, credibility and excellence. For us, with Femina and Filmfare we have two magazines that also form a part of public consciousness.”
Jain said a final decision on the magazines that would be launched was still to be made as the matter was under study. “In a few weeks time the specifics of the plan would be revealed,” he added.
Arun Arora, president of Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd, said he expected joint venture to redefine the rules of the magazine business. He said that with the economy growing at an explosive pace, consumer aspirations, too, was rising rapidly. “We are looking for a multiplier effect and not one plus one is equal to two. Our tie-up which is the first of its kind for us, will enable us to better anticipate the needs of the readers. The burgeoning upper middle class is increasingly becoming interested in niche areas like golf, motoring. Our aim will be to develop satisfactory products that will meet those needs.”
BBC Magazines MD Peter Phippen said that the Indian magazine market had significant growth potential. “The magazine sector will grow more rapidly than your economy. We respect the Times Group enormously. Our top publications include Top Gear, the women’s magazine Eve as well as Radio Times,” Phippen said.
While no one from either the Times or the BBC were willing to make any firm comment on the likely BBC titles that would be launching in India via the new JV, the general drift of the briefing did offer some indicators. Top of the list comes the popular auto magazine TOP Gear that also leverages the brand value of the BBC World TV show of the same name. Then there is Radio Times which covers the television and entertainment industry. Parenting, Good Homes and Good Food are other likely candidates for India entry.
Investment bankers JM Morgan Stanley were the advisers in the deal on behalf of Bennett Coleman. The Times Group has a portfolio of 50 regular titles.
In 2002/03 BBC Worldwide returned £123 million to the BBC.
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.
