News Broadcasting
NDTV announces three CEO appointments
MUMBAI: NDTV announced the appointment of three leaders to head the group’s new growth ventures.
Vikram Chandra has been appointed as the CEO and managing director of NDTV Networks PLC, a 100% subsidiary incorporated in United Kingdom. Smeeta Chakrabarti will serve as the CEO of NDTV Lifestyle Ltd and Rahul Deshpande will take on the mandate of CEO of NDTV Labs ltd, the software and technology company.
In his role as CEO of NDTV Networks, Chandra will be responsible for the group’s new business initiatives worldwide comprising entertainment, lifestyle, convergence, outsourcing, new channels set up in different countries and software/technology development. Chandra will report to the CEO of the NDTV Group KVL Narayan Rao and to the Board of Directors of NDTV Networks.
Chandra has been leading the company’s growth initiatives for the past one year and has played a significant role in incubating several of these businesses. He has served as CEO of ndtv.com, the company’s internet and mobile content operations and as Managing Editor of NDTV Profit, the business news channel.Chandra will continue as an anchor and senior journalist on NDTV Profit.
The group also announced the CEO of NDTV Lifestyle Ltd Smeeta Chakrabarti. NDTV Lifestyle will be responsible for launching new channels under the lifestyle genre.
Smeeta has been with NDTV since its incorporation 18 years ago and will continue to carry out her group level responsibilities as head of operations for the NDTV Group.
Rahul Deshpande has been appointed the CEO of NDTV Labs ltd. NDTV Labs will develop market and sell software and technology products and solutions created by in-house specialists that Deshpande will lead.
Deshpande was earlier CTO of NDTV and has been heading engineering and IT for over 12 years.
The group had announced the appointed of NDTV Group CEO KVL Narayan Rao earlier in the month.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
