Tag: Rohit Gandhi

  • Rohit Gandhi appointed revenue head at moneycontrol.com

    Rohit Gandhi appointed revenue head at moneycontrol.com

    MUMBAI: The city  has seen a significant move in the digital media landscape with Rohit Gandhi taking up the role of vice president and revenue head at moneycontrol.com. Commencing July, Gandhi has overseen the crucial display, branded content, IPs, and video revenue streams for the financial news platform.

    Gandhi transitions to moneycontrol.com from HT Digital Streams, where he served as revenue head for digital business for over two years. In that capacity, he was responsible for the digital monetisation of a diverse portfolio, including hindustantimes.com, livemint.com, livehindustan.com, and various specialist portals.

    His extensive background in digital revenue generation also includes an eight-month stint as revenue head for LCS business at MX Player. Prior to that, Gandhi spent four years as national sales head at Network 18 Digital, overseeing revenue for cnbctv18.com and Moneycontrol, encompassing display, content marketing, branded video content, native ad solutions, and programmatic sales.

    Earlier in his career, Gandhi was digital monetisation director at Condé Nast India, where he drove revenue strategy across titles like Vogue and GQ. He also held the position of national revenue head for The Hindu Group’s digital properties and was the national head for content marketing and native advertising at Times Internet Ltd, focusing on the “Demand Plus” business for economictimes.com and its B2B verticals.
    Gandhi’s appointment underscores moneycontrol.com’s strategic focus on strengthening its diverse revenue channels in the competitive digital media market.

  • CNBCTV18.com appoints Rohit Gandhi as national sales head

    CNBCTV18.com appoints Rohit Gandhi as national sales head

    MUMBAI: CNBCTV18.com, the digital arm of CNBC has appointed Rohit Gandhi as national sales head. Prior CNBCTV.com, he has worked with digital brands like Times Internet, Condé Nast India, Rediff.com and he had also been part of the CNBC-TV18 channel a decade ago.

    Gandhi comes with 14 years of experience in print, TV and digital media. His responsibilities in the new role comprise developing effective strategies and leading the team to maintain high sales performance in the organisation.

    Speaking about his new role at CNBCTV18.com, Gandhi said, “Having been a part of CNBC-TV18 in the past, and having seen the platform grow year after year, it gives me immense pleasure to again join the CNBC family and work with an outstanding team. I am looking forward to drive innovation and creativity through robust strategies, towards elevating the sales department at CNBC Digital.”

    At Times Internet, he was working as national head in content marketing and native advertising and was responsible for driving ‘Demand Plus’ business nationally across Times digital platforms. At Condé Nast India, he was actively involved in scaling up its digital business by bringing innovative offerings like branded video content, native advertising and programmatic advertising.

    Commenting on the new appointment, CNBCTV18.com business head Ranjita Sehgal said, “We are happy to welcome Rohit to the CNBC Digital family. His extensive experience in the digital sphere, along with his in-depth understanding of branded content both on business and lifestyle platforms is an excellent fit. His understanding of TV sales and CNBC TV18 is an added advantage for the integrated approach we are adopting.”

  • Veteran journo Rohit Gandhi sets up news platform for independent reporters

    Veteran journo Rohit Gandhi sets up news platform for independent reporters

    MUMBAI: When you have the credentials of having worked for CNN and CBC as an international journalist for several years, what do you do next? Well, you could start a news platform with a difference. Just like Rohit Gandhi has done by incorporating Global Live, which has set up Democracy News Live.

    The network is owned by Gandhi and Vrinda Aggarwal, who was working with him in WION.

    Says Gandhi who has designated himself as editor in chief, “Journalism channels have become partisan with political parties and are already sold to ideologies. It is difficult for an honest centre of the line editor to operate. Judges of courts are being questioned for their leanings. The environment is ripe to democratise journalism a bit more.”

    His model, that of democratisation of news, is to allow hard working field reporters who make the news to become owners of a news platform. “They can publish the content and own it for life,” says Gandhi. “We even have a monetisation model in place.”

    For now, the duo has invested about $400,000 and once it hits a certain benchmark, they will seek the second funding round.

    Of course not anyone will be able to post news content. They will have to get past credentials and identification verification before getting the green signal to post their news videos, articles and pictures. A robust content management system and video platform will allow hacks to edit video on the cloud without having editing skillsets that FCP or Premier Pro require. Of course anyone violating journalistic ethics or resorting to plagiarism or fake news will get booted out of the news platform without any warning.

