India's TV news boom

India's TV news boom

By Jyotsna Singh BBC correspondent in Delhi

While the world has been busy following the Iraq conflict, people in India are witnessing a war of a different kind.

Leading Indian and international media companies are jostling to capture the imagination of the Indian viewer.

Satellite TV news now plays a big role in India

There has been a spurt in 24-hour television news broadcasting, with four new channels launching over the past month.

By the end of the year India will have close to 10 television stations dedicated to 24-hour news which commentators say is far higher than any other country.

It is already being described as the next big phase in India's news broadcasting history.

The electronic media scene in India has changed rapidly since it was thrown open to private broadcasters who started beaming news via satellite into Indian homes.

That development more than five years ago ended the monopoly of state-run Doordarshan TV.

Upswing

Industry watchers say rising revenues and increasing numbers of viewers have provided the impetus for many big players to enter the business.

The problem with channels that do 24-hour news is that there is no in-depth coverage... You are watching headlines all the time

Media critic Shailaja Bajpayee

Figures show that the market for news channels grew from two billion rupees ($42m) in 2000 to 3.1 billion rupees in 2001.

It is expected to grow to five billion rupees ($157m) in the next two years.

All categories of advertisers are keen on investing in news channels because of the higher returns they offer compared to entertainment channels.

According to media critic Shailaja Bajpayee, television news is also cost effective.

"Aaj Tak's [news channel] singular success has been running it on a very tight budget . It is no more as expensive to do TV as it was before," she says.

Star glamour

Some of the biggest names in Indian media are behind the new channels.

For the first time in India we will have a fleet of helicopters exclusive to NDTV - to ensure we get you the news first

NDTV head Prannoy Roy

TV Today, which had successfully launched a Hindi news channel Aaj Tak last year, has expanded with a new 24-hour English channel known as Headlines Today.

On Monday, New Delhi Television (NDTV) launched NDTV-India in Hindi, and NDTV 24x7 in English.

NDTV's contract with Rupert Murdoch's Star News ended on 31 March, which saw the emergence of a new-look Star news channel exclusively in Hindi.

The race is now on to be the first with news, with state-of-the-art technology and star glamour.

NDTV has hired nine helicopters to provide fast news.

"I know this is common for news channels all over the world, but for the first time in India we will have a fleet of helicopters exclusive to NDTV - to ensure we get you the news first, fastest and with the right perspective," says NDTV head Prannoy Roy in a message posted on its website.

The channel has put up large billboards across various cities and towns promoting some of its star broadcasters.

Sahara India group of Mass Communications has launched its 24-hour Hindi news channel, Sahara Samay. It is also planning to bring in six more regional channels.

Slick and quick

Another major group, Zee Private Limited, is working on a separate business news channel.

You don't know what to believe. And they keep repeating the same story all through the day

Sujata Chowdhary
high school student

The channels are also keen on highlighting their uniqueness in view of the fierce competition.

"We believe that competition is always healthy since it allows for greater differentiation providing greater choice to the viewer," the TV Today spokesman, G Krishnan, told the BBC.

"In a competitive environment, we will focus on completely understanding our audience and providing crisp, relevant news."

Ordinary Indians seem overwhelmed but are not complaining.

"All of them show the same pictures and each will emphasise you are watching it exclusively on channel X... It is so funny, half of the time they would show a news flash and within five minutes the entire story changes," says Sujata Chowdhary, a high school student.

"You don't know what to believe. And they keep repeating the same story all through the day."

But her mother says it helps her "keep in touch with the world outside without much effort".

'Soap opera'

Analysts point to some basic flaws in TV news.

"The problem with channels that do 24-hour news is that there is no in-depth coverage. There is no follow-up. You are watching headlines all the time," says media critic Shailaja Bajpayee.

"TV news is also strong on opinion but there is no background or analysis. It is like another soap opera where the emphasis is on being controversial rather than giving 'informed news'," she adds.

Such concerns apart, analysts agree that in a country of one billion people, where a large section is still unable to read or write, the significance of having a variety of independent news media cannot be overstated.