News Broadcasting
Budget day will see a new look Zee News
There’s a positive buzz around Zee News these days. The place is a hive of activity as budget day draws near and the channel is savouring a lot of positive feedback for its excellent coverage of the Gujarat earthquake.
With new entrant Aaj Tak from the India Today stable in direct competition for the Hindi viewership, 2001 Budget coverage may well set the tone as to who will ultimately rule the Hindi news segment.
Zee News head Satish Menon said on Monday that the channel was being repackaged and come budget day the viewer will see and feel the difference. Zee News turning digital from 1 February was just one part of that effort, Menon said. They had roped in Novacom to improve graphics and there were other features being added which would make the channel a must see for the Hindi news buff, he added.
Zee News has the largest share amongst news channels in the country and commands more than 55 per cent relative shares of this market (as per INTAM, ORG-MARG, data for a 10 city average). Menon is pulling out all the stops to make sure it remains that way.
News Broadcasting
Mihir Bhatt appointed as chief content officer at News18 Studios
The media veteran brings two decades of experience across television, digital and radio to one of India’s biggest broadcast networks, Disney+ Hotstar, Discovery+
NEW DELHI: Network18 has a new strategist in the building. Mihir Bhatt, one of Indian media’s more versatile operators, has joined News18 Studios as chief content officer, stepping into a role that will see him shape content strategy, build multi-platform properties and drive brand partnerships across the network.
Bhatt brings more than two decades of experience spanning television, digital and radio, with a track record of doing something rare in Indian media: combining editorial ambition with hard commercial results. At Times Network, where he served as managing editor and chief business officer of Times Influence, he built one of the industry’s more respected content studios, launching marquee properties such as the India Economic Conclave, the Times Now Summit and Leaders of Tomorrow. He also pushed the network into premium OTT territory through tie-ups with Disney+ Hotstar and Discovery+.
His resume stretches well beyond the studio. Bhatt has led Global Investor Summits for multiple state governments, worked alongside the World Economic Forum and played a pivotal role in launching the Indian Pickleball League. Earlier, as editor of Zee Business, he pioneered investor education initiatives that are still cited as industry benchmarks.
At News18 Studios, Bhatt will report to chief executive S Shivakumar and will oversee the studios execution vertical alongside revenue verticals covering emerging markets and campaigns. Sidharth Saini, Hemanth Kumar and Nimar Sarkaria will work under him.
Rahul Joshi, managing director and editor-in-chief of Network18 Group, made the announcement in an internal communication. “Mihir’s ability to build enduring brands, foster strategic partnerships and navigate a rapidly evolving media landscape will be instrumental as we continue to strengthen our position and explore new avenues of growth in the Studios business,” Joshi said.
In a media industry lurching between disruption and reinvention, Network18 has bet on a man who has spent two decades thriving in exactly that chaos. Whether he can do it again, at greater scale, is the question worth watching.
