Executive Dossier
Aaj Tak opts for old hand KW Naqvi as news director
NEW DELHI: Just two days after TV Today Network CMD Aroon Purie told indiantelevision.com that the organization was zeroing down on a replacement for Uday Shankar as news director, comes the news that the coveted post has gone to KW Naqvi, a former Aaj Tak man.
According to information available with indiantelevision.com, Naqvi took over today as the news director at TV Today and attended organizational meetings earlier in the day.
A formal comment from TV Today Network, the parent company of the Aaj Tak and Headlines Today news channels, could not be elicited immediately.
Naqvi takes the hot seat at TV Today at a time when the company is witnessing a massive exodus of trained and experienced personnel across almost all departments. The hardest hit by the poaching unleashed by the competition, including an aggressive Doordarshan News, is the editorial department.
This would be Naqvi’s second innings with TV Today as he was the executive editor during the days when Aaj Tak was not a channel but just a news and current affairs programme on DD Metro in the 1990s. Then the show used to be hosted by ace Hindi journalist SP Singh, who passed away some years back. Subsequently, Aaj Tak tried with Rahul Dev (making occasional appearances on DD News) and Sanjay Pugalia (at present with Star News) as hosts, but the two did not turn out to be as popular as Singh.
Ideally, Naqvi’s association with Aaj Tak, like that of Alka Saxena, Ajay Chowdhry and M Jha, should have continued when Purie launched a full-fledged channel of the same name, but it was not to be.
Now, Naqvi makes a return to TV Today and Aaj Tak and would have to carry out the difficult task of not only keeping the momentum going, but also attempt to arrest the desertions from the company.
MUMBAI: Game faces on, pressure high India’s gaming ambitions are levelling up. Good Game, billed as the world’s first as-live global gaming reality show, has officially launched in India with a bold mission: to crown the country’s first Global Gaming Superstar.
Blending esports with mainstream entertainment, the show brings together competitive gaming, creativity and on-camera performance in a format that tests more than just joystick skills. Contestants will be judged on gameplay, screen presence and their ability to perform under pressure, reflecting how gaming has evolved from pastime to profession and pop culture currency.
Fronting the show are three high-profile ambassadors: actor and entrepreneur Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Indian cricket star Rishabh Pant, and gaming creator Ujjwal Chaurasia. The winner will take home Rs 1 crore ($100,000) among the largest prize pools for any Indian reality show along with the chance to represent India on a global stage.
Backed by a planned annual investment of up to Rs 100 crore, Good Game is also courting brand partners, promising a minimum reach of 500 million among India’s core youth audience. The creators position the show as a bridge between entertainment and interactive culture, offering long-format content, community engagement and commercial scale.
Auditions are now open to Indian citizens aged 18 and above, inviting amateur and professional gamers, creators and performers alike. Shortlisted candidates will be called for in-person auditions in Mumbai on 14 and 15 February, and in Delhi on 28 February and 1 March 2026.
With big money, big names and even bigger ambition, Good Game signals a shift in how India views gaming not just as play, but as performance, profession and prime-time spectacle.
