News Broadcasting
Nimbus’ Thawani steps down; Akash Khurana takes charge
MUMBAI: The board of directors of Nimbus Communications Ltd has announced the appointment of Dr Akash Khurana as MD and CEO with immediate effect. Khurana succeeds Harish Thawani, who will continue as executive chairman of the company. The stated aim is to make the company a creative powerhouse.
Thawani’s decision to let go as far as day-to-day running of the company was concerned was reported by indiantelevision.com on 3 May.
Dr Khurana’s mandate is to transform Nimbus over the next three years into a creative powerhouse with multiple corporate and creative leaders. It is the vision of the company that in those three years, he takes over as chairman, having groomed his successor for MD and CEO, an official release states.
The choice of Dr Khurana to lead the company was a unanimous one and was taken in consultation with senior management and significant shareholders of Nimbus, the release says.
With an increasing focus on content product lines: television, motion pictures and music; and with a view to building multiple leaders in the company, it was felt that Nimbus should now be led by a creative leader with a HR focus and domain expertise in both and the company believes Dr Khurana fits the bill.
Thawani will henceforth be involved only with corporate strategy, new businesses mentoring and international ventures including joint ventures (such as World Sport Nimbus) and alliances. Nimbus is currently evaluating five allied lines of new businesses in the media and entertainment industry and to help new managers kick start them will be one of his key tasks in the months to come.
Thawani is quoted as saying: “The man’s a genius – how can anyone be an engineer, an MBA, a marketing man, an award winning actor, an award winning screenwriter and a doctorate in human resource development? Nimbus is indeed very very lucky to have him and I have no doubt that he will make a far better creative and corporate leader than I could ever be.”
Nimbus is currently involved with television content (2002-2003 produced over 300 hours of original content); motion pictures (two movies released in the past 18 months, three releases targeted over the next 12 months including the Hindi blockbuster Sarhad Paar); music (with its new label Nirvana Music lining up 12-15 releases for 2003-2004); sports (with a dominant position in cricket marketing and live production through its JV World Sport Nimbus); and media marketing (where it continues its traditional domination of air time sales in the biggest products on TV, i.e. cricket and movies).
The 2002-2003 sales of Nimbus were just under Rs 1.5 billion (unaudited) and sales handled by World Sport Nimbus in 2002-2003 were over $ 105 million .i.e. approximately Rs 5 billion equivalent (unaudited).
A brief CV of Dr Khurana
Dr Khurana is an engineering graduate with an MBA from XLRI and an M.Phil. and Ph.D. from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. He started his career as an executive with TELCO.
Dr Khurana took up a full time career in the media and entertainment industry in the late 1980s. Before that he was already involved in theatre and was also the founder of the theatre magazine Ovation. Having directed and acted in many successful theatre productions, he made his first screen appearance in Shyam Benegal’s Kalyug and went on to play character roles in over 50 films such as Saaransh, Ardh Satya, Sarfarosh, and Company. He won the Nandi Award of Andhra Pradesh for playing the lead in the Telugu film Dr Ambedkar.
Swayam directed by Mahesh Bhatt marked his debut as a screenwriter. He has written over 20 scripts, his best known work being Baazigar for which he won the Filmfare Award for best screenplay.
Dr Khurana has also been a visiting faculty at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, teaching subjects like creativity in learning organisations, organisational behaviour, business environment, and communications.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 rolls out Battle for the States ahead of key polls
Multi-format election coverage tracks voter mood across five battleground states
NEW DELHI: CNN-News18 has launched a special election programming initiative titled Battle for the States, as India gears up for high-stakes Assembly elections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
Built around the theme ‘Road to Power’, the multi-format coverage aims to follow the entire electoral journey, from campaigning and polling to results and government formation. The network is leaning into on-ground reportage and data-backed storytelling to decode voter sentiment across regions where local issues often shape the narrative.
The programming line-up includes ‘Vote Tracker’, a three-part series developed in collaboration with survey agency Vote Vibe. The show blends survey insights with expert commentary and field reporting, using augmented reality graphics to present complex electoral data such as vote share, seat projections and leadership preferences in a more accessible format. It will air every Monday evening until April 6.
Adding a cultural lens to political reporting is ‘So Saree!’, a ground-driven segment where women anchors travel across constituencies dressed in traditional handwoven sarees from each state. The format uses attire as a storytelling device, highlighting regional identity while capturing grassroots voices.
Meanwhile, ‘Unfiltered Kaapi’ and ‘Chai-Niti’ bring a more conversational tone, drawing inspiration from everyday political discussions in tea stalls and coffee corners. These segments aim to break down key issues through candid, fast-paced exchanges between anchors and reporters, tailored to regional sensibilities.
For viewers seeking deeper insights, the weekend docuseries ‘Reporters Project’ takes a longer view, with correspondents travelling across constituencies to map voter concerns and political shifts on the ground.
“Elections are about people, their aspirations, identities and the issues that matter to them, and every state tells a different story,” said CNN-News18 editorial affairs director Rahul Shivshankar. He added that the initiative focuses on understanding “the sentiment on the ground and what’s driving voter choices”.
Echoing the emphasis on credibility, Network18 CEO – English and business news Smriti Mehra said the network aims to combine on-ground reporting with data-led insights to deliver clear and timely coverage as the elections unfold.
With a mix of data, culture and grassroots reporting, CNN-News18 is positioning Battle for the States as a comprehensive window into one of India’s most closely watched electoral cycles, where every vote carries a story waiting to be told.
