Tag: CNBC-TV18

CEOs from north India to vie for ‘CEO’s Got Talent’ trophy

NEW DELHI: After the popular show comes another that seeks to judge the best chief executive officers (CEOs) in the country; CEOs Got Talent. FremantleMedia has announced the second edition of the event to be held in New Delhi on 15 November featuring CEOs from India Inc. who will pit their unique talents against each other.

The first-of-its-kind event was created by FremantleMedia within its ‘Got Talent’ franchise to recognise the creativity and talent of CEOs and providing them with a platform to showcase a side to them that generally doesn’t come into view in their day-to-day business lives. And judging the CEOs will be Colors CEO Raj Nayak and Bollywood personalities Mahesh Bhatt and Neha Dhupia.

Produced by FremantleMedia, ‘CEOs Got Talent’ is an initiative powered by Karmyog Foundation and lifestyle partner Victorinox and its beneficiary Genesis Foundation. This initiative will see top CEOs from north India competing on a common stage for the coveted CEOs Got Talent trophy.

Proceeds from CEO’s Got Talent will go to Genesis Foundation, which provides financial support for life-saving and life-changing medical intervention for critically ill under-privileged children in the areas of cancer, cardiac disorder, post organ failure, thalassemia and extreme deformities.

To encourage and support this cause, the event will be attended by over 400 industry players comprising of CEO’s and other partners.

Speaking about the show Colors CEO Raj Nayak said, “I’m sure CEOs are bored of their board room presentations. This is a great platform for corporate head honchos to de-stress and show off the cool quotient in their personalities.”

Acclaimed filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt commented, “Spotting talent is a heart-warming adventure for me. It’s even more exciting if you have to spot talent amongst CEOs – the head honchos of our corporate society. It was a hell of an experience judging the first event held in Mumbai and I look forward to an even better experience in Delhi.”

Actor Neha Dhupia added “It’s not every day that one gets an opportunity to see corporate czars and czarinas step into my world (read entertainment) as they unleash their hidden passions. And who knows – my next co-star or playback singer could be discovered right here, right now.”

FremantleMedia India MD Anupama Mandloi, “CNBC-TV18 returns as our broadcast partner, assisting us in showcasing the unique talent these corporate stalwarts have. We look forward to this year’s event receiving Delhi this time and continue to generously support Genesis Foundation.”

Prema Sagar, Founding Trustee, Genesis Foundation, said, “CEO’s Got Talent’ is a platform for chief executives to come out of the closet, to do what they love, show their hidden talent – be it music, dance or any other performance, while raising funds to save lives of critically ill children.”

Sourabh Sarkar, Founder Karmyog Foundation, said “CEO’s Got Talent is a unique concept that aims at bringing together some of the most successful people in the country together. It not only gives them a platform to enthrall the audiences by unveiling their ‘other side’ but also lets them contribute toward a larger cause. We are glad to be associated with CEO’s Got Talent.”

November 11, 2014
Vivek Law quits, Siddharth Zarabi takes charge at Bloomberg TV India

MUMBAI: Bloomberg TV India today announced the appointment of Siddharth Zarabi as executive editor. Zarabi has an overall experience of 17 years in print and TV business journalism, and he will assume responsibilities from Vivek Law effective from 1 November 2014.

Zarabi in his prior assignment was national news editor of CNBC-TV18, with the responsibility of driving reporting teams nationally, apart from leading special news programming initiatives on the channel. He was earlier the economic policy editor and Delhi bureau chief for CNBC-TV18. Prior to his employment with CNBC TV18, he has worked with Business Standard, Hindustan Times and The Indian Express.

Commenting on his transition, Law said, “It is exactly four years (yes time flies!), since I came to this organisation with the mandate to head the editorial operations. I am extremely grateful to the shareholders for having reposed the faith in me to lead this fabulous team. These have been the four most amazing years of my 21 year journalistic career. We have together created an outstanding business channel. I have no doubt in my mind that this great product will only grow and grow in the coming months and years.”

Assuming charge of his new responsibilities, Zarabi said, “I am extremely excited to take on this new role as executive editor of Bloomberg TV India. I am confident that with the credible platform already created by Vivek and the entire editorial team, and with the strong support of Bloomberg, the world’s most influential news organisation, the channel and its related products will further strengthen their leadership position in India, and deliver increasing value to their target Influencer audience.”

