News Broadcasting
Star, ABP announce divorce; Star News to be ABP News
MUMBAI: Star and Ananda Bazar Patrika (ABP) Group said Monday they were parting ways, allowing the Rupert Murdoch-controlled company to retreat from the news business in India to focus on entertainment.
Star’s decision comes in the wake of the current regulatory environment and structural issues ailing the news genre in India. The government caps foreign direct investment at 26 per cent in TV news, making it less attractive for foreign investments to pour into a sector that is hit hard by slow revenue growth, high carriage and staff costs and an abundance of players.
The discontinuation in phases will complete within 2-4 months. Indiantelevision.com had earlier reported that Star would exit the TV news business in India and would split from ABP within three months, finally selling its 26 per cent stake.
With the divorce, the eight-year affiliation with the ‘Star’ brand has come to an end. Media Content and Communications (MCCS), the company that owns and operates the news channels, said Monday that after the split, Hindi news channel Star News would be named ABP News, Bengali news channel Star Ananda would become ABP Ananda and the Marathi news channel Star Majha would be called ABP Majha.
Says MCCS chief executive officer Ashok Venkatramani, “Star and ABP have decided to discontinue the Brand Agreement where Star News has lent the brand to MCCS. Right now Star continues to be a shareholder in MCCS.”
ABP, whose core business is news, will continue to “promote and establish” its own brands in the broadcast news space through its subsidiary company – MCCS.
Media buyers have expressed concern about the shedding of the ‘Star’ brand. “Hindi news channel Star News could be hit the hardest as ‘Star’ is a strong brand with its popular entertainment channels having a tremendous impact in the Hindi heartland. There may not be any impact in West Bengal where ABP is a stronger news brand, with its overwhelming print presence. There will be a need to promote the new branding, though all of us know that ABP has a credible equity in the news arena,” says the head of a media buying outfit on condition of anonymity.
Agrees Lintas Media Group head of planning-Mumbai Dhirendra Singh. “The change in the brand may take some time to sink in. Considering the competitive environment in Hindi news genre, media planners /buyers would like the channel to stabilise first and then invest on it.”
Crest COO Karthik Lakshminarayan believes that the challenge for ABP would be to maintain its ratings. “As far as the channel maintains its content quality and ratings, I do not see any reason for advertisers to shy away from the channel,” he says.
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.
