The mention of TV news in India brings up the usual names among news aficionados—Times Now, NDTV 24×7 and NDTV India, Aaj Tak and Headlines Today, CNN-IBN and IBN Awaaz, et al.
But there is another player in the ring from India’s oldest satellite network. And Zee News, says its CEO Punit Goenka, is the only one among the lot making money.
In an interview in the 1 July 2011 issue of Campaign India, Goenka says:
“The news business is doing phenomenally well for Zee. We are the only news entity in the country that makes money. All other news entitites in this country are losing money as of today. From that perspective, that’s working well.
“We have to expand in the news genre in order to enter into the English language (news sphere). We have so far been focusing on Hindi and other regional markets which have done really well. Now we’ll be rolling out in the next two to three years into the English languages.”
Also read: ‘The end-game is near for both TV18 and NDTV’
IJR 
Till about 2006, the Indian TV was the best in the world. The reporting used to be objective and the reporters used to behaving like ordinary human beings. You could actuall empathise with the guys you saw on the small screen, and you got the feeling that they are part of your own circle of friends and relatives.
I don’t know how or why things changed so drastically after 2006. All of a sudden the reporters and the newscasters became Gods and goddesses; the newsroom became a palace or a pulpit from where moralistic messages and strentorial calls for vengeance and punishments started emerging.
Suddenly no one was interested in reporting a story. They were only eager to belittle their competitors and show that they are the best channel in the world.
If you don’t believe me, please try to remember, how nice and objective our TV news used to feel before year 2006. The reporters used to do actual investigation and they used to present all the facts before the viewers. Pranoy Roy, Barkha, Rajdeep Sardesai and others were doing such great job.
Now they are the elite, as elite as the politicians and the top businessmen. They are no longer reporters, they are the moral crusaders. THey think that they are better than everyone else. That is the reason why TV has started losing money.
Viewers (like me) who want to see and read objective and accurate news (without any analysis or moralistic commentary) are being driven to the Internet.
Absolutely perfect comments, I too feel so. They are just presenting themselves as if all the world wisdom has been handed over to them personally by God and they (along with the judiciary) are the only saviors of society. And all the foolishness substandard, half researched news they put forward has the public support, whereas even the public is getting more and more irritated with all such stuff being dished out. Sooner they come in senses the better it is. But seems to be a remote possibility!!!!
Zee TV has the business edge to bring in forex dollars through campaigns and events like GIIS Zee Cricket Cup 2009 held in Singapore.
http://www.zeetelevisionasia.com/giiscontest.aspx
Naturally Zee TV will get the dollars and the eyeballs, others will soak in envy.
Under UPA rule, media and news channels particularly have denigrated to their lowest ebb.
[…] get me wrong. This is not a hatchet job on NDTV. (After all, no news channel other than Zee has reportedly posted profits for 2011.) This is an attempt to correct the […]