News Broadcasting
Viacom18 hires Utpal Das as Chief Commercial officer
MUMBAI: From Zee to V. V as in Viacom18. That’s the route that Utpal Das is taking. Viacom18 Media today announced that the long time Times group and Zee TV professional has joined the company as chief commercial officer effective 1 August.
Utpal will be reporting in to Viacom18 CEO Sudhanshu Vats and will be a part of the Viacom18 leadership team.
Announcing this appointment Vats said, “As a network we are growing exponentially. In our next phase we are committed to strengthening our central functions to build efficiencies and drive synergies. Utpal brings rich and diversified experience to the team and I am confident he will contribute to our growth story. I welcome him to the Viacom18 family and look forward to working with him.”
“I have always been in awe of the Viacom18 network for the strength of the channel portfolio and the way they have set benchmarks for television and film entertainment. Its indeed a privilege to be part of this wonderful team,” commented Das.
Utpal brings to the table more than two decades of experience across several companies in the very diverse business segments ranging from Larsen & Toubro in engineering to Zee Entertainment and BCCL in media. Das is a bachelor of engineering from Regional Engineering College-Silchar and executive masters in international business from IIFT Delhi.
News Broadcasting
News18 India to air Sabse Bada Dangal on 4 May counting day
Channel promises fastest results, live trends and analysis across five states.
MUMBAI: Ballots will do the talking and screens will do the shouting. As counting day approaches for high-stakes Assembly elections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, News18 India is gearing up for an all-day broadcast of its flagship election show, Sabse Bada Dangal, on 4 May from 6 am onwards. The Hindi news channel plans to deliver continuous, real-time updates as votes are tallied, combining live counting data with on-ground reporting and studio analysis. With political fortunes set to shift through the day, the coverage will track every swing, surge and surprise as trends turn into results.
The broadcast will feature a mix of senior political leaders, analysts and experts, offering instant reactions and decoding the evolving electoral picture. Expect heated debates, quick takes and detailed breakdowns as the numbers settle across all five states.
For News18 India, counting day has long been a high-visibility moment. The network is banking on its reporting reach, editorial bandwidth and technology-driven coverage to stay ahead in what is often a fiercely competitive news cycle.
With multiple battlegrounds and shifting narratives, the day promises both drama and data in equal measure. And if all goes to plan, Sabse Bada Dangal will once again turn the counting of votes into prime-time spectacle.
