CNBC-TV18 & CNBC AWAAZ announce a powerpacked budget day finale

Media News

Mumbai, February 25, 2010

India's largest and most comprehensive business and consumer platform, led by CNBC-TV18, India's No.1 business medium and CNBC AWAAZ,India's No.1 Hindi news channel will offer a comprehensive lineup of dedicated programming on the budget day led by India's finest editorial team and a stellar panel of global and Indian voices from markets, policy and India Inc.

Starting in the morning, CNBC-TV18 & CNBC AWAAZ will line up an array of experts, business leaders and corporate captains through the day as initial expectations and subsequent impact of the budgetary proposals of the FM are analyzed threadbare. Expert opinions, industry reactions, citizen demands, market implications and informative bulletins will comprise the main content focus of the 2 channels.

Speaking on this, Ajay Chacko, Director, TV18 Business Media added “We have had a month long intensive focus on the state of the Indian economy, growth agenda and policy imperatives faced by the government as a precursor to the budget. Budget day is an opportunity to provide a befitting finale to our loyal viewers with the best of perspective, information and insights. Our strong content lineup coupled with interactivity and analysis should ensure that even this year, CNBC channels will set a new benchmark in budget coverage”

On CNBC-TV18, in its morning breakfast show, Power Breakfast, there will be a comprehensive policy & markets wrap including an analysis of sectoral expectations, industry demands, and views from a cross section of consumers & institutions as well as an insightful update on the policy directions that the economic survey, presented the previous day, would have revealed. This will lead into CNBC-TV18's benchmark and nationally acclaimed markets opening show, Bazaar Morning Call executing a Morning Call: Budget 2010 special, led by markets expert and CNBC-TV18 Managing Editor, Udayan Mukherjee.

Post that,CNBC channels will telecast live and uninterrupted coverage of the FM's Budget Speech from 11 am -1 pm. During the speech, the channels will showcase on the minute implications and impact of budgetary proposals, as they are presented in parliament, through razor sharp on-air graphics. This will be done by a battery of experts who will be analyzing the measures announced and its ramifications for the Indian economy. Post the speech, CNBC-TV18 will undertake a series of power packed shows under Budget Verdict, which will focus on the Markets & Corporate Impact from Budget 2010. This will be followed by exclusive trading strategies and tips by India's best-known market experts, in the Final Trade prior to markets closing.

Subsequently, CNBC-TV18 will undertake a series of power packed Budget Bulletins, comprising high power panel discussions broadcast live from India's leading trade chambers such as CII, and will involve expert comments from the nation's top business leaders and policy minds. Towards the evening, CNBC-TV18's acclaimed primetime bulletins 'Business Center' and 'India Business Hour' will have special budget editions namely Budget Center and India Budget Hour which shall take a comprehensive review of the day's events and reactions from various quarters.

CNBC Awaaz, India's No.1 Hindi business channel, will open budget day with budget specials of its leading markets shows Stock 20-20 and Markets Countdown, leading into the FM speech, which will broadcast in Hindi. Post the speech, CNBC Awaaz will unravel a series of dedicated power packed shows under the Budget Impact umbrella focusing on all the key constituencies that the channel represents including SME's, tax payers, youth and the common man.

Apart from programming, the CNBC Channels will also focus strongly on adding value to the viewer experience and building interactivity on the day of India's most important economic event. Starting with budget updates and news on 51818 to the benchmark Budget Bonanza contest, the CNBC channels will be a hub for user interactivity. This most popular budget trivia contest rewards viewers for answering on the hour questions flashed on screen, related to the budget. In this year's edition, viewers can stand to win Rs.1 lac every hour and upto Rs.12 lakhs through the day. Viewers would be able to participate in the Budget Bonanza Contest by sending in their answers via SMS, sending “BB to 51818”. The contest will run from 9 am – 9 pm on the budget day only. In addition, the CNBC Channels have extended this idea on the ground with special activation with India's leading media agencies.

On 27th Feb, day after the budget, CNBC-TV18 will be the first to host an exclusive star-studded ground event called The Verdict, which will present the definitive and decisive analysis of Budget 2010 from the corporate and personal finance perspective. Led by CNBC-TV18's Vivek Law, The Verdict will include leading names from markets, policy and corporate India. This will include the likes of S Ramadorai (Vice Chairman, TCS), Sumanth Sinha (COO, Suzlon), Subbha Rao(Group CFO,GMR Group) on the corporate side and Nilesh Shah (Deputy MD,ICICI Prudential MF), TR Ramachandran (CEO & MD, Aviva Life Insurance), Subhash Lakhotia (Acclaimed Tax guru) on the personal finance panel.

The CNBC Channels will also ensure that viewers get a chance to review and understand key measures of Budget 2008 through a release of a special CD title on 'Budget Highlights' under the Bestsellers brand of CD's and DVD's from Network18.

For further information, please contact:

Hanmer MS&L Communications Pvt Ltd.

Amanda Mendonza

Mobile: 9833618458

Email: amanda@hanmermsl.com