V Today�s English news channel, Headlines Today, has had a painfully slow start, but the channel seems to be coming along finally. It�s a totally different matter that it competes with probably only four other channels (NDTV 24X7, CNBC-TV18, BBC World and CNN) in the English news space, and the genre itself has a fractional 0.5 per cent share (source: TAM Media Research) of all channels on television. But this shouldn�t take anything away from the yearling. The figures speak for themselves. From a share of 6.7 per cent between January 1 and December 31, 2003, Headlines Today grew to a respectable 17 per cent in the corresponding period in 2004 (target: C&S;, 15-plus, six metros).

"The concept of crisp news is new in India and so we required a marketing thrust," says Rajesh Sheshadri, senior marketing manager, Aaj Tak. This thrust came in September 2004, when TV Today launched a marketing campaign with a spend reportedly of Rs 5 crore. The objective was to highlight the distinct product offering and induce sampling. And things have changed since then. The channel share of Headlines Today increased from 19 per cent in October 2004 to 24 per cent in November, though it dipped to 21 per cent in December (C&S;, 15-plus, five metros except Chennai), according to TAM. ... more