Prajjal Saha
Media

STAR Ananda debuts with a flourish

In the first week of its launch, the channel has managed to capture a market share of 38 per cent among the news channels

In the first week of its launch, STAR Ananda, the 24 hours Bengali news channel from the STAR and the Ananda Bazar Patrika group, has garnered the maximum share in the Kolkata market.

As per TAM Media Research in the first four days of its launch (between June 1- June 4), the channel has gained a market share of 38 per cent, leaving behind NDTV India and Tara Newz with a share of 10 per cent each. (C&S, age group 15+, Kolkata)

The other significant players in the market are Aaj Tak, ZEE News, STAR News and DD News. Aaj Tak and ZEE News got a channel share of 9 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively, while STAR News and DD News managed a share of 6 per cent each. All other news channels in the market have a share between 2 and 4 per cent.

In fact, STAR Ananda got a dream debut on June 1, the day of its launch. It managed a channel share of 45 per cent leaving behind its closest competitor Tara Newz at 10 per cent.

Media planners say, “In a market such as Kolkata, news as a genre has always done better than other programmes. This trend is applicable for Doordarshan as well as other general entertainment channels such as ZEE Bangla or ETV Bengali.”

Until recently, news programming were only a part of the general entertainment channels. Tara Newz, launched in February this year, was the first 24-hour Bengali news channel.

A Delhi-based media planner says, “Kolkata has always been a politically active city, which leads to the popularity of news channels. In addition, STAR Ananda was launched at a time when the city is getting ready for its municipal elections.”

He says, “While STAR is already a very strong band, it has become stronger with the Ananda Bazar Patrika coming in.” The ABP group has a very strong equity in this market as it is the largest selling daily in the state, he adds.

A Kolkata-based media planner says, “STAR Ananda must have beaten Tara Newz in the distribution front. In addition, the channel’s programming quality is far superior than any other Bengali television news service.” © 2005 agencyfaqs!

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