Category: Television

Mumbai: CNBC-TV 18 organised a spectacular event called “CNBC-TV 18 Marquee Nights” on 21 November 2022, at Masala Bay and Taj Lands End in Mumbai.

The event featured Vivendi chairman and Havas Group chairman and CEO Yannick Bolloré in an exclusive conversation with CNBC-TV18’s Anuradha SenGupta.

The discussion revolved around Vivendi and Havas Groups’ spectrum of strongholds in cinema, television, publishing, gaming, advertising, and even metaverse.

Commenting on the importance of India as one of the fastest-growing Asian economies, Bolloré said, “Growth opportunities in India are immense, which is why the country is a top priority for Vivendi. China has slowed down its growth strategy now, which is good for India in terms of talent and manufacturers. As of now, we have a 1200-person workforce in India and hope to reach the 1500 mark before spring.”

Harping on the collaborative spirit of the Havas village group that commenced eight years ago, Bolloré instilled inter-team collaboration and cultural specificity at the forefront, helping the brand expand its focus on content, data, the brand’s future, teamwork, and recommendations to prospective employees.

He also discussed the prospects of Vivendi’s premium video content distribution platform, Dailymotion, in a price-sensitive market such as India. “We became premium five years ago because of a flurry of user-generated content that created an unsafe environment. Now, the environment is safe. We have a strong presence in India. There is going to be a new version of Dailymotion to be launched in March 2023. It will be about freedom of speech, but in a safe and positive environment.”

When asked about the shifting strategies of Gameloft as a mobile game pioneer, the CEO remarked that the high-quality mobile games by the brand have been giving a strong impetus to the steady year-on-year growth of Gameloft for the last 15 years. Bolloré added that with behemoths such as Netflix and other OTT platforms showing interest in video games, Gameloft has a bright future in the mobile gaming vertical.

On that note, he added that Vivendi’s OTT streaming service, Canal, has gone overseas, with 70 per cent of its subscribers hailing from outside France. “High-quality entertainment is the foundation of Canal Group. People are willing to pay for high-quality content because 83 per cent of the respondents to our research reveal that global entertainment is a vital need. It shapes culture. So, we need to strike a balance between subscription and advertising to maintain local, cultural specificity, and become a future game-changer in entertainment.”

The CNBC-TV18 Marquee Nights event saw in attendance over 100 top Indian and global CMOs and CEOs from across sectors, including technology, consumer products, media & entertainment, banking, and e-commerce, amongst others.

The stellar event was organised in partnership with remarkable brands: Vivendi, Havas Group, and IFCCI (the Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry).

Network18 CEO of business news Smriti Mehra said, “CNBC-TV18 Marquee Nights offers glimpses of the previously unseen side of the top entrepreneurs, global icons, policymakers, business promoters, and trendsetters across various sectors, where we see them engage in candid conversations. The event with Yannick Bolloré, who brought in thought-provoking insights about the future of media and entertainment, won immense appreciation from the audience in attendance. Bolloré’s keen interest in the Indian entertainment diaspora has signalled the immense growth opportunities the country has as a rising economic superpower. We endeavour to bring in more such insightful discussions on CNBC-TV18 Marquee Nights.”

The event will be telecasted on 30 November and 2 December at 10 p.m. on CNBC-TV18.

Mumbai: News broadcaster NDTV Ltd., in a regulatory filing on Tuesday, announced that the company’s owner and founders, Prannoy Roy & Radhika Roy, have stepped down as directors.

In addition to this, the broadcaster said that Sudipta Bhattacharya, Sanjay Pugalia, and Senthil Sinniah Chengalvarayan have been appointed as directors on the board of RRPR Holdings Pvt. Ltd., the promoter group vehicle of news media company New Delhi Television Ltd. (NDTV), with immediate effect.

On 23 August, The Adani Group acquired a 29.18 per cent stake in NDTV Ltd. and said it would launch an open offer as required by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to buy another 26 per cent of the company. On November 22, the Adani Group announced an open offer for an additional 26 per cent stake in NDTV that would run until 5 December.