    Artificial intelligence which has been built into the technology backend will make managing, search, and discovery so much easier for both journos and visitors.

    A team of 23 tech specialists and editors have been at it, building the backend and CMS since 1 February 2017 when Gandhi left the Essel Group owned Indian English news channel WION to start his venture.  He says he consciously stayed away from corporate or political funding, instead choosing to attract investment from a group of 20 private investors.

    He explains: “The whole idea is to make sure that we don’t have influence of either a corporation or a political party. The professionals – from technology and journalism who came together to forge this alliance –  found the idea so potent, that they not only invested but also helped in building the platform.”

    Over the past few months, Democracy News Live has been building news content on its Youtube channel, though not much of it had been put out at the time of writing. It has set up a news studio in New Delhi and has even put reporters through training and the paces of anchoring.

    And while Gandhi agrees television remains the best medium for disseminating news and information even today thanks to the wide distribution infrastructure that’s available, he still preferred to go online for a few reasons.

    He elaborates: “While I am not against a news channel, I wanted to start out by putting out phenomenal content online. Then only after that do I want to think about going in for a linear feed when it reaches an inflection point. Our content could go out on radio, TV, online and even on 4K as it is being shot even on that format. With that kind of quality it can even and up on television.”

    Gandhi is not worried about the business model as he believes advertisers follow audiences who follow great content. However, he cautions that he is not going to base the news content on Democracy News Live on advertisers’ needs. “We will have advertisers in due course,” he says. “But our editorial integrity and independence will be maintained.”

    The Android and iOS app launches are planned for the coming week. They will have logins for reporters to file their stories and for readers to read.

    Gandhi is planning to market the platform through the co-owners who will work with them.

    He has the credentials to match his vision for Democracy News Live. At WION he was editor in chief and he left it after just a year of helping build it up from ground up. And in 2006, he was the reporter who broke the story about the terrorist group that was behind the 2006 Mumbai train bombings. Those will be put to the test as Democracy News Live begins to gain traction.

    Also Read:

    Rohit Gandhi quits ZMCL’s WION 

  • Rohit Gandhi quits ZMCL’s WION

    Rohit Gandhi quits ZMCL’s WION

    MUMBAI: Media mogul Subhash Chandra-led Zee Media Corporation Ltd  (ZMCL)’s English news channel WION and English daily DNA’s editor-in-chief Rohit Gandhi has resigned. 

    Gandhi joined ZMCL in August 2015 to head the editorial operations of its English news channel WION. In April 2016, he was assigned the additional charge as editor-in-chief of its English daily DNA. 

    Prior to joining ZMCL, Gandhi was working with South Asian International News as its international correspondent, producer and communication strategist. Gandhi was a producer and editor at CNN from 2000 to 2006, specialising in conflict zone and investigative news coverage. 

    Later, he joined CBC, where he reported and produced news stories from Asia. 

    Also Read:

    Zee Media’s WION opts for Dalet unified news solution

    WION launch now formal; lists marquee shows

    Zee Media launches global English news channel Wion

  • Rohit Gandhi quits ZMCL’s WION

    Rohit Gandhi quits ZMCL’s WION

    MUMBAI: Media mogul Subhash Chandra-led Zee Media Corporation Ltd  (ZMCL)’s English news channel WION and English daily DNA’s editor-in-chief Rohit Gandhi has resigned. 

    Gandhi joined ZMCL in August 2015 to head the editorial operations of its English news channel WION. In April 2016, he was assigned the additional charge as editor-in-chief of its English daily DNA. 

    Prior to joining ZMCL, Gandhi was working with South Asian International News as its international correspondent, producer and communication strategist. Gandhi was a producer and editor at CNN from 2000 to 2006, specialising in conflict zone and investigative news coverage. 

    Later, he joined CBC, where he reported and produced news stories from Asia. 

    Also Read:

    Zee Media’s WION opts for Dalet unified news solution

    WION launch now formal; lists marquee shows

    Zee Media launches global English news channel Wion

  • WION launch now formal; lists marquee shows

    WION launch now formal; lists marquee shows

    MUMBAI: After its soft launch in August this year, Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL) English News Network, WION – World is One News has now been formally launched. Its formal launch with is followed by rolling out of a major marketing campaign aptly titled WION – Be One With the World.

