News Broadcasting
CNN’s Mission Tiger focuses on tiger conservation initiatives
Mumbai: Over the past 10 years, tiger conservationists have been making strides in increasing wild tiger populations. However, these animals may come into conflict with the communities living in their territories, presenting dangers to humans and tigers alike. In the next episode of Mission Tiger, senior international correspondent Will Ripley reports on conservation efforts in India and Nepal and, traverses the jungles of Thailand, hearing the stories of the people conserving tiger habitats and preventing human-wildlife conflict.
CNN travels to Madhya Pradesh, known as India’s tiger state. Here, a 2,000 square mile corridor of forest that joins Kanha Tiger Reserve with Pench Tiger Reserve is essential for the tiger population. However, the corridor is also home to around 600,000 people, placing them and their livelihoods at risk of tiger attacks. Piyush Yadav, a conservation technology fellow at resolve introduces the trailguard AI-based camera system which captures images, identifies the subject and sends these images to forest rangers. Forest rangers then use this information to warn villages of tigers in their area, creating an early alert system to protect not just humans, but the tigers as well.
CNN then goes to Nepal, where humans and tigers co-exist in the Khata Corridor, an area of around 80 square miles joining Bardia National Park in Nepal with Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in India. The coexistence between tigers and humans in the corridor is complex. Increasing wild tiger populations and humans encroaching on their habitats has led to more tiger attacks, yet homestay owners highlight how the growing tiger population attracts tourists and drives the local economy. Umesh Paudel, a wildlife researcher for Nepal’s National Trust for Nature Conservation, emphasises the importance of investing in community development in order to manage this human-wildlife conflict.
CNN also visits Thailand to explore the Western Forest Complex – 7,000 square miles of protected woodland that is home to much of Thailand’s wild tiger population. Ripley starts his journey at Khao Kho Wildlife Breeding Center and learns how the facility breeds vulnerable species like Sambar deer. These deer are released into the wild to recover their population in the ecosystem, filling a gap in the food chain, and hopefully lead to a boost in the tiger population as their natural prey. Ripley then joins WWF Thailand as they track a tiger in the Mae Wong National Park.
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.
