MUMBAI: The year is coming to an end on a satisfying note for the Times Network. 2017 threw up several challenges right from the start of the year with demonetisation, top-level changes in the editorial team and the tough competition between Times Now and the newly launched rival Republic TV, run by the Times’ former iconic anchor Arnab Goswami.
The two big events at the Times Network this year were the rebranding of ET Now from a full-time business news channel to a general news channel and the launch of Mirror Now. The former has broad-based itself beyond 5 pm in a bid to offer holistic news for business.
Times Network CEO & MD MK Anand says the channel has had a good streak lately. “It’s indeed a very satisfying December at the end of an eventful year with multiple challenges and multiple high points. The top-level change in Times Network’s editorial team last year pleasantly cascaded into a series of structural corrections unleashing innovation, synergy, asset optimisation and the sheer release of creative energy. The results are there for the world to see,” he says.
He highlights that digital will be a major thrust area for Times Now next year. Furthermore, the channel shifted its editorial team to Delhi in the second half of 2017 in order to centralise news operations.
Anand says that Times Now kept its primacy intact with style. “In spite of some desperate stunts by competition, India’s No 1 English news channel majestically marched along. Not once missing step,” he states. In the midst of the news hullabaloo, it launched and stabilised Times Now HD. “With that, we effectively proved that the combination of brand, process and team is the real superstar,” he adds.
For ET Now, the channel came up with an exciting developmental debate concept. The concept puts a new responsibility on the team to focus on areas that lead to India’s growth and give direction to the economy.
The same team, using almost entirely in-house resources, gave birth to Mirror Now in the middle of the battleground that 2017 was. The new channel climbed up the charts and carved a clear and differentiated niche for itself with reach/ viewership comparable with other major English news brands. It has also thrown up an extremely promising primetime star. “Mirror Now’s steady growth will upset the order in 2018 and I look forward to it being India’s second rank English news brand,” he adds.
Anand expects the news genre to be more active and exciting in 2018. “And with better market conditions, now that GST and demonetisation are behind us, the overall English and news space is poised for a truly great ride through the new year,” he predicts.
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