News Broadcasting
Sahara finally launches Urdu news channel Aalami Sahara
NEW DELHI: Claiming the highest readership for its three Urdu publications, Sahara India Pariwar today launched its first exclusive Urdu news television channel Aalami Sahara aimed at reaching four million viewers in India and manifold eyeballs in 53 other countries.
The channel was launched at a function here this evening in the presence of a large number of dignitaries, amid a poetry recitation by Munnawar Rana from his book ‘Muhajir-nama’ and a comic presentation by stand-up comedian Raju Srivastava.
This 24X7 news channel will not only reach countries with large concentrations of Urdu speaking people including Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh but also those with large Indian diaspora like Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Brunei, Jordan, Behrain, Oman, Qatar, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, Turkey, Bhutan, Nepal, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Macau, Maldives, Fiji, Myanmar, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Russia, Singapore, Australia and others.
Although Doordarshan and Eenadu already have Urdu channels, they telecast programmes that are not necessarily news, according to a Sahara Group source. He added that this was the first privately owned Urdu news channel in the country.
The channel Aalami Sahara will be beamed via Asiasat 3S 105.5 degree East on downlink frequency of 4020 MHz with horizontal polarization and a symbol rate of 27250 Msps.
Though group head Subrata Roy Sahara was not present, he sent a message that was telecast on the occasion. Those present included Salman Khursheed, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, Congress leader Jagdish Tytler, Delhi Minister Haroon Yusuf, veteran journalist Zafar Agha, former cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin, and Sahara Editor Upendra Rai, apart from poet Munnawar Rana.
Rai said he had left the Sahara Group but had not been able to give it up completely and therefore returned to it. He introduced Rana and ‘Muhajir-nama’ which has been published in Devnagari by the Sahara Group.
Sahara sources claimed that a total of more than 90 million people speak Urdu in India, of which 40 million are television viewers. Aalami Sahara would voice regional, national and international issues with fairness and precision.
Sahara News Network already publishes Roznama Rashtriya Sahara (an Urdu daily), Aalami Sahara (a weekly magazine) and Bazm-e-Sahara (a monthly tabloid). Roznama publishes 16 editions from 10 centers for its 3.15 million readers. There are 5,25,000 million readers of the Urdu weekly, while there are 500,000 for Bazm-e-Sahara (Urdu monthly). Earlier, Rozanama went online in October 2010. This was the first time when a complete Urdu newspaper and magazine were made available on Internet.
Sahara News Network has one round-the-clock, free to air, national Hindi news channel ‘Samay’ and a bouquet of 36 city specific regional news channels under the brand name ‘Sahara Samay’. Sahara’s News Media is equipped with over 1600 V-Sats for News collection and has 50 Bureaus and 1000 correspondents across the globe.
News Broadcasting
GenNext takes charge as Network18 reshuffles leadership
With Avinash Kaul bowing out, Network18 hands reins to younger leaders, streamlines operations, and pushes data-driven growth across TV, digital and regional markets
MUMBAI: Network18 is redrawing its leadership map just as a long-time lieutenant bows out. Avinash Kaul, a central figure in the broadcaster’s rise since 2014, is leaving after 12 years to pursue “professional and personal goals”, triggering a broad-based reshuffle that puts a younger cohort directly under the top brass.
Kaul joined at a pivotal moment during the company’s transition and went on to scale the television business, combining strategic nous with data-led decision-making and a sharp read of the news landscape. “Avinash has been an integral part of the Network18 story,” the company said, thanking him for his leadership of the broadcast business and wishing him the best for the future.
In his wake, Network18 is betting on what it calls a “young and restless” leadership bench. “The team has taken charge and proved its mettle in quite adverse circumstances,” the note said, adding that “GenNext has seamlessly stepped in as we continue to outperform our peers.”
Operationally, the structure is being flattened. Smriti Mehra, S Shivakumar and Mitul Sangani will work directly with the top leadership, as they did in the fourth quarter. Ganesh Iyer and Abhinay Chauhan continue in their existing roles, while younger executives are being handed wider mandates across social, digital, connected TV and linear.
The reporting lines are being tightened to drive revenue and product momentum. Prabhat Chatterjee, business head–Forbes, and Arun Thapar, president–content and communication for AETN-18, will report to Smriti Mehra, alongside Mallika Nath Handa, who will lead special projects spanning new shows and non-linear properties. Jayesh Gokalgandhi, CFO for AETN-18, will report to Ramesh Damani.
Mitul Sangani will oversee expansion in Hindi and regional markets, with Sidharth Newatia, CRO–ILC, focusing on reach and revenue growth, particularly in tier-II and III markets. Pankaj Soni, head of marketing–ILC, will also report to Sangani while working functionally with Ganesh Iyer.
The group is also consolidating its branded content play. Moneycontrol’s branded content business will be folded into News18 Studio, with Don Zarrar moving to work with Shivakumar while continuing to lead existing studio and Focus teams.
International and platform growth are being bundled together. Pranav Bakshi takes on additional charge of the international business alongside connected TV and social platforms, with Naveen Mathur, who leads revenue management for the international unit, reporting to him. Bakshi continues to report to Puneet Singhvi.
On the technology and operations side, Rajesh Sharma, head of broadcast technology and IT; Rahul Singh, head of events and technical operations; and Bhupender Bhardwaj, head of IT security, will now report to Singhvi. Darshil Parekh, head of sales strategy, planning and operations, will work directly with Ramesh Damani and the top leadership, with Stanley Cyril, who manages digital sales operations, reporting to him.
Data is being pushed to the centre of decision-making. Jitamitra Mohanty, who leads research and analytics, will now work with Santosh Menon to turn audience data into “actionable insights that drive content strategy, product innovation and sustainable viewership growth”.
The message is clear: fewer layers, faster calls, sharper bets. With Kaul’s exit closing one chapter, Network18 is handing the wheel to a younger crew and doubling down on scale across screens. The race, it signals, will be run at full tilt.
