News Broadcasting
Sindh High Court restrains issuing LDI licenses
NEW DELHI: Noting that the 2003 Telecom policy was outdated, the Sindh High Court has restrained federal government from issuing Long Distance and International (LDI) licenses.
A bench led by Justice Nadeem Akhtar has also directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to draw up a new telecom policy. It issued the stay order over the PTA notification which was challenged by private telephone operators.
According to the petition submitted by Telecard Limited, Redtone Telecommunications and Multinet Pakistan, LDI licenses were issued back in 2003 according to the deregulation policy and they were subjected to renewal after five years. The petitioners also mentioned that the fee for prescription was $500,000 back in 2003 but after expiry in 2008 there has been no revision in the policy.
While the Pakistan Information and Technology Ministry and the PTA were ready to-re-issue licences, the petitioners argued that these were sought to be issued on the same fee of $500,000 despite the desperate need for revision in policy and licence fee.
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.
