Times Now completes 10 years of action-oriented journalism

Now has completed 10 years. The channel was launched on January 31, 2006. Times Now has consistently been the most watched English news channel over the last seven years and continues to dominate the market.

The journey so far

Two years after its launch, Times Now introduced a new brand of live reporting with the ‘Prince’ episode in 2008. The channel telecast the ordeal of a five-year old boy Prince, who had fallen into a deep bore well, over a period of 72 hours minus ad breaks. Since then, the channel has aired numerous reports on events and issues that rocked the country, including the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, Lalit Modi investigation, the CWG scam, the IPL scam, the Coalgate scam and the 2G scam, among others.

Shows like ‘The Newshour’ and ‘Frankly Speaking with Arnab Goswami’ have a large, loyal fan base and get the political leaders, influencers and business captains up close and personal with the viewers through bold and intensive formats and engaging debates.

Times Now has injected strong growth in the English News genre, garnering a 43 per cent market share in the English News category (Source: BARC| Period: Wk. 52’15-03’16 |Market: All India 1Mn+|TG: NCCS AB Males 22+| Day part: All days, 24 hours| Weekly Share % Average.)

The channel, today, commands a 58 per cent overall market share during prime time in the English News category (Source: BARC| Period: Wk. 52’15-03’16 |Market: All India 1Mn+| TG: NCCS AB Males 22+| Day part: 2100-2230, Monday- Friday| Weekly Share % Average)

Times Now introduced the ‘Action Begins Here’ tag line to reposition itself in December 2014 as a fearless crusader willing to place on the table such burning issues as farmer suicides, women and children’s safety, corruption, etc.

Reminiscing on the journey so far, Arnab Goswami, President, News, Editor-in-Chief, Times Now, ET Now and Magicbricks Now, the original architect of the soul of Times Now and its content, said, “Ten years ago, when we set about planning to create Times Now, we questioned the old belief that news should remain just reported and hence a monologue. We asked ourselves: Why shouldn’t news be information plus added perspective of different news makers and thought leaders thrown in? Even as we innovated on strategy, questioned old formats, and infused news with speed, throughout, we have remained unwavering in our mission to maintain the highest ethical and professional standards of news reportage. We are committed to ensuring that relevant news does not remain hidden from the public, and that it sparks opinion, debate, and corrective action.”

He added, “Through our approach to television news journalism, we have changed, forever, the way news was presented in India. As a result, Times Now boasts of an exceptional top-of-mind recall.”

M K Anand, CEO & MD, Times Network, remarked, “When I go back to the last 15 years, apart from Colors, I can’t recollect any launch as stellar as Times Now. Times Now is a truly iconic news channel, respected for its committed, action-oriented, professional and impactful journalism. Times Now, ‘Newshour’ and Arnab Goswami are household names. It’s hard to imagine that just a decade ago, we did not have this mega brand. Times Now, like other young global mega media brands, is a reflection of what has changed in human society in the 21st century and what still endures as true and good. Over the last 10 years, the channel has led the nation’s discourse by stimulating collective national thought and resultant action and has become a strong agent of change.”

News genre entering a cyclical phase

The news industry is a dynamic one. Commenting on the news broadcasting trends for the next few years, Goswami remarked, “I think in the news space, the first cycle was 2008-2016 and the second cycle is 2016-2020. The second phase is always more dramatised as it is more dependent on external factors. We have already stepped into it and have entered a cyclical phase.”

“There was a belief that news is all about the classes. We have democratised news. We have taken it to Indian homes and proved that it should cater to the masses as everyone has a right to it. We reach around 20 million homes and as many as 100-200 million people consume the bandwidth,” he added.

Goswami observed, “In the next 3-5 years, we will be witnessing immense changes in this game. I think even online news channels will gain a fair amount of traction. Young people are not only fluffy watchers, they are interested in politics and are aware about various issues.”

Speaking about the television households in India, Anand said, “There is normally one TV set in every household. So consensus viewing is required. You get better views if your target audience is youngsters and housewives. Talking about digital, when you are on handheld devices, the presentation has to change.”

On the revenues from ad sale, Anand felt that the news category was underpaid. “We want to change that belief. Today, ‘Newshour’ is able to command as much as the GECs,” he added.

Goswami added here that people were ready to pay for quality content. He said, “Take Netflix’s entry in India. They have not dropped their prices as they believe that people are willing to pay for quality content. Also, original content will be in longer formats. Everything can’t be breaking news, a few are conversation news. We are looking at compelling content. We will do proper SWOT analysis before introducing any content.”

The way ahead

Times Now has lined up robust growth plans for the next few months. The channel is working on digital strategy application and is looking to upgrade its website to cater to more audiences.

According to Goswami, “Nurturing the digital platform and transition is one of the focus areas. TV-cum-digital news will be attracting more investment. The English news space is only going to grow. Our economy is growing at 7 per cent pa.”

He added, “We are looking forward to shifting from the Rs 500 crore revenue bracket to Rs 1,000 crore. I think the move to expand to the UK markets was a strong and bold move.”

He also felt that going forward, journalism would be more activist in nature and more campaign driven. Also, the format would not be the same in the future. “Opinion is not a bad idea in journalism. It is good to speak up for the right and against the wrong as citizens of country,” Goswami concluded.