News Broadcasting
Saikat Dutta revs up ABP Network as new revenue head
MUMBAI: Saikat Dutta is putting his foot firmly on the pedal at ABP Network Pvt Ltd, joining as the network revenue head in April 2025 with a burst of fresh energy and an enviable track record in turbocharging ad sales across India’s media landscape.
Dutta, whose career has zipped through some of the country’s biggest networks, will now steer pan-India advertising sales for ABP News, ABP Ananda, ABP Majha and ABP Asmita, besides beefing up digital revenues across connected TV, web, and app platforms.
With 24 years of punching above his weight in advertising sales, Dutta’s resume reads like a greatest hits album: from TV Today (where he drove ad sales for Aaj Tak, Aaj Tak HD, and Good News Today) to a stint as chief operating officer at Patanjali Media, and earlier as a revenue honcho for Sun TV Network’s GEC cluster in the north and east markets.
Before that, he made his mark at India TV, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Asia TV USA Ltd, Star TV, and ABP Group, helping these media giants rake in crores through innovative and integrated ad solutions.
From selling blockbuster shows to orchestrating strategic alliances, Dutta has consistently delivered standout results.
In his own words, it’s “new role, new energy!” — and with a toolkit spanning strategic planning, B2B sales, key account development, and solution selling, Dutta looks ready to crank up ABP Network’s revenue engine into overdrive.
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.