Zarabi will be responsible to lead the editorial function across all verticals, and he will work closely with the entire team to further enhance Bloomberg TV India’s strong and influential platform for coverage of all aspects of the Indian economy, banking and finance, trade and industry, capital and FX markets, etc.

Law has decided to pursue his personal interests.

October 31, 2014
Videocon d2h plans to launch IPO by Feb 2015

MUMBAI: A few days ago, Videocon d2h files paper with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to raise Rs 700 crore through an initial public offering (IPO).
Rs 350 crore will be used to acquire STBs, outdoor units and accessories from TEL, a Videocon Group entity and Rs 175 crore to repay debt.

In a recent interview to CNBC TV18, Videocon Industries CMD Venugopal Dhoot has said that it will launch the IPO in the first quarter of 2015.

“We hope to launch it in January or February maximum, market is good and Videocon d2h has been number one since beginning in customer acquisition from where it started and now it has become number one in customer acquisition,” he said adding that it is looking at doubling its subscriber base within five years. Dhoot highlighted that it currently has 9 million subscribers but will soon become a ‘super profitable company’.

Dhoot also said that the average revenue per user (ARPU) of Videocon d2h was the same as Dish TV, but a little less than Tata Sky. While speaking at a session at indiantelevision.com’s IDOS 2014, Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera had said that its ARPU in phase III and phase IV cities have touched Rs 220.

This is Videocon’s second attempt at the IPO. It had got SEBI’s approval in 2012 but didn’t go ahead with it due to unfavourable market conditions. Seven banks including UBS, Axis Capital, ICICI Securities, SBI Capital Markets, Yes Bank, IDBI Capital are managing the share sale.

The company is also considering a preferential issue of up to 5,000,000 equity shares, aggregating up to Rs 50 crore with certain investors.

October 14, 2014
Gautam Bhanot joins NewsX as national revenue head

MUMBAI: ITV Network, which runs news channels NewsX and India News, has roped in Gautam Bhanot as the national revenue head for its English channel. He will be responsible for the overall sales and revenue generation of NewsX.

He will focus on growing the top line while also looking at creating new revenue streams and opportunities. Bhanot has 16 years of experience with his last sting being at Network18 where he was national sales head for CNN-IBN for nine years.

Prior to this, he was with CNN-IBN, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz as VP sales for north region. He’s also worked with The Times of India, Economic Times and Tej Bandhu Group.

ITV Network MD Kartikeya Sharma said, “Gautam brings with him a wealth of knowledge and expertise that will be invaluable in unlocking the potential value of brand NewsX. I am confident that Gautam with his in depth understanding of media sales combined with his dynamism and leadership as a sales professional will be a great asset to the organisation.”

ITV Network group CEO RK Arora said, “We are delighted to have Gautam on board at this exciting time of growth and expansion at ITV Network. We are certain that his experience and understanding of the business will benefit NewsX as we strive to continue to be the market leader in English news genre, in line with ITV Network’s objective of becoming India’s profitable and largest TV news network.”

Bhanot said, “I believe the industry is going through a transformational phase wherein programming formats, news consumption patterns, technology platforms all are evolving and hence the opportunity to learn and contribute is immense. My agenda will be to enhance the offerings of NewsX and partner with new and existing clients, to deliver delight and grow the revenue stream.”

September 10, 2014
IndiaCast issues disconnection notice to IMCL

MUMBAI: Three weeks from now, viewers with cable connection of IndusInd Media and Communications (IMCL) might not be able to view a number of channels.

IndiaCast has issued a public notice against the MSO regarding various channels of TV18, Eenadu Television and UTV Entertainment Television, for whom it acts as an agent. The notice reads that consumers in DAS notified areas of Delhi, Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Surat, Rajkot, Nasik, Nagpur, Pune, Bengaluru, Mysore, Hyderabad, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Pimpri Chinchwad and Agra that all or some of the channels from the Indiacast group are likely to be disconnected. The notice was published in leading dailies across cities on 19 August.

The reasons for the disconnection are that the MSO has failed to execute the reference interconnection offer, not paid dues to the broadcaster, demanding illegal and high carriage fees and have failed to furnish subscriber reports.

According to a source, the agreement between IMCL and IndiaCast had expired on 31 March, post which the MSO did not execute a fresh agreement. It also stopped giving subscription revenues and subscriber report from April onwards.

IMCL currently enjoys about 2 million digital subscribers in DAS I and DAS II areas. However, the source adds that the subscriber base is not in its best operational health and is yet demanding excessive carriage fees. While the earlier deal between the two had been on carriage fees, the source adds that it is revisiting its proposition now.

