News Broadcasting
NewsX ropes in Saeed Naqvi to host current affairs show
MUMBAI: NewsX, the Indi Media owned English news channel, has signed on veteran journalist Saeed Naqvi to host a bi-weekly current affairs programme.
The yet-to-be named bi-weekly programme will be part of News X‘s re-launch plans and will focus on global and domestic current affairs. It will also feature interviews with politicians, decision makers and thought leaders.
Naqvi will also become one of NewsX‘s regular political analysts. Says Naqvi, “NewsX has a very fresh approach to TV news and is squarely focused on issues of real consequence to viewers. I am looking forward to being part of the NewsX team, and creating our new show.”
One of the best-known editors and a foreign affairs correspondent of global repute, Naqvi’s illustrious career spanned more than 45 years. He has reported from over 100 countries and interviewed over 100 world leaders like Fidel Castro, Nathaniel, Husni Mubarak and Gaddafi.
Naqvi has been associated with publications such as The Statesman, Salem Evening News USA and The Sunday Times London, and was also a part of the Indian Express group in various editorial roles.
NewsX co-promoter Jehangir S Pocha said, “Saeed is an institution. He has the unique ability to make history and global affairs relevant to today’s India.”
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.
