News Broadcasting
Viacom reorganises its operations
MUMBAI: Media conglomerate Viacom’s co COO Tom Freston has announced reorganisation of operations under his leadership.
This includes the company’s book publishing, theatrical exhibition, music publishing, theme park, licensing and merchandising, and international cable network businesses. Freston also oversees the operations of MTV Networks, BET, Showtime and the Paramount Motion Picture Group. Freston and Leslie Moonves were appointed co-presidents and co-COOs last month.
Freston announced the appointment of Bob Bakish to the newly-created position of executive VP, operations. In his new role, Bakish will have direct operating responsibility for the company’s theatrical exhibition businesses, including the Famous Players Canadian theatre circuit, as well as the company’s music publishing unit, Famous Music. In addition, Bakish will assist Freston in setting development and budget objectives. He will also help identify key operational, financial and strategic issues for the operations that report to Freston.
Reporting to Bakish are Robb Chase who is Famous Players president and CEO and Irwin Robinson who serves as Famous Music president.
Bakish was formerly MTV Networks ad sales executive VP and COO. He will assume his new role after the transition of his duties at MTV Networks.
Viacom’s interests in movie theatres, theme parks and music publishing were previously part of Paramount Enterprises, a unit of the Viacom Entertainment Group.
Tom McGrath who served as Viacom Entertainment Group executive VP and Paramount Enterprises president will leave Viacom. He will stay on for an interim period to assist in the transition process.
MTV Networks Group president Herb Scannell will assume the additional responsibility of managing Paramount Parks and Viacom Consumer Products operations. This includes the merchandising and licencing of Paramount entertainment characters and properties. Paramount Parks and Viacom Consumer Products will be integrated into Nickelodeon Enterprises.
MTV Networks International president Bill Roedy will take on the additional oversight for Paramount Comedy Channel, UK and Paramount Comedy, Spain,
Freston added, “This announcement is about two things. First, we want to get the focus of the Paramount Motion Picture Group onto the central task of movie making. Sherry Lansing and I are in complete agreement about this. Secondly, we are reorganising Viacom’s assets around core strengths in the Company to create a less duplicative and more efficient structure.”
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
