News Broadcasting
Ashok Venkatramani joins MCCS as CEO
NEW DELHI: Media Content and Communications Services (MCCS), the joint venture company between ABP Ltd and Star Group, has appointed Ashok Venkatramani as CEO.
Venkataramani comes in from Hindustan Unilever Ltd, where he was VP for the skin care division.
MCCS which houses Star News, Star Majha and Star Ananda was operating headless for almost a year after Uday Shankar shifted to Star India as COO (he later became CEO).
MCCS Chairman Aveek Sarkar said, “We are delighted to get Ashok on board MCCS. His remarkable successes in FMCG marketing and business clearly demonstrate that Ashok has an acute sense of the consumer pulse.”
Venkatramani said, “Television is an extremely exciting medium for a marketing person, offering as it does the opportunity to connect with the audience directly and at several levels in the same space and moment.
“It allows for more nuanced communication, which is a marketing person’s delight. At the same time, with so many channels proliferating, it is a challenging task to keep ahead of the market as MCCS has successfully done, while driving revenues and growing profitably.”
Venkatramani has been working for HUL for more than 18 years. He has worked in most parts of the business, in the HUL foods division as well as the home and personal care businesses, in sales, marketing and general management role.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 rolls out Battle for the States ahead of key polls
Multi-format election coverage tracks voter mood across five battleground states
NEW DELHI: CNN-News18 has launched a special election programming initiative titled Battle for the States, as India gears up for high-stakes Assembly elections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
Built around the theme ‘Road to Power’, the multi-format coverage aims to follow the entire electoral journey, from campaigning and polling to results and government formation. The network is leaning into on-ground reportage and data-backed storytelling to decode voter sentiment across regions where local issues often shape the narrative.
The programming line-up includes ‘Vote Tracker’, a three-part series developed in collaboration with survey agency Vote Vibe. The show blends survey insights with expert commentary and field reporting, using augmented reality graphics to present complex electoral data such as vote share, seat projections and leadership preferences in a more accessible format. It will air every Monday evening until April 6.
Adding a cultural lens to political reporting is ‘So Saree!’, a ground-driven segment where women anchors travel across constituencies dressed in traditional handwoven sarees from each state. The format uses attire as a storytelling device, highlighting regional identity while capturing grassroots voices.
Meanwhile, ‘Unfiltered Kaapi’ and ‘Chai-Niti’ bring a more conversational tone, drawing inspiration from everyday political discussions in tea stalls and coffee corners. These segments aim to break down key issues through candid, fast-paced exchanges between anchors and reporters, tailored to regional sensibilities.
For viewers seeking deeper insights, the weekend docuseries ‘Reporters Project’ takes a longer view, with correspondents travelling across constituencies to map voter concerns and political shifts on the ground.
“Elections are about people, their aspirations, identities and the issues that matter to them, and every state tells a different story,” said CNN-News18 editorial affairs director Rahul Shivshankar. He added that the initiative focuses on understanding “the sentiment on the ground and what’s driving voter choices”.
Echoing the emphasis on credibility, Network18 CEO – English and business news Smriti Mehra said the network aims to combine on-ground reporting with data-led insights to deliver clear and timely coverage as the elections unfold.
With a mix of data, culture and grassroots reporting, CNN-News18 is positioning Battle for the States as a comprehensive window into one of India’s most closely watched electoral cycles, where every vote carries a story waiting to be told.