    The editorial team consists of experienced journalists, researchers and analysts with global exposure. With bureaus in 37 global locations, WION has international reach and multi-cultural staff adding local perspective to every global news story. WION is the first India based network to have its presence in regions like UK, USA, China, Russia and Africa making it South Asia’s first truly convergent, multi-media English News Network.

    “A revolutionary product from the Zee Media stable, WION represents a sophisticated transition from the usual ‘Breaking News’ phenomenon. WION brings exclusive and insightful content that often escapes popular media. Targeting upscale viewers in India as well as the Indian diaspora, our endeavour is to showcase content that truly represents the spirit of South Asia with focus on India. Embracing our philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – The World is My Family’, through WION we believe that news will be the common thread that binds us all together,” said ZMCL executive director and COO Rajiv Singh.

    The multi-city campaign will take off across various platforms including television, print, Rradio, OOH, DTH and digital. Leveraging the network strength, WION will further amplify its launch through a roadblock on more than 40 channels of ZEEL and ZMCL on 9 December. Phase I of the marketing campaign will focus on the India market, and it will gradually extend to other markets across the world in Phase II.

    WION is a global news network that brings news from around the world but with a South Asian view. The goal of the channel is to engage and empower viewers through balanced and extraordinary storytelling. The channel aims to explore and understand the stake of South Asian region in world affairs by pushing the boundaries of innovation on digital, mobile and television platforms.

    WION editor-in-chief Rohit Gandhi added, “In an increasingly divided and violent world, the content at WION is carefully curated keeping in mind the sensitivities of all regional identities. While the news genre already has different filters – American, British and Middle-East, there is no South Asian lens that helps the world understand the South Asian perspective on world affairs; WION aims to bridge this gap. WION targets a generation that is global, social, value-oriented, visual and technologically savvy. We tell stories relevant to a wider global audience and to the millennial generation that consumes news on the go. The news at WION is easy to consume without sacrificing in-depth analysis of issues.”

    Gandhi further added: “While neutrality is journalism’s prime directive, and nothing comes between that, our TV and web platforms do have separate places set aside to foster positivity and inspiration culled from real life. WION Edge and Konversation are online series for sharing positive stories of people from India and around the world. On TV, whether it’s the on-location reporter, our anchors or guests, the conversation is always calm and orderly, with everyone given a chance to speak.”

    WION offers an experience that is beyond news. It has a variety of content appealing to both younger and mature audience. WION will not only offer news, but also general entertainment content covering genres like lifestyle, human stories, animals, food, environment and fashion among others.

    The presentation of content is innovative with use of visuals, timelines, graphics, on-ground live coverages, 360-degree interactive videos, flying drones and story app. The channel has interactive content to encourage participation from the viewer’s end. A big focus of the platform is on user generated content through its Citizen-Journalism App.

    WION’s programming consists of a diverse line-up of shows from all genres. The shows on the channel comprise:

    Name of the Show

    Description

    Anchors

    Timeslot

    Democracy & Dictatorship

    Strategy and political show

    Rohit Gandhi, Editor-in-Chief

    Every Saturday at 9 pm

    Tech it Out

    Technology & Lifestyle show

    Sahil Maniktala and Sejal Pandey

    Every Friday at 10 pm

    Unscripted

    Entertainment show

    Francesca Mascarenhas and Aaron Ian Lyngdoh

    Every Friday at 9 pm

    Gravitas

    Prime time News Bulletin

    News bulletins with invited guests

    Weekdays at 9 pm

    WION Wallet

    Business show

    Chaiti Narula

    Weekdays at 9.30 am & 5.30 pm

    WION Breakfast

    Morning Bulletin show

    Charu Sharma and Satyashree Gandham

    Weekdays at 8 am

    WION Sports

    Sports show

    Ayesha Sindhu

    Weekdays at 7.30 pm

    The channel is available across all DTH providers like Dish TV (#605), Tata Sky (#628), Airtel (#386), Videocon d2h (#367), Reliance BIG TV (#459) and all other leading cable networks.

  • WION launch now formal; lists marquee shows

    WION launch now formal; lists marquee shows

    MUMBAI: After its soft launch in August this year, Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL) English News Network, WION – World is One News has now been formally launched. Its formal launch with is followed by rolling out of a major marketing campaign aptly titled WION – Be One With the World.

    The editorial team consists of experienced journalists, researchers and analysts with global exposure. With bureaus in 37 global locations, WION has international reach and multi-cultural staff adding local perspective to every global news story. WION is the first India based network to have its presence in regions like UK, USA, China, Russia and Africa making it South Asia’s first truly convergent, multi-media English News Network.