The channels that will be disconnected include all of Network 18’s channels such as Colors, CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz, CNN-IBN, IBN7, CNBC Bajaar, CNBC TV18 Prime HD, History TV19, History TV 18 HD, IBN Lokmat, MTV, MTV Indies, Rishtey, Nick, Vh1, Sonic, Comedy Central, Nick Junior, Colors HD, ETV Gujarati, ETV Marathi, ETV Bangla, ETV Kannada, ETV Oriya, ETV Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand, ETV MP Chattishgarh, ETV Rajasthan, ETV Urdu, ETV News Kannada, ETV Bihar Jharkhand, ETV, ETV Andhra Pradesh, UTV Movies, UTV Stars, UTV World Movies, Disney Channel and Disney XD.

Earlier this month, the MSO had put a scroll on its home page regarding disconnection of NDTV channels. Even then, a senior NDTV official had said that the MSO was demanding high carriage fees for a small subscriber base.

August 20, 2014
CNBC-TV18 tops the chart on Budget day

MUMBAI: Upholding their legacy of 15 years of leadership, CNBC-TV18 has once again emerged decisively as the No.1 channel during Budget 2014 with 67 per cent market share on Budget Day.

As pioneers of coverage of the Union Budget, CNBC-TV18 has always provided viewers with a comprehensive programming line up. This time was no different; with a one month long focus on the channel about key expectations from the industry, banking and financial sectors as well as policy changes anticipated from what was Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s maiden Union Budget.

Yet again, India’s leading business news channel has proved that they are specialists of the genre – through differentiated Budget coverage, aimed at helping viewers achieve an incisive understanding of the Budget and what lies ahead, presented by an editorial powerhouse.

CNBC-TV18 led across the following programming pegs & time bands during the Union Budget in July 2014:

1.   Budget Day (24 hrs) in all India: CNBC-TV18 leads with 67 per cent relative share followed by ET Now with 22 per cent, NDTV Profit is at #3 with 11 per cent and Bloomberg TV has 1 per cent viewership.

2.   Budget Week (24 hrs) in all India: CNBC-TV18 leads with 65 per cent relative share followed by ET Now with 27 per cent, NDTV Profit is at #3 with 7 per cent and Bloomberg TV has 2 per cent viewership.

3.   FM Speech (11:01 to 13:13 hrs) in all India: CNBC-TV18 leads with 58 per cent relative share followed by ET Now with 29 per cent, NDTV Profit is at #3 with 13 per cent and Bloomberg TV has no viewership.

All these figures are for the core audience group of CS AB Males 25+.

In addition to the above data points, CNBC-TV18 also lead across all markets and target audiences, in all parameters pertaining to Budget coverage.
CNBC-TV18 has always been at the forefront of covering business, political and economic news and bringing quality journalism to its viewers. This strong performance reiterates CNBC-TV18’s undisputed leadership and legacy in coverage of key economic events for the past 15 years.
CNBC-TV18 Managing Editor Shereen Bhan said ‘I have firmly believed in the power of specialisation and this overwhelming verdict confirms my belief. Being the first in Business news is not just a tagline for us, it is our core strategy. Our Budget coverage is a reflection of our deep expertise and experience. It also showcased our ability to stay ahead of the curve with new programming which included our reporters travelling around the country from Nashik to Ahmednagar to get an in-depth look at how Government Schemes like the NREGS are performing. We brought together the most influential voices from India Inc, the markets, Foreign Investors and Tax experts to find the devil in the details. CNBCTV18 was also the channel of choice for the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and his Budget team including the Finance Secretary and Revenue Secretary as they laid out the roadmap for economic revival.’

Commenting on CNBC-TV18’s impactful Budget coverage and viewership, Anil Uniyal (CEO, CNBC Channels) said, “We have consistently sought to bring content of value to our viewers and this is what has reinforced our No. 1 position in Budget 2014. I’d like to thank our viewers for making CNBC-TV18 their channel of choice for the Budget and also for the past 14 years, which encourages us to stay ahead and continue to strive for excellence.”

July 17, 2014
News channels reform before Modi’s big Budget 2014

NEW DELHI: The presentation of the general budget on 10 July morning by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will perhaps be the most keenly watched analysis of the financial shape of the nation since the early 90s when the then Finance Minister Manmohan Singh presented his budget.

This is also perhaps the first time in recent years that the budget is being presented by a man from the legal profession.

