News Broadcasting
Times’ Pradeep Guha appointed Zee Telefilms CEO
MUMBAI: It’s now official. Just over a month after indiantelevision.com broke the news of what is arguably the most significant executive hiring in the industry in 2004, comes the confirmation. That the Times Group’s advertising head honcho and president Pradeep Guha is joining Zee Telefilms as its new chief executive. Subhash Chandra’s network today made the official announcement.
As already reported on indiantelevision.com, Guha, who was president, Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd (which counts The Times of India and Economic Times as its key publications), officially takes charge as Zee Telefilms CEO in January 2005. Guha tells indiantelevision.com that he will start work at Zee any time between the third week and fourth week of January.
Announcing the appointment, Chandra said, We are happy to announce the appointment of an accomplished professional like Pradeep as the CEO of Zee Telefilms Ltd. Our numerous channels spanning several languages and genres will be the perfect foil to his skills as a media and entertainment expert.
Queried as to his immediate agenda, Guha said, “It is rather premature to talk about immediate agendas but my broad mandate is to revive the glory days of Zee.” On the question of whether his work experience having been solely in the print medium thus far would be seen as a handicap, Guha had this to say, “I believe there are certain nuances of what I have learnt in my career in print that are replicable in the electronic media as well. In any case, very few of the people manning leadership positions in the electronic media today built their careers solely in television.”
Guha started and built his career in the Times Group over a period spanning three decades. Guha, who lead the sales & marketing function of the Times Group, also spearheaded the Page 3 culture in India with the launch of Bombay Times. To his credit also lies the re-engineering of key brands like The Times of India, Filmfare and Femina. Two events that came to be associated with Guha and had his imprint written all over them were the Filmfare Awards and the Femina Miss India contests. Ample proof of this is the proliferation of international titleholders that India spawned under Guhas steerage of these events, viz. two Miss Universes and four Miss Worlds. Further, in his personal capacity he has launched a film production company, which produced the critically acclaimed film, Fiza.
Guha holds key positions in a number of industry bodies like Indian Newspaper Society, National Readership Studies Council, Advertising Council of India, Advertising Club Bombay, among others. Recently he brought all his diverse skills together to helm Asias largest biennial advertising Congress, Ad Asia 2003 that was held in Jaipur, India.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
