Bengaluru: Karnataka’s Kannada News Channel, News First is set to launch on 20th September. The channel has revealed Pratikshana Nimondhige, translated to Every Moment With You., as its tagline.
Speaking on the occasion, News First CEO S Ravikumar said “Our brand name signifies our intention, while our tagline is a promise to the people of Karnataka that we will go the extra mile to be there for them, every moment.The extra mile will be in terms of audience focus, content, quality, credibility and flexibility while catering to our various stakeholders.”
Echoing Ravikumar’s views, SH Maruthi – Editor-in-Chief added “Good content always finds takers. Quality content will find more.News First is focussed on this core aspect.Be it on our channel or our digital platforms, we intend delivering quality news that has somewhat taken a backseat in the current rush for numbers alone”
News First Business Head, S Divaakar was sounding quite upbeat when he said “We are starting off a tad later than we would have liked.But that hasn’t diminished the markets’ anticipation of our launch or the teams’ enthusiasm.We believe we have a solid product that will be taken seriously even before Day 1.The market is already abuzz ever since we announced our tagline and launch date.These are challenging times without doubt, but hugely exciting and optimistic too.”
When launched News First will be fighting for a piece in the busy Kannada TV news market space.TV9 Kannada currently leads the pack, followed by Public TV and Suvarna News, with a handful of others fighting for later positions.
Emboldened by their experience of having taken TV9 Kannada to number 1 position, Ravikumar and Maruthi are expected to make a strong start and impact with News First.
Their key competitors will be keenly watching and adjusting their manoeuvres with News Firsts’ entry.
Will News First deliver enough value to move up the ladder in double quick time?