CNN-IBN revamps morning time band

English news channel, CNN-IBN is all set to revamp its morning prime time band (8-10 am) with the launch of two new shows – '8AM Express' and 'The Morning News'.

Starting May 11, the shows are designed to provide the perfect head-start to the day with relevant and latest news from around the world, aimed at preparing viewers for the day ahead.

These shows will have a dedicated team of anchors comprising Neha Poonia, Pallavi Basu, Kajori Sen and Parikshit Luthra, will have multiple and fast-paced segments, and will be presented in a crisp and clean format.

'8 AM Express' will provide viewers all the news they need as they start their day, in a short and snappy format. This show will cover news from all spheres like national, international, sports, business, entertainment, along with key headlines from newspapers and end with a segment on viral videos/internet trendsetters. 'The Morning News', meanwhile, will lay more stress on some of the key developing stories of the day. The show will also feature special packages, CNN-IBN campaigns, along with viewer call-ins depending upon topics that could be potential day-drivers.

Talking about the revamp, Umesh Upadhyay, president - news, Network18, says, "CNN-IBN has always believed in being a thought leader in the news space and we have constantly striven to redefine the rules of the category. A lot of the focus of news channels has historically been on the evening prime time band. We believe that from a consumer’s view point, the morning prime time band is also equally crucial. This is the time that sets the tone for the rest of the day for most viewers. There is a felt need to consume news in order to prepare for the day ahead. It is this need that we want to focus on addressing.”

The shows are typically targeted at the upwardly mobile audiences. Psychographically, the channel is looking at viewers who are highly driven, ambitious and are looking at staying ahead of the curve.

Commenting on the new shows, Radhakrishnan Nair, managing editor, CNN-IBN, adds, "We believe that the morning prime-time is very crucial from a viewer's point of view and the new line-up aims to help our viewers understand the day's scenario better."

There is a full fledged promotion plan for the revamp. “Our promos have already gone live on the channel. We will fully leverage the strength of our network channels to promote our new shows. We will of course be reaching out aggressively to the trade as well through multiple touch points including mailers, web and print. We are also looking at various high buzz innovations to get traction amongst viewers.We have over 3.3 million people who engage with us on FB and over 1.4 million on Twitter. We will be using these platforms extensively along with Youtube for the launch of these 2 shows.,” Upadhyay shares.