News Broadcasting
Delhi cable ops urge chief minister Sheila Dikshit to back CAS
MUMBAI: A delegation of cable operators of Delhi met chief minister Mrs Sheila Dikshit yesterday and urged her to support the implementation of conditional access system in the country.
The operators told Dikshit that CAS should be implemented on a “first-priority” basis if the government was serious in its claims of being consumer-friendly. CAS will not only bring in transparency in the whole system, thereby making the subscriber the king, but it will also help the poor cable operators to come out of the clutches of the pay channel broadcasters, the operators told Dikshit.
The operators alleged that the channel broadcasters, who are in some cases the MSOs also, have been trying to create a monopoly over the industry by bouquetising their channels. And now they are trying to capture ground networking also, thereby leaving no choice for the operator but to quit.
The delegation listed their demands as under:
*The cable operators are not able to collect their due fees from the consumers. Therefore the government should intervene into the matter and make the subscription amount collected from the subscribers one time (annual payment?). How this is supposed to help the consumer only a cable op can answer. This in effect would mean that if the consumer has a complaint of any sort due to non delivery of channels he has to chase his service provider to collect a refund. And what does he do if he he were to change his mind as to are the channels he wishes to subscribe to? The second part of the demand is even more strange. The government should make payments direct it says. The demand certainly goes against the grain of any consumer interest-based payment system.
*The government should also keep an eye on the entertainment tax Inspectors, who have been harassing the cable operators for long.
*The service tax on Set Top Boxes should be waived, in the interest of the consumers.
*Cable television should be relieved of the entertainment tax, as the services provided through cable TV are for whole family entertainment, comprising of information, news, knowledge programmes etc.
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.