    “A revolutionary product from the Zee Media stable, WION represents a sophisticated transition from the usual ‘Breaking News’ phenomenon. WION brings exclusive and insightful content that often escapes popular media. Targeting upscale viewers in India as well as the Indian diaspora, our endeavour is to showcase content that truly represents the spirit of South Asia with focus on India. Embracing our philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – The World is My Family’, through WION we believe that news will be the common thread that binds us all together,” said ZMCL executive director and COO Rajiv Singh.

    The multi-city campaign will take off across various platforms including television, print, Rradio, OOH, DTH and digital. Leveraging the network strength, WION will further amplify its launch through a roadblock on more than 40 channels of ZEEL and ZMCL on 9 December. Phase I of the marketing campaign will focus on the India market, and it will gradually extend to other markets across the world in Phase II.

    WION is a global news network that brings news from around the world but with a South Asian view. The goal of the channel is to engage and empower viewers through balanced and extraordinary storytelling. The channel aims to explore and understand the stake of South Asian region in world affairs by pushing the boundaries of innovation on digital, mobile and television platforms.

    WION editor-in-chief Rohit Gandhi added, “In an increasingly divided and violent world, the content at WION is carefully curated keeping in mind the sensitivities of all regional identities. While the news genre already has different filters – American, British and Middle-East, there is no South Asian lens that helps the world understand the South Asian perspective on world affairs; WION aims to bridge this gap. WION targets a generation that is global, social, value-oriented, visual and technologically savvy. We tell stories relevant to a wider global audience and to the millennial generation that consumes news on the go. The news at WION is easy to consume without sacrificing in-depth analysis of issues.”

    Gandhi further added: “While neutrality is journalism’s prime directive, and nothing comes between that, our TV and web platforms do have separate places set aside to foster positivity and inspiration culled from real life. WION Edge and Konversation are online series for sharing positive stories of people from India and around the world. On TV, whether it’s the on-location reporter, our anchors or guests, the conversation is always calm and orderly, with everyone given a chance to speak.”

    WION offers an experience that is beyond news. It has a variety of content appealing to both younger and mature audience. WION will not only offer news, but also general entertainment content covering genres like lifestyle, human stories, animals, food, environment and fashion among others.

    The presentation of content is innovative with use of visuals, timelines, graphics, on-ground live coverages, 360-degree interactive videos, flying drones and story app. The channel has interactive content to encourage participation from the viewer’s end. A big focus of the platform is on user generated content through its Citizen-Journalism App.

    WION’s programming consists of a diverse line-up of shows from all genres. The shows on the channel comprise:

    Name of the Show

    Description

    Anchors

    Timeslot

    Democracy & Dictatorship

    Strategy and political show

    Rohit Gandhi, Editor-in-Chief

    Every Saturday at 9 pm

    Tech it Out

    Technology & Lifestyle show

    Sahil Maniktala and Sejal Pandey

    Every Friday at 10 pm

    Unscripted

    Entertainment show

    Francesca Mascarenhas and Aaron Ian Lyngdoh

    Every Friday at 9 pm

    Gravitas

    Prime time News Bulletin

    News bulletins with invited guests

    Weekdays at 9 pm

    WION Wallet

    Business show

    Chaiti Narula

    Weekdays at 9.30 am & 5.30 pm

    WION Breakfast

    Morning Bulletin show

    Charu Sharma and Satyashree Gandham

    Weekdays at 8 am

    WION Sports

    Sports show

    Ayesha Sindhu

    Weekdays at 7.30 pm

    The channel is available across all DTH providers like Dish TV (#605), Tata Sky (#628), Airtel (#386), Videocon d2h (#367), Reliance BIG TV (#459) and all other leading cable networks.

  • Videocon d2h  brings on Zee’s global news channel WION

    Videocon d2h brings on Zee’s global news channel WION

    MUMBAI: Zee Media has launched its new English news channel Wion on 15 August with the aim of going beyond the banal news. Headed by Rohit Gandhi, the channel is accessible via satellite in 37 countries.

    In India, it is available on Dish TV (channel no 605), Reliance Digital TV (channel no 459), Tata Sky (channel no 628) and Airtel Digital TV (channel no 999). The channel position on Airtel Digital TV is temporary.

    Videocon d2h – which has a library of 570 plus channels and services – has now added WION to that list on channel no 367.

