BloombergUTV.com is now UTVmoney.com

With a view to be a leader in the online finance media space and to take its re-branding to the next level, BloombergUTV, India's premiere business news channel, has launched a new website, UTVmoney.com. The website will be a platform that enables informed investment decisions for all users. This is the first initiative driven by Pankaj Khanna, who was recently appointed business development head for the digital arm of BloombergUTV.

The site will be presented by an algorithmically driven 'credibility management engine', a piece of software within a complex computer system that delivers live data and capability for user interaction.

Deepak Lamba, business head, BloombergUTV, tells afaqs! that this new website acts as a credibility manager for 'celebrity tippers' who make predictions on several TV channels. It also allows users to offer regular tips and build their individual reputations in a space which is ruled by a handful. He claims that this venture is an aggressive effort to combine the power of financial services with social media.

When quizzed about why the brand name 'Bloomberg' has not been retained in the name of the new website, Lamba answers, "From a brand perspective, we want any site that carries the Bloomberg name to stand for the same thing. The international Bloomberg sites don't do celebrity tracking, tipper tracking and the like. Thus, the name has been dropped to aid brand synergy and avoid brand dissonance."

The website is not a mirror image of the brand's TV channel, Bloomberg UTV. While the channel, like most others, carries content that is more domestic-led, the website is furnished with world financial news.

Currently, the site displays live market data from the NSE and though there is a time lag of a few seconds as of today, within the next fortnight or so, there will be real time updates.

UTVmoney.com is based on the rationale that users, who're constantly inundated with tips from TV shows, radio, newspapers, magazines and friends, will now be able to consult the site and make a confident choice. The website will keep historical track records of predictions that tippers make and based on performance, each tip will be assigned a ranking.

In order to build user confidence with respect to the credibility of the site, the process of managing the tippers' track records will be transparent and verifiable with actual publicly published data. The site will also allow lay consumers to pit their tips and views against those of experts.

As far as advertising options are concerned, the site will follow a hybrid model that offers two essential types of advertising - standard visibility-led banners and more section-specific, relevance based ads. "An instance of customised advertising includes, say, a watch ad that appears each time something time-related is clicked," offers Lamba.

'Watchlist' and 'Nifty predictions' are the two customised applications that are currently available on the site. In the next three-six months, many more will be launched.

The next step for UTVmoney.com is to integrate the content on the site into the mobile space, where people can receive customised stock market tips via SMS alerts. The development is slated for Phase 2 and will see the light of day after a month or two.