We recently caught up with Mr. Sanjay Trehan, the CEO of NDTV Convergence. We asked him a few hard hitting, in your face kind of questions (which we think Mr. Trehan ducked under) – you decide.

Incidentally NDTV is one of the key participants of the New Media Congress to be held in Delhi in a couple of days. Mr. Trehan is one of the Chairpersons.

 

 

WATBlog: NDTV Convergence seems to be lagging behind the other Media Networks such as CNN IBN (IBN Live) with respect to UGC. Why has this been so given your great belief in UGC as outlined in a previous interview to WATBlog?

Sanjay Trehan: I still believe that UGC will be the driver of the Internet in the Web 2.0 environment we live in. NDTV Convergence also has an extensive repository of UGC in the form of blogs and forums and user interactivity is harnessed across all verticals. We continue to build extensive interactive elements around exclusive television programming which has given the netizen a forum like never before. I do agree that there are still plenty of opportunities in this sphere and we will foray into citizen journalism and rich media UGC in the near future.

 

 

WATBlog: Why has NDTV decided to foray into regional language content. Further, NDTV’s Hindi Portal was released much after Business Standard, One India, and Josh 18. Why do you think you haven’t been innovating as fast as your competitors? Is NDTV following the herd mentality?

Sanjay Trehan: NDTVkhabar.com is the first-of-its-kind, web 2.0 compliant Hindi website with rich media offerings such as live streaming of NDTV India and a premium repository of video on demand for the surfer. We have launched this product to target the growing surfer base in India, which prefers Hindi as their primary language of surfing. The esteemed competitors you have mentioned only address niche requirements of this user base but do not come close to giving the rich media experience of exclusive content like NDTVkhabar.com endeavours to do. A strong interactive element enables the consumer to generate content and provides them with a platform to consume and contribute to NDTVKhabar.com. As far as innovating is concerned, while others have been launching vernacular websites, we will also soon have a Hindi channel in our bouquet of offerings on mobile.ndtv.com as well.

 

  

WATBlog: Can you out line some of the learnings from NDTV Mobile and how the medium is different from the Internet with respect to layout, content, distribution and backend management. You also seem to have a Mobile Widget, which hasn’t had any takers (59 subscribers). Any specific reason for that?

Sanjay Trehan: At last count, Mobile Widget has been downloaded over 10,000 times. Like we all know, the mobile VAS space in India is still in its nascent stage and we are all learning to adapt to the needs and user behaviour patterns of the Indian mobile consumer. With NDTV Active (mobile.ndtv.com), we have definitely acquired the first mover’s advantage in this landscape and are continuously evolving the product to cater to the needs of the discerning consumer. One of the challenges we have encountered in this endeavour is the compatibility across handsets and have taken the required steps to meet this challenge. We are working with the world’s leading technology partner in the WAP space and are equipped to meet all levels of scale and content requirements. We are also one of the first wap portals to launch mobile advertising in India. We are very optimistic about this space and are sure the numbers will build up as the industry as a whole gains traction.

 

 

WATBlog: How does the New Media Congress ‘Converge’ with NDTV’s Plans?

Sanjay Trehan: At NDTV Convergence, we are fellow travellers in the unfolding journey of New Media in which India is slowly emerging as the leader -with the world’s youngest population, fastest mobile phone adoption rate and the smartest minds. This Congress shall aim to bring together some of the best minds in the Internet and mobile domain under one roof to learn more about this intriguing and wonderful opportunity called New Media. With this event, we would like to establish NDTV Convergence as a thought leader in the sphere of new media and a powerhouse of new ideas as we all work together to ensure that we do not squander away these brilliant and exciting times we work in. The New Media Congress is also an opportunity for the stakeholders of the new media industry and the senior executives of the industry to network and learn from each other.

 

 

WATBlog: NBC Universal picked up a 26% stake in NDTV Networks. How do you think can that help NDTV convergence? Further, NBC’s CNBC already has an association with Network 18, NDTV’s major competitor in India. 

Sanjay Trehan: We are very excited with the opportunity of working closely with one of the global leaders in the new media sphere and one of the first movers in the realm of triple play. We are hoping to glean some of the global best practises followed by NBC, to enhance our existing business models and also grow new revenue streams.

 

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