NewsX to sport a new name, look and feel

NewsX has stepped up the process of a 360-degree revamp of the channel; announcing plans to change the brand name as well as the look-and-feel of NewsX in a fairly dramatic way.

While no exact date has been announced yet for the final roll-out, the revamped channel is expected to be launched “post summer” this year.

“The product was too Nordic and cold for the Indian audience. The sets were too sparse and the channel was a bit too differentiated, sometimes alienating its viewers,” said Jehangir Pocha, editor and co-promoter, NewsX. “A clean slate will help us instill values in the brand that we think are appropriate for NewsX.”

Besides with a change of name, the channel will sport a completely new design, colors, music and sets.  “NewsX with its ‘X’ element is a gimmicky-sort of a name for a serious news channel. We want to remove the extra zing factor and give it a solid name that inspires authority and trust,” added Pocha. “It also has an overhang of 9X and now with a new ownership structure, we decided to give it a new name.”

The content, too, will be fresher and more energetic without being sleazy. “The new look will allow us a certain pace that the old look didn’t,” said Pocha. “The content will also help us expand our audience base to women who traditionally shy away from the aggressive, testosterone-driven style of reporting adopted by other news channels.”

As a part of beefing up its editorial teams, the channel recently made some senior level appointments including Seema Mustafa who joined as national affairs editor and head of national bureau. Mustafa has moved from The Asian Age, where she was the resident editor.

In yet another recent development, NewsX moved its creative duties from TAG to TBWA, after a multi-agency pitch. A TBWA-created advertising campaign is also expected to break closer to the re-launch.