News Broadcasting
Star World focusses on ‘Hollywood Shootouts’, Christmas next month
MUMBAI: English general entertainment channel Star World will during the yuletide season next month focus on Christmas as well as on a new show Hollywood Shootouts.
Hollywood Shootouts will air every Sunday from next month at 5 pm. Two of Hollywood’s big shots – Variety editor Peter Bart and producer Peter Guber – take on some of moviedom’s biggest movers and shakers: top actors, directors, producers and studio executives who make Hollywood what it is today.
The show gets behind the hype and into the minds of some of entertainment’s most elusive and fascinating personalities. Names to watch for include Dustin Hoffman, Charlize Theron, Samuel L. Jackson, Clint Eastwood, Mel Gibson and Harvey Weinstein.
The two hosts have attracted critical acclaim for complementing each other perfectly as two sides of the Hollywood coin. The A-list guests are willing to discuss their careers with frankness.
All the episodes revolve around the general topic of surviving and thriving in Hollywood. However the varied guests shape each episode according to their individual identities.
Since next month is the time to spread good cheer the channel will air the special Christmas Miracles on 19 December at 8 pm, 20 December at 11 amand on 24 December at 9 am. Celebrities Halle Berry, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Melissa Joan Hart and Richard Karn serve as first-time Santa’s helpers by fulfilling the wishes of children and their families, from specially selected letters that were written to Santa and found in the “dead letter” bins at the U.S. Postal Service.
Also showcased are stories by everyday people who have, in some way, been miraculously touched at Christmas time. Some of the soul-warming highlights include: Melissa Joan Hart and the cast of Sabrina The Teenage Witch fulfilling a young girl’s Christmas wish to experience what it’s like to be an actress. Jennifer Love Hewitt redecorates a young boy’s bedroom and presents him with the gift of his dreams – his very first bed.
Halle Berry helps a nine-year-old boy create a better Christmas for a group of less-fortunate children with a surprise visit from Santa Claus. And Richard Karn uses his “Home Improvement” skills to create a yard filled with snow for a young girl who dreamt of having a “white Christmas”.
On Christmas Eve 24 December at 1 pm the channel will air a classic film The Man Upstairs. It is about the unlikely relationship that grows between Victoria (Katherine Hepburn) – an elegant, lonely reclusive, and a fast-talking fugitive, Moony Polanski (Ryan O’Neal), who she finds hiding in her attic one day. It is a story about how love and life can be found in the strangest places, Ryan soon finds the family he never had in Victoria, while the older woman’s loneliness disappears with his presence.
But idyllic though this life is, it couldn’t stay the same with Moony’s checkered past haunting them. The climax is played out on Christmas Eve, where the two celebrate over a true-blue Christmas tree, only to find out that more than just presents are waiting for them.
The channel has also lined up a slew of episodes of its comedy shows that have the Christmas theme. These will air on 24 December from 3 pm and on Christmas Day 25 December from 8:30 am onwards. An episode of Scrubs that will air is called My Own Personal Jenus. While his friends don’t really feel like celebrating ther birth of Jesus, Turk makes a huge deal about it. But his faith and happiness are gone after a very busy night at the hospital. Dr. Cox has J.D. videotape the birth of the child of one of his friends.
In the episode of Everybody Loves Raymond called The Thought That Count Robert gives Ray a great idea on what to get Debra for Christmas, but he isn’t very happy when Ray takes all the credit for it.
An episode of Just Shoot Me is called Christmas? Christmas!. In the episode of Still Standing
Judy is excited to host Christmas in the Miller house for the first time, but her plans are scrapped when Bill’s mom insists on having Christmas dinner for the entire family in her tiny apartment. Meanwhile, Linda’s good deed for Christmas – making over her helpless co-worker – goes better than planned.
Even The Simpsons get into the holiday spirit. In the episode Tis The Fifteen Season the Simpson family goes Christmas shopping at the Springfield Heights Promenade, where the rich people shop. Homer spends the remaining portion of his share of the money for a gift for himself (a personalised talking astrolabe) and has no money left to buy the family a nice Christmas tree.
Marge and the kids find out what he’s spent the money on and are disappointed in him. Spending the night on the couch, Homer watches “Mr. McGrew’s Christmas Carol” and the story works its magic on Homer, and Homer wakes with resolve to be good and unselfish.
In the Malcolm In The Middle episode called Christmas Tree Hal and the boys begin selling Christmas trees, but every time that they are about to gain money for actually doing it, something unexpected happens. At the ranch, Francis and Piama are reminded of home when Otto’s relatives come to stay at the ranch, while Lois recruits the help of vagabonds in order to find a squirrel that bit Craig, to confirm if it has rabies.
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.
