News Broadcasting
Aaj Tak announces hike in Ad Rates
MUMBAI: Aaj Tak raises the bar on performance, and on monetisation! Come this September, 2018, the number one news channel for the last 17 years recalibrated its rates after indexing inventory and latest leadership performance across parameters.
In the latest few weeks Aajtak has seen tremendous upside with stories like Vajpayee ji’s demise, Kerala Floods, Independence Day among others setting the nations agenda. During the period of three days 15th to 17th August, the heightened news environment helped Aaj Tak cross even leading Hindi GECs channels like Star plus, Zee TV, Colors & Sony TV on Coverage . (Source: BARC, TG:15+,Mkt:HSM, TB:0200-2600 Hrs, Period: 15th Aug to 17th Aug’18,Cov’000s)
Aaj Tak has always enjoyed highest market share and viewership numbers in its category almost every week this year. In fact, it is the only channel with 25 crore monthly viewers in the news category.
(Source: BARC, TG:2+,Mkt:HSM,Period:W29’18-W32’18,Cov in Cr)
On market share in 15+ HSM, Latest 4 weeks Aaj tak has 45% Mkt Share Margin over no.2 Channel ( Source: BARC,TG:15+,Mkt: HSM,TB:0200-2600 Hrs, Period: 2018,4 weeks -21st July’18-17 Aug’18,Shr% Based on 12 channels)
Rahul Shaw, CRO , TV Today summarized,”Given its unchallenged viewership and unparalleled following, Aaj Tak is now strategically looking at lowering inventory and compensating it with a premium pricing. With leadership across hsm, all india, urban, rural, coverage and prime time and almost a quarter of news viewership with only one news channel on big news time bands, it is important that the leader helps the genre improve yields “
Group CEO , India Today Group, Vivek Khanna adds, “The most influential news brand of the country has been a role model for many to follow. Truth , integrity & unconventional methods of news reporting really leave no competition in sight. The no1 news channel is also India’s no.1 news Facebook page, is global no1 news channel on Youtube by subscribers, is no1 Hindi news website, no1 hindi news twitter handle and no.1 Hindi news app. To top it, it is not just India’s no1 news channel, it is India’s no1 TV channel on IRS—hence the campaign-“Aajtak ka muqabla koi no2 se nahi, sirf aajtak se hai”
Rahul Shaw adds, “With lower inventory levels, every ad on the channel will get better uncluttered visibility, a better ROI and hence more effective use of ad spends. There is a rollout plan for innovative ad options that will be global firsts. In keeping with the reputation, Aajtak will redefine the value news can unlock for viewers and advertisers “
Here are some records held by Aaj Tak
• India’s No. 1 Hindi news channel for past 17 years- the only news channel with more than 25 crore viewers monthly
· India’s No.1 TV Channel – Source: IRS 2017
• World’s No. 1 YouTube News Channel with 9 million subscribers (Source : Socialbakers)
• India’s No. 1 News Facebook Page with 21 million page likes (Source : Facebook)
• India’s No. 1 Hindi News Twitter Handle with 7 million followers (Source : Twitter)
• Aaj Tak has 2 times more viewership than the No. 2 Hindi News channel (Source- IRS 2017, Most Watched Television)
News Broadcasting
Senior media executive Madhu Soman exits Zee Media
Former Reuters and Bloomberg leader says he leaves with “no regrets” after brief stint at WION and Zee Business
NOIDA: Madhu Soman, a veteran of global newsrooms and media sales floors, has stepped away from Zee Media Corporation after a short stint steering business strategy for WION and Zee Business.
In a reflective LinkedIn note marking his departure, Soman said his time within the network’s corridors was always likely to be brief. “Some chapters close faster than expected,” he wrote, signalling the end of a nearly two-year spell in which he oversaw both editorial partnerships and commercial strategy.
Soman joined Zee Media in 2022 after more than a decade abroad with Reuters and Bloomberg, returning to India to take on the role of chief business officer for WION and Zee Business. His mandate was ambitious: bridge the newsroom and the revenue desk while expanding digital and broadcast reach.
During the stint, Zee Business reached break-even for the first time since its launch in 2005, while WION refreshed programming and strengthened its digital footprint across platforms such as YouTube and Facebook.
But Soman suggested the cultural fit proved uneasy. Describing himself as a “cultural misfit”, he hinted at deeper tensions between editorial instincts shaped in global newsrooms and the realities of India’s television news ecosystem.
Before joining Zee, Soman spent more than seven years at Bloomberg in Hong Kong as head of broadcast sales for Asia-Pacific, expanding the company’s news syndication business across several markets. Earlier, he held senior editorial roles at Reuters, overseeing online strategy in India and managing Reuters Video Services from London.
His career began in television and wire reporting, including a stint with ANI during the 1999 Kargil conflict, before moving into digital publishing as India’s internet media landscape took shape.
Now, after nearly three decades in broadcast and digital media, Soman is leaving Delhi NCR and returning to his hometown, Trivandrum.
Exhausted, he admits. But unbowed. And with one quiet line that sums up the journey: he didn’t sell his soul — because some things, after all, are not for sale.
