News Broadcasting
Times Global Broadcasting plans to raise $50 mn via stake sale
MUMBAI: Times Global Broadcasting Corporation Ltd, which is readying to launch business news channel ET Now, is on the hunt for an investor to raise close to $50 million (Rs 2.5 billion).
The company is looking at a dilution of 25-26 per cent equity and has mandated UBS Securities India to help in this pursuit, sources say. When TGBCL launched the English general news channel, it had roped in Reuters as a strategic partner with a 26 per cent holding.
The valuation at around $200 million (Rs 10 billin) seems to be steep at a time when the market cap of media companies has contracted in the wake of a global financial turmoil.
When contacted, both Times Global Broadcasting CEO Chintamani Rao and UBS Securities declined to comment.
TGBCL has suffered a net loss of Rs 720 million on a revenue of Rs 643.2 million for FY’08, according to a presentation made to potential investors. The estimated loss for FY’09 is Rs 1.15 billion on a turnover of Rs 931.2 million.
The company recently signed an agreement with Reuters to source financial and business content for ET Now. Last year, Reuters divested its 26 per cent stake in Times Global Broadcasting.
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.
