News Broadcasting
FM includes CNN-IBN suggestions in Budget 2015
MUMBAI: CNN-IBN, continuing with its legacy of empowering the common man, delivered once again on the budget expectations of the people through its unique initiative – Axe the Tax. This award-winning initiative of the channel started in 2007 as special programming showcasing five tax laws, which the Indian taxpayer would like to see changed; and has since become a unique campaign to take the common person’s voice to the government.
For eight years now, CNN-IBN has presented these suggestions to the Finance Minister to consider as laws to be “axed” or adjusted. This year too, CNN-IBN presented five suggestions that were gathered from viewer feedback on CNN-IBN’s website www.IBNLive.comand from tax experts across the country.
3 out of 5 recommendations made by the channel were selected by the Finance Minister and implemented in the Union Budget 2015 presented by him. The suggestions that were implemented in this budget are:
· Increase in the limit of deduction on account of Health Insurance premium from Rs.15,000 to Rs.25,000.
· Doubled the Transport Allowance exemption from Rs.800 per month to Rs.1,600 per month.
· Cap on savings to be raised for saving for old age – Additional deduction allowance of Rs. 50000 under 80CCD for the National Pension Scheme
CNN-IBN yet again proves that it is not only India’s best English news channel but is also, India’s channel of Impact.
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.
