News Broadcasting
MTV Networks AsiaPac fires staff; Nigel Robbins out
MUMBAI: The bloodletting that Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone initiated early last month when he abruptly sacked Viacom Inc CEO Tom Freston, appears to be having it’s knock-on effect in Asia as well.
MTV Networks Asia Pacific, a division of Viacom Inc’s MTV Networks, today announced a whole swathe of organisational changes, particularly at its Singapore headquarters, “to advance the company’s on-going localization strategy throughout the region”.
As a result of the changes, permanent positions across a number of departments were made redundant, a company statement said. According to brandrepublic.com, the restructuring will lead to 84 redundancies in the Singapore operation. Also headed out is MTV Networks Asia Pacific president Nigel Robbins. Steven Tan, executive vice-president/COO, MTV Networks Asia, will lead the business until a replacement for Robbins is appointed, it has been announced.
The new structure will see regional functions and corporate roles decentralized from Singapore, in order to shift the focus of resources to local markets and fully empower local operations to drive all of their TV and digital media businesses. Singapore will continue to be the base for the streamlined corporate group, as well as a new unit to manage MTV and Nickelodeon’s South East Asia TV and digital media businesses and the Viacom Brand Solutions (VBS) pan-regional ad sales unit. This group will include creative, production, talent, research and brand expertise, to continue to create innovative, multi-platform marketing solutions for pan-Asia clients.
When contacted to ascertain whether the organisational changes would have any impact on the Indian operations, MTV India managing director Amit Jain declined comment.
Said William Roedy, president, MTV Networks International, “The distinct market dynamics in Asia demand that our local teams are fully resourced to drive our TV and digital media businesses to the next stage of growth. An evolution of our localization strategy, the new structure further decentralizes our operations in order to improve our operating effectiveness in local markets, which will, in turn, enhance our audience connections and business performance.”
MTV Networks Asia Pacific, which oversees the operation of twenty-two television networks and programming blocks, seventeen websites, and various Asia-specific digital media platforms, informed employees of the structural changes today. As a result of the changes, permanent positions across a number of departments were made redundant.
Robbins commented, “The task I set out to do was to further challenge the local operations to move in a direction that fostered growth and independence. The first and most obvious step in doing that was to design a streamlined corporate function which allows the individual businesses to take advantage of their own market dynamics on all levels.” Robbins continued, “With fourteen years invested in this company at both the corporate and local levels, my experience allowed me to identify the approach required for continued success. While it’s upsetting to see many colleagues and friends be affected by this change, I truly believe this realigned focus will take MTV Networks to the next level in Asia .”
New structure in Singapore
As part of the new Singapore-based structure, MTV will establish a new unit to manage MTV and Nickelodeon’s South East Asia TV and digital media businesses, with sales, creative, production, talent, research and digital media capabilities to deliver integrated marketing opportunities for clients. This newly formed division of the company will be led by Christopher Steward, executive vice-president, Viacom Brand Solutions and Southeast Asia, who will report directly to the President of MTV Networks Asia Pacific.
This unit will oversee the day-to-day operations of MTV and Nickelodeon’s 24-hour linear television services, branded programming blocks and digital offerings available in Singapore, Malaysia and other Southeast Asian markets. The division also includes Viacom Brand Solutions (VBS), a brand-focused sales organization that will drive pan-regional advertising sales with a full-service team that can create multi-platform marketing solutions for clients, and retain the creative and brand expertise inherent at MTV and Nickelodeon.
In line with its localization strategy, MTV Networks Asia Pacific’s refined corporate structure will devote more resources locally to position the local businesses to meet the unique demands of the individual markets. With finance, business and legal affairs, strategy, communications, consumer products, program sales and operations all reporting into the president focus is given to corporate roles where regional scale can benefit these businesses. Leaders of the individual MTV Networks operations throughout the Asia-Pacific region will continue to report directly to the President.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
