News Broadcasting
Zee Turner wooing CNBC India; SET Discovery seeks to add music, news channel to distribution offering
The courting game is on in right earnest in the distribution arena. And it is on the Zee Turner and SET Discovery distribution platforms where the action is.
A Zee Turner executive confirmed to indiantelevision.com today that talks were on with CNBC India and MTV India to bring them aboard. He was speaking on the sidelines of a seminar on conditional access systems (CAS) organised by the Consumer Electronics & TV Manufacturers’ Association (CETMA) in the capital.
Asked for his response, Shantonu Aditya, head of Sony Entertainment TV (SET) Discovery Pvt Ltd, said negotiations with CNBC India were continuing.
The buzz in the industry is that production company TV18, which runs CNBC India, and has already taken over advertising generating activities from Sony, is slated to shift to Zee Turner when the contract with Sony comes up for renewal in March 2003.
Sony meanwhile, is on a hunt of its own and looking at adding more channels to its bouquet. “We are looking at channels in the space of music and news to be part of the bouquet which we distribute,” Aditya said.
Aditya, was however, not forthcoming on the names of channels being considered to be part of the bouquet. “There are very few choices now in the space of music and news,” he said.
Asked specifically whether the music channel was MTV, Aditya took refuge in Murphy’s Law (when you cannot convince anybody, confuse him) and said, “well there is B4U Music too.”
Asked for his reaction to the news that both Zee and Sony were interested in his music channel, Alex Kuruvilla, managing director, MTV India, said: “As things stand, we are not about to join any platform. However, if anyone were to put a compelling proposition in front of us, we would definitely evaluate it very seriously.”
On the news channel front Aditya said the company was open to distributing an existing news channel or even a proposed one. “We are open to both options. But we do not want to invest in a news channel at this moment and own it,” he clarified.
Media circles have been abuzz with rumours that NDTV, proposing an independent venture in news and current affairs in Hindi and English post March 2003, has been been talking to Sony for distribution of its channel(s).
Asked about NDTV’s proposed news channel and a possible tie-up with SET Discovery, Aditya refused to comment.
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