    “We have been relentless in our pursuit to gratify our customers with an exceptional viewing experience,” said Videocon d2h executive chairman Saurabh Dhoot. “With this addition, subscribers of Videocon d2h will have one more opportunity to stay informed with the latest headlines and breaking news from the network”

    Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera added: “Videocon d2h has been extremely aggressive and innovative when it comes to technology upgrades, new content offerings and launching new services all in an effort to keep ahead of current industry trends. Addition of Z Wion is fulfillment of our promise to provide the best channels and content across all genres.”

    It offers a wide range of active services like smart services including Smart English, Smart Games. The other active services include d2h Hollywood HD, d2h music, d2h spice, d2h cinema in both Standard Definition and HD, etc.

    The channel is also available on Siti Cable connections in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Indore and Kolkata whereas DEN Networks is carrying the channel in Mumbai and Kolkata.

  • Videocon d2h  brings on Zee’s global news channel WION

    Videocon d2h brings on Zee’s global news channel WION

    MUMBAI: Zee Media has launched its new English news channel Wion on 15 August with the aim of going beyond the banal news. Headed by Rohit Gandhi, the channel is accessible via satellite in 37 countries.

    In India, it is available on Dish TV (channel no 605), Reliance Digital TV (channel no 459), Tata Sky (channel no 628) and Airtel Digital TV (channel no 999). The channel position on Airtel Digital TV is temporary.

    Videocon d2h – which has a library of 570 plus channels and services – has now added WION to that list on channel no 367.

    “We have been relentless in our pursuit to gratify our customers with an exceptional viewing experience,” said Videocon d2h executive chairman Saurabh Dhoot. “With this addition, subscribers of Videocon d2h will have one more opportunity to stay informed with the latest headlines and breaking news from the network”

    Videocon d2h CEO Anil Khera added: “Videocon d2h has been extremely aggressive and innovative when it comes to technology upgrades, new content offerings and launching new services all in an effort to keep ahead of current industry trends. Addition of Z Wion is fulfillment of our promise to provide the best channels and content across all genres.”

    It offers a wide range of active services like smart services including Smart English, Smart Games. The other active services include d2h Hollywood HD, d2h music, d2h spice, d2h cinema in both Standard Definition and HD, etc.

    The channel is also available on Siti Cable connections in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Indore and Kolkata whereas DEN Networks is carrying the channel in Mumbai and Kolkata.

  • Zee Media launches global English news channel Wion

    Zee Media launches global English news channel Wion

    MUMBAI: It is pretty significant that Zee TV group promoter Subhash Chandra used 15 August, India’s 70th Independence Day to launch Zee Media’s global English news channel World is One News (WION) on TV screens. Wion launched as a free to air satellite service in 37 countries and is available in India on Dish TV (#605), Reliance (#459), Tata Sky (#628), Siti – Mumbai (#419) Delhi (#419 ) Bangalore (#319) Indore (#419) Kolkata (#430) and on Den Supreme Mumbai (#371) Kolkata (#371).

    Chandra has for long been advocating that the world needs to see south Asia, and more specifically India, through a pair of local unfiltered glasses, not colored by Western or any other perspective. He had announced last year that Zee Media would launch WION and had appointed a former CNN and CNBC journalist Rohit Gandhi to head the news channel as its editor in chief.

    For the past couple of months, it has been putting out news on various online platforms, right from YouTube to Facebook and has been focused on presenting global news developments from a south Asian perspective.

    Said Gandhi in an opinion piece on the Wion website announcing the launch today: “For decades, media has been pushing the agenda of a country or a group of countries. Primarily Western news outlets have occupied that space and they push their viewpoint. They try and come as close possible to an “unbiased” approach. But they are far removed from reality as they are unable to decipher the intricacies involved… The stories were myopic and many times their selection was biased. The only stories that made to the forefront were about poverty, manual scavenging or the monkeys. I knew that I couldn’t work in a myopic news environment; I had to tell the stories that were nuanced and looked at all sides of a society or societies. “

    He added that WION will be “working to deliver an unbiased news network where people will be able to take pride in the phenomenal world that they live in and are able to learn from the successes and failures in general. As we launch the ‘World Is One News’ Network, we hope to share the stories and our journey with you.”

    Zee Media has set up bureaus or hired journalists in the major regions including Europe, west Asia and the US.

    The channel says it will also have a strong focus on participatory journalism from viewers. “We encourage people to submit their stories, photos, opinions, comments and videos,” says its website.