Sign up for afaqs! Newsletters
Mirror Now in a new avatar
The channel will also be revamping its programming lineup to include new shows.
On the sidelines of Day 3 at Goafest 2022, Mirror Now hosted a round table helmed by its editor, Nikunj Garg. The team shared its vision for the future of the channel and spoke briefly about the new content strategy.
"We want to pursue local issues from a national prism. Our focus will continue to be on hyperlocal and local issues, but we will be viewing and discussing them from a national perspective," Garg said.
The channel has been reporting on pertinent issues such as women’s safety, frequent fuel price hikes, removal of GST from sanitary pads, etc. Garg calls this brand of journalism 'impactful', and intends to pursue more such stories to ensure the betterment of the lives of the viewers as well as the society.
In addition to steering in a different direction with the channel's content strategy, Mirror Now has been working on refreshing the channel's visual identity. Going forward, the channel will also feature a new colour palette and modernised typography.
Part of the new approach of the brand's visual identity is the introduction of a new colour, ‘teal’, to reflect a contemporary approach to news. The identity will also retain the colours black, white and red, denoting the importance and urgency of current news.
Strengthening the prime time band, the channel presents a slew of news anchors as ‘people champions’. Heena Gambhir, Tamanna Inamdar, Afrida Rahman Ali, Griha Atul and Archana Solanki take to the air to present issues of urban Indians.
According to Garg, these women were hired on the basis of their talent, knowledge and critical thinking abilities. "Our aim is to be the thinking citizen's go-to news channel, when he wants information and accurate news."
Mirror Now will also be refreshing its content offerings with a lineup of five new prime time shows. From simple explanations of the day’s top stories to shorter news debates, the new programming lineup includes Mirror Metro at 6 p.m., which offers a national perspective on top news from metro cities.
This will be followed by The Big Focus at 7 p.m., which brings to focus the bigger picture by presenting a well-researched context and comprehensive perspective to top stories of the day.
Next up will be The Urban Debate at 8 p.m., Mirror Now’s flagship show that demands accountability from powers that can drive improvement for citizens. Followed by The Nation Tonight at 9 p.m., a one-hour show that declutters the daily news to present top stories of the day, with insights from experts. Beyond The Headline at 10 p.m. will showcase an in-depth analysis of the big stories of each day.
“With its new visual identity and content lineup, Mirror Now will attempt to challenge the status quo. Going behind the news and bringing truth to the fore in an era, where competing agenda-driven narratives are being peddled in the public domain, Mirror will be the destination of the thinking Indian in the coming days,” Garg added.