India Today Group’s digital-first group of channels, Tak, has expanded its online presence with a newly launched website, www.RajasthanTak.com, strengthening its hold as a leading digital player in the regional-news market. This will be the group’s sixth native product after CrimeTak.in, TheSportsTak.com, MumbaiTak.in, UPTak.in, and GujaratTak.in.

Rajasthan Tak has a strong social media presence with more than a million subscribers/followers on various platforms. The new website will feature a variety of content, including news articles, web stories, and videos, all in mobile- and desktop-friendly formats.

Commenting on the launch, Tak Channels managing editor Milind Khandekar said, “After leading the market through our various social media channels, we are ready to scale up our presence in Rajasthan with Rajasthantak.com. The idea is to give our audience a holistic content offering over and above videos. The new platform will host in-depth news articles, web stories, photo galleries, and live updates from Rajasthan.”

He further adds, “In the past one year, we have successfully moved to native platforms in various geographies like Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh, & Gujarat. We will surely be covering more regional markets in the near future.”

Adding to the reasons for launching the new website, TV Today CEO, digital-first channel Vivek Gaur said, “In the past year, Rajasthan Tak has generated more than 300 million views on social media. By moving to our own destination, we aim to build a content-rich ecosystem for the end-user.”

Mumbai: To bridge the gender parity gap in the workforce, CNBC-TV18 has officially launched its one-of-a-kind mega initiative “Future. Female. Forward: The Women’s Collective” at The St. Regis Mumbai.

Presented by HSBC India, the initiative is launched in the presence of CNBC-TV18 managing editor Shereen Bhan, HSBC India CEO Hitendra Dave, Colgate-Palmolive India managing director Prabha Narasimhan, Apollo Hospitals joint managing director Dr. Sangita Reddy, former RBI deputy governor Shyamala Gopinath, and some of the most influential voices from the business, entrepreneurship, and entertainment spaces in attendance.

The logo of “Future. Female. Forward” has been unveiled onstage in an innovative format during a special showcase by artist Haribabu Natesan.

Furthermore, the event featured the debut of a special anthem written exclusively for this initiative by musician Sonam Kalra as well as a spectacular performance celebrating the theme.

ISRO’s key female scientists were also honoured for their enormous contribution to India’s dominance in the space race and for being such role models for the diversity narrative.

Much is being said in corporate corridors about gender equality and equitable workplace developments, and as a purpose-driven brand, CNBC TV18’s endeavour is to start a conversation and find ideas and solutions to the problems we face as a society and a nation.

As a result, “Future. Female. Forward – The Women’s Collective” is an integrated diversity and gender parity campaign composed of events, content, conversations, and engagements that will become an annual event to chart a path to gender parity.

The launch event was a significant step in this direction, with the audience getting a front-row seat to three enlightening discussions: one with top CEOs and leaders from key corps., one with the most renowned women from the spaces of entrepreneurship and startup funding, and one with leaders from the creator and digital economies.

Sharing her thoughts, Shereen Bhan mentioned, “For more than a decade, CNBC-TV18 has been actively mainstreaming the conversation around creating equal opportunity work spaces, championing the cause of bringing more women into the workplace, and supporting women entrepreneurs and enterprises. As the foremost voice ‘of’ and ‘to’ corporate India, we are consolidating this long-standing support into an impactful mega initiative to create a playbook for change. Over the course of this campaign, we aim to put together ‘best practises that have worked.’”

On diversity, Dave added, “At HSBC, the strength of different experiences, attributes, and voices is integral to who we are and how we work. We work hard to ensure that HSBC is a diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve. We have prioritised diversity and inclusion and are conscious of our responsibility to create an ecosystem that empowers diverse colleagues. “Future. Female. Forward – The Women’s Collective” is our endeavour to uncover, understand, and celebrate the potential of women and reinforce our long-standing support in enabling them to make choices for their personal and professional growth and development.”

Commenting on the new initiative, Network18 CEO of business news Smriti Mehra said, “We have always been a brand with a purpose and with “Future. Female. Forward – The Women’s Collective,” we are living our promise here at CNBC-TV18. We all carry with us the responsibility to address subjects that need conversation and change. This is our effort to catalyse the much-needed reform for a truly equal workplace for individuals, irrespective of their gender and we really believe we will be able to usher in that positive difference.”