TV9 Network wins big at VDONXT Awards

by Samiksha

New Delhi :  The TV9 Network has won big at the VDONXT Awards.  At a ceremony held in Mumbai on February 27, the TV9 Network went back with as many as six awards across categories such as brand integration stand-alone, action, best smart-budget film, aerial videography and lifestyle.

It was an encore of industry appreciation for News9 Plus. Soon after stealing the show at the Afaqs! The Future of News media awards, News9 Plus, the world’s first News OTT, bagged four medals including two silver medals and two bronze trophies.

‘Bombs in the Backyard’ bagged silver at the VDONXT Awards in the Action category. The Indian Army recovers tons of military-grade explosives from the heart of India’s cities. The story, reported by Aditya Raj Kaul, provided a rare glimpse of the classified operation.

The story ‘Balochistan: Bangladesh 2.0’, won silver in the Smart Budget Film category. Balochistan has faced barbaric human rights violations and subjugation of locals at the hands of the Pakistan Army. As the Baloch people continue their resistance against Pakistan’s Deep State and China, News 9 Plus investigated the nature of the exploitation and the rationale behind the rebel movement. The story was reported by Aditya Raj Kaul. 

In February, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had written to Twitter objecting to the docu-series saying it violated the laws of the country.

TV9Digital UP UK won a Bronze in the ‘Action’ category for The Bahubali Story that chronicled the life of heartland politician Raja Bhaiya.

‘Demons in the Head', reported by Lakshna Gulati, won bronze in the lifestyle category for News9 Plus. The story addresses India’s mental health crisis that has stayed unaddressed owing to social taboos. The documentary took a close look at people who’ve battled mental health issues and speaks to experts at the forefront of driving the conversations on mental health in the country.

The story ‘Garbage Mountains’ which won bronze in the ‘Best Use of Aerial Videography’ category, looks at the Capital’s public health crisis.  Delhi generates 10,000 tonnes of waste every day. Most of it is dumped in 3 landfills as tall as the Qutub Minar. The story, reported by Mohammad Wajihulla for News9 Plus, looks beyond the obvious and comes up with solutions for the crisis.

Studio9 -- which creates content and experiences that deliver impact, shape opinion and influence audiences -- bagged the Bronze in the category ‘Brand Integration Standalone’ for Bablu Yadav, a special story for the Castrol Super Mechanic Contest 2021-22.

The awards took place after the conclusion of the seventh edition of the VDONST Asia Conference. The entries were judged by a 17-member jury of well-known names from the world of advertising, media and marketing, including Arun Iyer (Spring Marketing Capital); Rohit Malkani (L&K Saatchi & Saatchi); Sambit Mohanty (McCann Worldgroup); Amit Sethiya (Syska); Elizabeth Venkataraman (Kotak Mahindra Bank); Karthik Yathindra (Jockey); Prateek Malpani (Wakefit); Vanda Ferrao (WOW Skin Science); Amit Doshi (Pratilipi); Arindam Biswas (SVF Entertainment); Karan Sabde (Warner Bros. Discovery); Manpreet Bumrah (Eros Now); Zaheen Ekhlas (SonyLIV); Aradhana Bhola (Fremantle India); Kailash Surendranath (Kailash Picture Company); Rishi Negi (Endemol Shine India); and Tusharr Kumar (Only Much Louder).

The jury rated the entries on a 1-10 scale. Each entry was submitted for review to between five and seven jurors. One important innovation that was introduced in most of the awards, organised by Afaqs!, was a minimum scoring system. This ensures that even if there is, hypothetically, only one entry in a category, it doesn’t automatically ensure that it will win gold. The jurors will have to give it a score of at least seven points.