News Broadcasting
Two new categories in this year’s Asian Television Awards
A record number of over 1,200 entries have been received this year for the Asian Television awards out of which 78 programmes and 34 performances have been shortlisted for the final awards ceremony. The awards will be presented on 4 December 2001 during a live televised ceremony hosted by MediaCorp Television. The annual ceremony is part of a broader television industry week, which also includes the Asia Television Forum and Conference, and the one-day Strategic Summit held in Singapore.
Two new categories have been added this year. One of the categories added is for the best Station / Channel of the Year.
The Broadcaster of the Year award was based on the number of awards won by a company’s stations, regardless of how many there are. Earlier on, during television’s infancy, when there were fewer channels and less network consolidation, only parent broadcasters were recognised rather than individual stations.
Since the television industry has evolved and grown rapidly, the number of services controlled by single broadcasters too, have grown significantly. This has put broadcasters who do not have multiple services at a disadvantage in the Broadcaster of the Year category, hence the new category of Station / Channel of the Year has been introduced, which will allow all channels to compete on the same basis, regardless of whether they are part of multi-channel broadcasters or not.
Another new category addition this year is Best Youth Programme as young audiences in Asia are an increasingly important consideration in media buying and scheduling decisions.
The category, Best Wildlife programme, has been changed to Best Natural History or Wildlife programme.
The total number of categories for the Asian Television Awards 2001 has gone up to 26 with the two new additions
Countries participating in this event are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
A number of Indian programmes have been shortlisted in the programmes category for the finals on 4 December where the best programmes in Asia will be showcased.
These include:
Best current affairs programme – Hard Talk (India) produced by United Television for BBC.
Best childrens programme – Shakalala Boom Boom produced by UTV Software Communications Ltd for national broadcaster Doordarshan.
Best News/Current affairs special – Vote 2000 produced by New Delhi Television India for Star News.
Best Infortainment Programme- Kumbh Mela produced by MTV India Pvt.Ltd. and Wheels, Series-7 produced by Miditech (P) Ltd for BBC.
Most Imaginative programme – Hospital produced by Miditech for BBC.
In the performance categories of Asian TV Awards the following Indians have been shortlisted:
Best Current Affairs or Magazine Programme Presenter – Karan Thapar from United Television and Niret Alva of Miditech.
Best Light Entertainment Presenter / Performer – “Apro Dikhra” Cyrus Broacha of MTV India Pvt. Ltd.
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.
