A man working with finance ministry having a dream to become a big player of entertainment industry forms a company called ’’NEW DELHI TELEVISION’’ in early 90’s with his wife. The man being Mr. Prannoy Roy and his wife Mrs. Raadhika Roy.
The first programmed prepared by the NDTV was THE WORLD THIS WEEK popularly known as ’’TWTW’’ which gave some freedom to Indian viewer’s from DOORDARSHAN’s stereotyped news programme’s.
By the time NDTV came a long way with many different programmes such as BUDGET ANALYSIS. Now came the turning point for the NDTV, in the year 1995-96 it got an opportunity to prepare a week-days news programme and it came out with flying colours proving their calibre. The viewer’s became addicted to its 22:30 hours week-days news programme on DD METRO, totally unbiased without favouring any politician, bureaucrat or business tycoon. Then comes the whole long series of programmes prepared by NDTV. Whether its GOOD MORNING INDIA or ELECTION RESULT’s ANALYSIS all highly qualitative and informative leaving all its competitors behind and proving itself the best.
In the year 1996-97, the CEO of DOORDARSHAN Mr. Rathikant Basu resigned and joined STAR TV Network and with him the NDTV too joined the STAR TV Network. Now, some bad days started for the NDTV because STAR TV’s STAR Plus channel was not regularly watched channel. Then also it went on proving its ability to give qualitative programmes in comparison to her competitors. STAR Plus’s daily news programme was highly watched while comparing the daily news programme of other private channel’s.
The NDTV on its own shoulders made STAR Plus such a popular channel that it alone accounted 40% of the revenues generated by the STAR TV Network in 1999-00 (Prior to KBC). The revenues generated by the STAR TV Network in 1999-00 were Rs. 176 crores.
The NDTV always came with new ideas and concepts. Ms. Barkha Dutt of NDTV was the first to cover the Kargil War. The programmes such as THE BIG FIGHT anchored by Mr. Raajdeep Sardesai and WE THE PEOPLE anchored by Ms. Barkha Dutt are the only one of its type in the country. These are the only programmes where audiences are allowed to interact with the renowned penalist. Ah! How can I forget THE QUESTION TIME INDIA anchored by Mr. Prannoy Roy prepared by NDTV for BBC Worldwide. All of these programmes have had hot discussions with fireworks but with due respect. Neither the audience nor the penalist would feel insulted or let down.
Why only the news programme even its sitcoms too are qualitative, one would always find freshness. Whether its JEE MANTRIJEE or CHHUPA RUSTAM no viewer would feel boring.
Today, AAJ TAK is highly watched news channel in INDIA but I can bet that STAR NEWS would be the best news channel for quality untill the NDTV leaves it.