Although only Lok Sabha TV has the permission to cover the budget live from inside the portals of Lok Sabha, almost every channel in the country – and certainly every business channel – will be taking the beam from Lok Sabha TV and then adding its own analysis programmes.

CNBC TV18, Doordarshan News, Times Now, and most other News channels plan to commence the discussion on the budget from around 8.00 am with experts talking about expectations, and then beaming the live presentation from 11.00 am onwards.

The entry of websites like moneycontrol.com and economylead.com streaming the budget and by social media will be an added feature this year, as many websites have already announced plans in this regard.

With the new dispensation in place, the aspirations of the common man are soaring high and many are wondering whether the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party will live up to its slogan of ‘Acche din aaney waley hain.’

The presentation is expected to be followed soon after by the reaction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Doordarshan and Lok Sabha TV and an exhaustive interview of Jaitley about his budget on Doordarshan.

In addition, channels will cover live the press meet by senior Finance Ministry officials in the afternoon about the various facets of the budget.

The coverage on CNBC TV18 will be led by Shereen Bhan, on Times Now by Arnab Goswami, and on NDTV 24×7 by Prannoy Roy. Times Now has articulated its standpoint by saying ‘Everyone deserves a piece of this super budget. Get Yours.’ The channel though also warns that it may be a bitter pill.

Other channels like CNN-IBN, Aaj Tak, ABP News, Sahara Samay, P-7, News X and others have also lined up experts who will analyse the budget. The channels will also have teams that will go to Parliament House premises to get the reactions of various political leaders.

For the business channels, it will be a particularly exhaustive day as they will also have a link with the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange to get the latest ups and downs.

Zee Business which is a Hindi business News channel will telecast the pre-Budget discussions and analysis from 7.00 am onwards and will bring in live and uninterrupted coverage of the Budget Speech. The channel will articulate, analyse and keep the common man abreast of all the impacts that Budget is going to have on their daily lives.

Interestingly themed as the ‘Abki baar, sapne sakaar,’ Zee Business will have expert panels, business leaders and corporate captains throughout the day to give their expert advice. After the Finance Minister’s speech, Zee Business will undertake a series of power packed Budget Bulletins. Some of these bulletins will comprise high power panel discussions and will involve expert comments from the nation’s top business leaders and policy makers. Some of the key Ministers holding important portfolios have already appeared and shared their views, and will also do so during post-Budget analysis programmes. They include Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy Minister Piyush Goyal, Information & Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar and Commerce & Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Special shows have been conceptualised with thorough research from the industry point of view without losing the ground reality and its impact on the common man. Expert opinions, industry perspective viz–a–viz market reaction and informative bulletins will be telecast.

Zee Business will also organise a viewer’s engagement programme throughout the day from different parts of the country where commoners get a voice to air their reaction and feedback on the pertinent issues on budget.

Zee Media CEO Samir Ahluwalia said, “With clear understanding of the expectations of the India Inc. as well as indications of the common man, Zee Business is poised to present a comprehensive Budget coverage. Through special programming and initiatives focusing on budget expectations, analysis and impact, Zee Business will once again ensure specialised coverage on Budget Day.”

Added CNBC-TV18 managing editor Shereen Bhan, “The key question we will be asking is if the budget will be able to deliver. There will be a sharp focus on market reactions, the stance taken by other countries giving India a thumbs up and about investment in domestic capital. We will analyse the long term and short term ideas the government has as well as the reforms that will be taken up to revive the economy.”

July 9, 2014
CNBC-TV18’s Shereen Bhan talks business before Budget 2014

MUMBAI: She is the most familiar face of Indian business news channel, providing investors and corporate India with insights about the dynamics of Indian economy and financial markets.

CNBC-TV18 managing editor Shereen Bhan, who anchors and produces several shows such as Young Turks, India Business Hour and Power Turks, is neck deep in work with the rail budget already announced and one day to go for the much awaited maiden budget to be presented by the new Narendra Modi led BJP government at the helm.

While most channels are looking at concentrating on one aspect, Bhan says that their perspective will be a 360 degree angle one. “The key question we will be asking is if the budget will be able to deliver. There will be a sharp focus on market reactions, the stance taken by other countries giving India a thumbs up and about investment in domestic capital. We will analyse the long term and short term ideas the government has as well as the reforms that will be taken up to revive the economy. We will also look at how the fiscal deficit can be improved by the new government. While the analysis will primarily be on the domestic economy, we will also look at the budget from a political angle and try to draw political reactions.”

