Ashish Bagga, Group CEO, India Today Group, talks about Aaj Tak leading the pack of Hindi news channels for 97 weeks consistently, with constant innovation and viewer focus as the key pillars of leadership. The channel is now looking at 100 weeks at the top
By Priyanka Mehra
Aaj Tak has been leading the pack of Hindi news channels for 97 weeks consistently; no mean feat for any news channel. The channel is now working on completing 100 weeks of leadership. Ashish Bagga, Group CEO, India Today Group, talks about constant innovation and viewer focus being among the pillars of leadership for the channel, the Group’s plans of leaving no stone unturned to ensure that Aaj Tak maintains and further grows the leadership margin; investing on technology, content, events and extensive marketing to keep the growth momentum going.
At the time of writing this article, Aaj Tak had been the Number 1 Hindi News Channel for 97 weeks at a stretch - (Wk19’13-11’15) - with around 18.5% market-share.
Bagga says the channel is poised to sustain the momentum Aaj Tak gained last year. “Leading with ground-breaking industry firsts is what has made the channel the undisputed No.1. Clear viewer focus, a promise of trust and constant innovation are the pillars that have kept Aaj Tak ahead as the leader,” he states.
“The launch of ground-breaking initiatives like Agenda Aaj Tak, Panchayat Aaj Tak, the first use of teleportation Live and the unmatched conclaves on cricket have created tent poles in themselves. The year of General Elections is the real test for any news channel and maintaining undisputed numero uno slot through the last year (52 of 52 weeks) has really been very encouraging for us. The coming days will see more such initiatives that keep the focus on hard reliable news, leaving no stone unturned to ensure that Aaj Tak maintains and grows the leadership margin,” he elaborates.
Aaj Tak has ambitious targets both on the viewership and the business fronts, but above all, it will continue to strive to live by its promise of being ‘Sabse Bharosemand’ and ‘Sabse Tez’, according to Bagga. Breakthroughs for viewer delight will be at the centre of channel strategy. World Cup coverage with exclusive presence of Sachin Tendulkar has already been a good start to the year. Speaking about the cricketing legend’s association with the channel, Bagga says, “The fact that the ‘God of Cricket’ chose only one platform to cheer for Team India, speaks a lot about the channel's stature in the viewer mindspace. Agenda Aaj Tak, which is already the biggest summit of the Hindi Heartland, will come back with a bigger bang this year. We are continuously investing in technology, content, events and extensive marketing to keep the growth momentum going. The coming days will see a series of marketing campaigns to sustain the growth momentum. 'Sach on Karo' has been amongst the most awarded campaigns in the broadcasting space last year. This year too, we will attempt to raise the bar on this side.”
Aaj Tak emerged as the leading news channel during the Delhi Elections. In Bagga’s words, “Our consistency in coverage all through the General Elections and government formation helped ensure that the channel was the preferred choice of viewers looking for the big and the accurate picture.” On Delhi Assembly Elections counting day, Aaj Tak was the most watched Hindi News channel with a 22 % share, leaving other news channels way behind, Bagga adds, mentioning that the special programming done during Delhi Assembly Elections- like “Dilli Ke Dil Mein Kya Hai”, “70 Seat 70 Reporter”, “70 Seat 70 Tasveer”, “Dilli Ka Dangal”, “Dilli ka Shwetpatra”, “Third Degree” and “Raj Tilak” kept news viewership at a peak. “Dilli Ke Dil Mein Kya Hai” also saw the first augmented reality outreach exercise that connected the voters directly to the party leaders, raising their issues and getting active response.
As for World Cup coverage, Bagga says, “We always believe in giving nothing but the best to our viewers. Sachin Tendulkar’s presence on Aaj Tak has created a clear differentiation and a solid boost to the channel's perception as a leader. Sachin’s presence on the channel has made the channel the preferred news destination for cricket. For example, the channel got 25% and 26% shares on shows immediately after India’s win over Pakistan and South Africa in cricket world Cup-2015 matches.”
With the current multi- screen environment, it is widely believed that news being short is better for consumption, to which Bagga says, “There is growing audience and appetite for news. This provides ample opportunities for all formats of news content. Aaj Tak is the No.1 news brand on Facebook and has a lot of coverage going viral on social media. It is this customization of content as per the platform and audience that has maintained the brand as a leader. The series 'So Sorry' Politoons stand testimony to the fact that Aaj Tak has always led the space by creating and breaking formats. The channel has championed such content that not just enjoys viewership on TV, but also catches great attention with the online audience taking these viral.”
Bagga also believes the delivery of news content has changed over the years and will continue to evolve with increasing competition and different platforms for news consumption. Factors like speed which were crucial at one time continue to be important, but it is the trust and faith over 14 years that have been real deciders in the news space, he asserts. Political news has gained viewership during and after the elections in the country. As Bagga puts it, events like the US tour of India’s newly elected Prime Minister, Obama's visit to India, attacks in Paris and Australia, the ISIS threat, Malaysian Airlines crash have stretched the boundaries to not just understand India, but also its role in the world. “The channel has to align and fuel India's new hopes and the bold ambitions for tomorrow,” he says.
While viewers were able to get the best perspective on political developments during elections, in Bagga’s opinion news channels played a very vital role in spreading political awareness ahead of the elections, and Aaj Tak led with in-depth and well-researched news coverage.
“With the elections getting over, the general news viewership has moved from topic to topic holding the nation's attention across Obama visit, Delhi Elections, the shake-up in Bihar assembly, and now the World Cup,” says Bagga.
But do news channels today hold better credibility in the eyes of viewers post the elections? Bagga says, “The elections and other such events are crucial for establishing credibility in the midst of steep rise in viewership. In addition, news channels play a key role in reflecting the public sentiment - and thus the viewer clearly makes out the difference between the credible and the casual in these times.”
On the strategy of Aaj Tak, as a leader in a competitive market space going forward, Bagga says the channel will continue to be true to its brand promise of being ‘Sabse Tez’.
