News Broadcasting
MIB puts NDTV India ban on hold until further notice
MUMBAI: The twists and turns in l’affaire NDTV continue. The ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) late in the evening today issued another order stated that its earlier diktat banning Hindi TV news channel NDTV India for a day on 9 November 2016 is to be held in “abeyance until further orders.” What this means is that NDTV need not pull the plug on its Hindi news channel for a day for violations during its coverage of the Pathankot terrorist attack earlier this year.
The reason the MIB has stated is that NDTV has made a representation to it , which it is currently examining. And until it does so fully, the earlier order prohibiting transmission or retransmission of NDTV India under the Cable TV Networks Regulation Act is on hold.
Earlier today, the NDTV management approached the Supreme Court challenging the MIB’s directive.
And NDTV co-founder and executive chairperson Prannoy Roy met with I&B minister Venkaiah Naidu later in the day exhorting him that his channel’s views on it had perhaps not been fully and adequately appreciated. Roy also wanted the decision to be reviewed. Following this, a new order was issued by the MIB putting its earlier order on hold.
“Clearly the Modi government and the MIB have both faced a lot of political heat on account of the ban. It probably had not idea how much of verbal artillery fire it would face from the fourth estate when it took its step to ban NDTV India,” says a media observer. “It’s good that the MIB is taking it as it comes and has retracted its order temporarily until it examines NDTV’s stand. At least it will be able to say it gave the network a chance to make its representation and redeem itself in the public’s eyes which is stating that harsh days are ahead for the media. That the era of the Indira Gandhi emergency is upon us.”
Earlier today Zee group chairman and BJP MP Subhash Chandra had said that the actions against NDTV were in order and that instead of a day long ban, a lifelong ban against it should be issued. He also added that even the Indian courts would not overrule the MIB verdict as it had threatened Indian security with its reportage.
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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.