The guest line-up includes India’s corporate giants like HDFC Bank chairman Deepak Parekh, HSBC India country head Naina Lal Kidwai, Godrej chairman Adi Godrej, Kotak Mahindra vice chairman Uday Kotak, GVK vice chairman Sanjay Reddy, TPG Growth India chairman Manish Chokhani and Helios Capital founder and fund manager Samir Arora. Foreign investors and rating agencies will also give their take on the budget.

To get a political perspective political parties like BJP, Congress, TMC, CPI (M) and leaders such as Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sitaram Yechury will be on air.

Bhan, who will be on air right from morning 8 am till late night, will be tracking foreign direct investment in the news sector and reforms in the capital markets and infrastructure sector.

July 9, 2014
B. Sai Kumar departs from Network18

MUMBAI: People movements continue to dog the Network18 group. The latest to head towards the door is group CEO B. Sai Kumar who spent close to 14 years with Network18, founded by Raghav Bahl. Sai had ably stepped into Haresh Chawla’s shoes when the latter decided to go his own way in his entrepreneurial forays.

A notice to the Bombay Stock Exchange states that Sai Kumar was with the group during its formative years and that he was responsible for the creation and management of the group’s various ventures – the business news partnership with CNBC ; the general news partnership with CNN; the entertainment partnership with Viacom and the infotainment deal with A+E Networks and the group’s digital forays.

Sai Kumar’s departure comes at a time when the group has reported turnaround financials just yesterday.

The BSE notice quotes Sai Kumar as saying: “Network18 has been an extension of my family. I take with me very good memories and I will always cherish the time spent here. It has been a tremendous learning ground. Passion and hard work – they brought to work everyday. While all good things come to an end, I see it as a new beginning and I am positive and hopeful that Network18 scales new heights hereon.”

Added Network18 founder and editor Raghav Bahl in the BSE release: “It’s not easy to describe Sai’s role and contribution to the group. He has been one of the key pillars of the Network18 story. I am truly privileged to have been able to work with someone like Sai who has given the prime of his life to group and development of a baby called Network18, right from the days when it was a fledgling single channel operation to its evolution as one of India’s largest and most diversified and respected media companies. We shall miss him; but there comes a time when one takes heed to one’s calling and I wish Sai all the best for that.”

The news has indeed come as a shocker to many in the industry. Amongst those who have put in their papers over the past year include: IBN18 CEO Dilip Venkatraman, CNBC TV18’s Udayan Mukherji, CNN-IBN’s Suhasini Haider.

Dilip was recently replaced by former Times Television head Avinash Kaul.

But the group has senior talent aplenty with the likes of Viacom18 CEO Sudhanshu Vats; Colors CEO Raj Nayak, Indiacast CEO Anuj Gandhi, and Network18 COO Ajay Chacko.

May 28, 2014
CNBC-TV18 partners with TCS and Twitter for elections

MUMBAI: Social media can no longer be sidestepped when it comes to figuring out the mood of the people. Recently, c announced its partnership with Twitter for the upcoming elections and now another business broadcaster has decided to bond with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and the social media hub Twitter to track insights into the Lok Sabha elections.

Through TCS’s app iElect, CNBC-TV18 will use the analysis and data from it on air through the day. Says CNBC-TV18 managing editor Shereen Bhan, “These elections are landmark, in the sense that we are all seeing a lot of Indians having conversations and voicing their opinions online. It would be interesting and extremely insightful to be able to gauge the sentiment of Indians in this new age of social media. We at CNBC-TV18 have always been at the heart of bringing value to our viewers through credible reportage, insights and analysis. This partnership complements our cause of enabling our viewers to view elections in a well rounded, informed manner.”

TCS global communications VP and head Pradipta Bagchi said, “TCS is happy to bring real time social media analysis to CNBC-TV18. India has a large amount of smartphone users and almost 100 million first-time voters in general elections 2014. TCS iElect will be new and engaging for them to participate through the entire process with its gamified and interactive features We think bringing live television & Twitter together along with TCS’s big data capability will change the way India will look at election 2014.”

Twitter India marketi director Rishi Jaitly commented “Twitter is at the heart of the political conversation in this election. We are excited that CNBC-TV18, using the TCS iElect App, will be distributing Twitter conversations and their analysis to a new set of TV viewers. This is in line with our strategy of making elections-related conversations on Twitter accessible by everyone, placing real-time data and content in the hands of every Indian to make an informed voting decision.”

April 16, 2014