News Broadcasting
Shinawatra Satellite orders Andrew Corp broadband products
MUMBAI:The US-based Andrew Corp is rejoicing in the Land of Siam. The reason: it has pocketed a $20 million plus contract from Shin Satellite Public Company (Shin Sat) which runs the Thaicom3 satellite. Andrew will be setting up a network of 18 earth station gateway systems throughout Australia, Asia, and New Zealand for ShinSat’s iPSTAR broadband satellite system.
The target period for commercial launch of the satellite system: end 2003 while the rollout is slated to start in mid-2003.
ShinSat’s iPSTAR satellite system is positioned as a provider of low cost, high capacity, direct-to-desktop, two-way broadband communications services across Asia, India, and Australia.
The services it will offer include: Broadband Internet access, mass broadband access service, virtual private networking over iPSTAR, video conferencing, and iPSTAR’s voice service. The iPSTAR network will be pushing for custom in Australia, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Taiwan, Thailand, The Philippines, and Vietnam.
The configuration of each of the gateways, which will have its presence in various countries include: an Andrew 8.1-meter Ka- band (20-30 GHz) earth station, a Ku-band broadcast earth station (with a 7.6-meter antenna), and accessories.
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.
