News Broadcasting
Queen Mary 2 docks in India on Discovery
MUMBAI: Blame it on Titanic! A potent mixture of risk and glamour, travel in luxury liners is such a great lure that makers often push themselves to the limit. Making of Queen Mary 2 luxury cruiser is one such tale of recent times and Discovery is all set to air the well documented fare.
Airing as part of Friday Spotlight, Queen Mary 2: Birth of a Legend will premiere on the infotainment channel on 16 April 2004 at 8 PM
Screened for a section of media, in noon, Queen Mary 2: Birth of a Legend tells a story about the building of an ambitious engineering marvels of all time. While the narrative was crisp, construction footage was good, it seemed more like late 90’s documentary but nevertheless was an entertaining fare.
The tale of its successful sea trials, using archival footage, computer graphics and time-lapse photography, together with visually stunning aerial shots made it an awe inspiring film.
The premier of the two-hour special -about the ship’s journey from concept to completion-, will conicide with the cruise liner’s maiden westbound transatlantic venture: the liner will be crossing from Southampton to New York on 16 April 2004.
Touted as the liner par excellence, ever created by man, be it in terms of technology, power, luxury and grandeur, the amazing part about the one of the costliest cruise liners is its story about inspirational vision of a few, and the expertise of many more.
An Ardent Dune Associates production, the film provides an exclusive look at early design work and computerised virtual reality impressions of the exterior and interior, intercut with the actual construction and assembly. Chantal Bernheim is the executive producer and Adriana Silva is the producer for Discovery Networks International.
In addition to showcasing the technical finesse, the film also highlights the problems and challenges encountered along the way, as the workforce grapples with installing 1,310 cabins, 2,500 kilometers of electric cable, 80,000 lighting points, 5,000 stairs and 2,000 bathrooms. The fares for the transatlantic voyage, on this floating city, range from $1,500 to $30,000 (US). Luxury is indeed the first port of call!
Besides the focussing on the brains making the liner, the special also showcases tete-e-tete the charismatic Chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation Mickey Arison, who commissioned the $800 million liner. In 1999, Carnival purchased the renowned Cunard Line, which also owned and operated all previous ‘Queens’.
Reflecting on the ambitious vision for the QM2, Arison is quoted in a company release saying, “It’s an amazing, amazing ship. The concept of a liner, the concept of space, the concept of size and strength is quite unique in this project, quite different than what we’ve done in other ships.”
The huge ship was built in Chantiers de l’Atlantique, in St. Nazaire on the west coast of France. Completing the ambitious vessel involved five years of planning and construction, and thousands of workers from around the globe. The making of the ship was truly an international undertaking, utilizing engines from Finland and the United States; the four giant “Mermaid Pods”, or electric motors, which propel the liner, came from France; the stabilizers from Scotland and the bow section was created in Gdansk, Poland. Many of the interior elements were prefabricated in Sweden, then shipped on board and assembled.
Among the many nations working together on the ship are 350 Indian craftsmen contracted to install the air-conditioning, says the release.
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.
