News Broadcasting
Octagon CSI to focus on advertiser funded programmes
MUMBAI: With the aim of further positioning itself as the preeminent television rights, sales and production house, Octagon CSI has announced the appointment of two senior executives
Australian television executive Michael McKay takes on the role of international production head. Stewart Mison assumes the role of brandcasting VP.
Mison will build a brandcasting division within CSI. This will specialise in the creation, development and implementation of advertiser funded programming (AFP) initiatives. Mison is expected to offer this programming alternative to existing clients within all the divisions of Octagon as well as to sister agencies within the IPG family.
Misons background includes tenure at Trans World International (TWI), the television arm of IMG. At TWI, he ran the barter syndication for the 1994 Winter Olympics and worked closely on broadcast issues with the IOC, Nike and Coca-Cola.
McKay meanwhile will oversee the companys production throughout the world, excluding the Americas. He is expected to build upon Octagons traditional sports production base to include light entertainment and reality style programming.
McKay is familiar with reality programming having served as a producer for CBS reality series The Amazing Race and as executive producer for the innovative docu-reality series Reel Race for Discovery.
Octagon has global expertise in consulting, athletes & personalities, event management, property representation, marketing solutions, licencing and merchandising, talent procurement and television rights and production. Octagon is part of The Interpublic Group.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
