News Broadcasting
Nippon TV heads into MipTV 2022 with three new formats
Mumbai: Japanese broadcaster Nippon TV has unveiled one scripted and two unscripted formats ahead of MipTV 2022 in Cannes next month.
MipTV is the longest-running international television market taking place in Cannes each April. The international TV showcase brings together global distributors, producers, buyers and commissioners of drama, doc, kids, factual and formats programming for a curated week of business meetings, matchmaking opportunities, exclusive market intelligence, conferences sessions, and global networking.
The latest edition of MipTV will make a comeback as the in-person market on 4-6 April, after going virtual due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The three formats have been aired on Nippon TV to stellar ratings and we will be offering these titles at MipTV 2022 for the first time to its buyers around the world,” announced Nippon TV MD – international business development Mikiko Nishiyama on Monday.
“Tall Order” is a scripted romantic comedy-drama series that follows the personal and professional lives of an executive assistant to the CEO of a startup company. While the unscripted escape game show “Dark Doubt” sees contestants attempt to navigate through the dark, another unscripted quiz show “Turbo Brain” tasks contestants with answering questions at breakneck speed.
“In terms of our new unscripted formats, ‘Dark Doubt’ turns its back on the traditional notion that game shows are just funny and lively. It illustrates how fear is a universal form of entertainment that fascinates people. Using night-vision and fixed-point cameras in pitch-dark spaces, the resulting visual impact is quite amazing. ‘Turbo Brain’ tests the human brain’s ability to make instantaneous decisions—a function necessary to survive. Viewers can immerse themselves in the show just like the contestants and take a shot at the quiz questions, whose difficulty levels are adjusted exquisitely so that they are tough to answer in a split second,” stated Mikiko Nishiyama.
“As for our scripted title, anyone who follows our protagonist in ‘Tall Order’ will want to rally behind her as she tackles the endless impossible demands from her boss in the stressful office environment in solving the myriad of business and personal troubles, and then suddenly becomes promoted as CEO against her will,” Nishiyama further said, adding that, “the sense of romance with a cheeky colleague and a charismatic boss makes this story even more exciting. Nippon TV’s scripted formats that depict the lives of women, such as ‘Mother’ and ‘Woman -My Life for My Children,’ are receiving high acclaim globally, and I am confident that ‘Tall Order’ presents a story that will resonate with viewers the world over.”
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.
