News Broadcasting
VH1 enters Asia with 24-hour channel in Thailand
MUMBAI: VH1, the more mature offspring of MTV Networks, takes its first tentative step in Asia with a debut in Asia this month.
VH1 will appear in Thailand as a 24-hour channel on UBC’s Channel 50 and daily programme belts on MTV Southeast Asia and MTV Philippines, with an estimated reach of over 17 million households. Does the long pending entry of VH1 in the East spell an imminent entry into India too? The network has been scotching talk of the channel’s entry in India for over a year, saying the timing was not right just now.
But with conditional access now almost a reality, it would not be far fetched to presume that while MTV (which has till date resisted the temptation of being lured into a bouquet) remains free to air, VH1 may launch as a pay channel on the lines of Fashion TV which has announced its intention of maintaining two versions in India post CAS – one, a watered down FTA version and a raunchier pay channel.
VH1 in Thailand, meanwhile, will provide premier music television content targeting 25 to 44-year-olds. MTV on the other hand is a youth oriented channel, more irreverent, experimental, even a trifle louder than its older sibling. According to MTV Networks Asia senior vice-president network development Richard Cunningham, VH1 captures the MTV graduates and in Thailand will focus on the international music scene, bringing the Asia-wide audience a total music and entertainment experience.
On MTV Southeast Asia and MTV Philippines, VH1’s weekday programming belts are at 11 am and 11 pm, titled Heaven at Eleven, in which viewers will be treated to non stop music videos reflecting a daily theme like VH1 Soul and VH1 Rock. On weekends, shows like Behind the Music will feature true life stories that shake the world of rock n roll, including interviews with key players in the music industry like Bon Jovi, Sting, Cyndi Lauper and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Other weekend specials include VH1 News Special, VH1 Divas Live and the VH1 Vogue Fashion Awards.
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.
