Aaj Tak launches first edition of its annual on-ground event, Agenda Aaj Tak

As an extension to the annual event, the network has planned various on-ground and on-air events across the country on national issues affecting the common man. For the first edition, it will spend about Rs 3 crore on promotions.

Aaj Tak, the Hindi news channel from the TV Today Group, has finally launched the first edition of its annual property, Agenda Aaj Tak. It is a summit for leaders from all walks of life to address a number of critical national issues. The theme of Agenda Aaj Tak is 'India Maange More'; the network claims that the event will focus on key issues pertaining to the nation and draw a clear road map for emerging India.

The conclave will consist of discussions and Q&A sessions by the host of speakers from different fields, on issues as diverse as politics, youth, social media, democracy, development, language, cross-border terrorism, regionalism, economic reforms, social issues, India-Pakistan relations and popular culture.

In its debut year, the property is expected to earn Rs 3.5-4 crore for the network. The recorded content, to be aired subsequently in episodic format, will garner additional revenue through commercial time sale.

As per the market sources, for the on-air and on-ground event, presenting sponsor Brys Group has shelled out Rs 2-2.5 crore, while the two associate sponsors will come on board for an estimated amount of Rs 35 lakh each. Century Ply has been roped in as an associate sponsor; the other associate sponsor is not finalised yet. The industry sources also informed that the network plans to get a powered by sponsor for the event. However, it refused to comment on financial details.

Agenda Aaj Tak is an on-ground property; however, TV Today has strong plans to convert it for on-air programming. Along with live webcast on www.agenda.aajtak.in and live telecast on Aaj Tak, recorded episodes will also be played on the three network channels - Tez, Headlines Today and Dilli Aajtak. On-air initiatives such as live cut-ins, curtain raisers, daily half-hour specials, quotes through the daily stories and post-event weekend shows will also increase the reach of Agenda Aaj Tak.

Ashish Bagga, CEO, India Today Group, says, "The overarching theme is to set India's agenda in India�s language. Thought leaders from all spheres will build on this and so will the subsequent on-air programming. The idea is also to set the agenda on national television and spark a constructive debate. We are confident that Agenda Aaj Tak will make a splash not only in India but also in neighbouring countries."

As an extension to this annual event, the network has also planned several on-ground and on-air events across the country on national issues affecting the common man. The upcoming Gujarat Assembly Elections will also be featured in a few events.

It is learnt that the network will spend close to Rs 3 crore to promote the event both on-air and on-ground, including the cost of promotion on network properties. Along with television, the marketing activities will be spread across various media platforms such as out of home (OOH), print, digital and radio.

The OOH campaign is spread across nearly 40 sites in Delhi and NCR region. The print ads cover the network's own publications, India Today, Business Today and other trade magazines. Corporate e-mailers and an association with Oye FM as the radio partner will also be leveraged for promotions.

Although it has high expectations, the channel is non-committal on the expected ratings since this is the first edition of the property. Bagga adds, "The opinions and the stature of speakers will define a new high when it comes to thought leadership. Revenues are anyway very positive on platforms that are opinion leading and present extraordinary positive rub-off."

Scheduled to be held in New Delhi on December 6 and 7, Agenda Aaj Tak will host eminent personalities including political figures, social activists, cricketers, celebrities, authors and bureaucrats.

Some of the panellists at the event are Sushil Kumar Shinde, Kapil Sibbal, Kamal Nath, Manish Tewari, Sachin Pilot, Rajiv Shukla, Digvijay Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Shiela Dixit, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Nitish Kumar, Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, Baba Ramdev, Aamir Khan, Kajol, Madhuri Dixit, Randeep Hooda, Sakshi Tanwar, Sameer Soni, Kapil Dev, Saurav Ganguly, Wasim Akram, Mohammad Azharuddin, Waqar Younis, Imraan Khan, Subrata Roy Sahara, Chetan Bhagat, Anuja Chauhan, Javed Akhtar, Ali Zafar and Kailash Kher.