News Broadcasting
NaiDunia, Pocha buy NewsX
MUMBAI: The first of the mergers and acquisitions hit the media world just 9 days into the new year. INX News Pvt Ltd, part of the Peter Mukerjea, Indrani Mukerjea- owned INX Group, has been hawked off to Indi Media, a newly formed joint venture between NaiDunia promoter and CEO Vinay Chhajlani and former Businessworld editor Jehangir S Pocha. INX News runs the English language channel NewsX.
Details of the transaction were not available, but Chhajlani confirmed that the deal had indeed taken place. Pocha too confirmed that Indi Media had bought out the entire holding of the existing investors in INX News. He added that he will be taking on a strong editorial role in the company.
The employees of NewsX will continue to hold eight per cent ESOPs, parcelled out to them by the founder-promoters.
Exiting from the TV news venture a little before a year of existence, INX Media founder and CEO Indrani Mukerjea’s pursuit was to create NewsX as a premier English news channel brand. While the promoters held 66 per cent in the news company, INX Media, supported by a clutch of private equity firms, had 26 per cent.
INX News ran into rough weather pretty early with editor-in-chief Vir Sanghvi and his core team leaving the set-up amid controversial circumstances even before the launch of the channel.
INX Media still runs a Hindi general entertainment channel 9X and a Bollywood music channel 9XM. The company is in talks to raise funds and has stopped airing fresh content on 9X.
Chhajlani runs a Hindi newspaper with a footprint in Madhya Pradesh and has also created web and new media assets. TV broadcasting was a missing piece in his media plan.
“We took over two months to value NewsX and found it a good pick. The English news space is not so cluttered and we were drawn in by the investments INX News had made into technology and infrastructure,” Chhajlani says.
INX News had been talking to Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s Jupiter Capital and Dainik Bhaskar promoters, but could not come to an agreement on the price.
Analysts closely tracking the sector say that Indi Media would not have paid much above the English news channel’s set-up cost. Both Indrani and Peter could not be contacted to obtain their comments on the acquisition price.
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
