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Tag: Shailesh Kumar

  • CABT Logistics appoints Sharique Malgaonkar as COO

    CABT Logistics appoints Sharique Malgaonkar as COO

    Mumbai: CABT Logistics, India’s leading logistics company, is expanding internationally in MENA. After establishing a strong presence in pan-India, the company is working on acquiring a substantial market share in the MENA region.

    To facilitate the same, CABT Logistics is pleased to announce the appointment of Sharique Malgaonkar as its new chief operating officer (COO) for the MENA region who will be operating out of the headquarters already set up in Dubai.

    With this strategic hiring, CABT Logistics aims to accelerate its growth and strengthen its presence in the United Arab Emirates geography.

    Sharique brings a wealth of experience and expertise to this new role. He has been an e-commerce supply chain leader with more than two decades of experience in B2B & B2C supply chain, marketplace management, large format retail sales, category management, B2B trading & store operations. He has an impressive track record of aiding business expansion working with prominent organisations like ITC, Future Group, Flipkart etc. He has led large, complex and multilingual teams to success.  As a start-up enthusiast, Sharique is the perfect fit to lead CABT Logistics’ ambitious growth initiatives in the MENA region.

    As the COO, he will be responsible for business development, strategic planning, and operational efficiency. He will be leading the team in the MENA region to drive business growth and optimise processes. Fostering and building relationships, Malgaonkar will be responsible for key partnerships with customers, partners, and other stakeholders in the MENA region. With a deep understanding of the region, he will also be responsible for identifying and mitigating risks ensuring that the business is compliant with all applicable regulations. Helping CABT Logistics gain a strong foothold in the region, Sharique will aid in delivering exceptional value to clients and stakeholders.

    “With international expansion in our sight, we are looking at optimising our presence in the MENA region and we are thrilled to welcome Mr. Sharique Malgaonkar to our team. His expansive career, leadership skills and deep understanding of the region will surely be key in achieving our objectives in the MENA region”, shared CABT Logistics founder Shailesh Kumar.

    “I am excited to join CABT Logistics and help them make a mark in the MENA region. This is an incredible opportunity and I am looking forward to working with CABT Logistics to cater to the MENA region market and leverage new opportunities and build valuable partnerships for the company”, shared CABT Logistics COO Sharique Malgaonkar.

  • Shailesh Kumar steps down as editor-in-chief & CEO of News World India

    Shailesh Kumar steps down as editor-in-chief & CEO of News World India

    MUMBAI: F7 Broadcast owned Hindi news channel, News World India’ editor in chief and CEO Shailesh Kumar has stepped down from his responsibility. He is serving his notice period for a month.

    It might be recalled that Kumar had joined the channel in August 2015. Source close to the account voice that Kumar has decided to leave due to some personal reasons. Adding further, “It is not yet confirmed where he is joining.”

    Kumar has over three decades of work experience in print and television and has worked with Navbharat Times, AajTak, Zee News, Discovery, Total TV and News Nation. In his previous hire, he was with Focus TV from where he resigned in April 2015 as managing editor heading regional channels Focus NE, Focus Haryana, Focus Bangla, Focus Oriya and Focus Hi-Fi.

    F7 Broadcast had been providing content to television channels including Focus TV channels and has evolved in motion picture, radio, television and other entertainment activities. It had also tied up with Harmonic, a global leader in video delivery infrastructure in January 2015 to expand its digital satellite news gathering for live events and news coverage by optimising video quality and increasing bandwidth efficiency.

    News World India focuses on news that touches the day-to-day life of the masses.

  • Shailesh Kumar steps down as editor-in-chief & CEO of News World India

    Shailesh Kumar steps down as editor-in-chief & CEO of News World India

    MUMBAI: F7 Broadcast owned Hindi news channel, News World India’ editor in chief and CEO Shailesh Kumar has stepped down from his responsibility. He is serving his notice period for a month.

    It might be recalled that Kumar had joined the channel in August 2015. Source close to the account voice that Kumar has decided to leave due to some personal reasons. Adding further, “It is not yet confirmed where he is joining.”

    Kumar has over three decades of work experience in print and television and has worked with Navbharat Times, AajTak, Zee News, Discovery, Total TV and News Nation. In his previous hire, he was with Focus TV from where he resigned in April 2015 as managing editor heading regional channels Focus NE, Focus Haryana, Focus Bangla, Focus Oriya and Focus Hi-Fi.

    F7 Broadcast had been providing content to television channels including Focus TV channels and has evolved in motion picture, radio, television and other entertainment activities. It had also tied up with Harmonic, a global leader in video delivery infrastructure in January 2015 to expand its digital satellite news gathering for live events and news coverage by optimising video quality and increasing bandwidth efficiency.

    News World India focuses on news that touches the day-to-day life of the masses.

  • Increase in FDI cap: a boon or a curse?

    Increase in FDI cap: a boon or a curse?

    MUMBAI: From a recent speech of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Arun Jaitley, speculation was drawn of a probable increase in foreign direct investment (FDI) cap from 26 per cent to 49 per cent. The current government has always been in favour of FDI and on numerous occasions stated FDI as one of the major aspects behind economic growth and reform. 

     

    The government has already taken steps towards increasing FDI in various departments, railway and defense being among them. Hence the speculation of increase in FDI cap in media may soon turn into reality.

     

    Foreign investment will certainly ensure development of channels, more employment and better quality, but will it in return take away editorial freedom? Will Indian media be a victim of foreign dictatorship or will it manage to keep its integrity alive despite foreign investment? Will we have Indian CEOs and reporters after the investment or will strategic affairs slip away from Indian entrepreneurs? A larger democratic debate on the issue is extremely important and Indiantelevision.com took the initiative to find the answers from media stalwarts.

     

    NDTV executive vice chairperson KVL Narayan Rao said, “On this FDI development my comments are personal remarks and not a point of view of the company. I welcome this increase whole heartedly as it will allow more investments and result to better service in terms of producing quality programmes. And the only difference we are having is added investment; we will continue to have Indian editor in chiefs, reporters and video journalists.”  

     

    On the speculated increase in FDI cap to 49 per cent, News Nation network CEO RK Arora said, “Increase in FDI will be extremely favourable, news industry needs to expand and the increase in FDI cap to 49 per cent will be a boon for us. Moreover we see increase in other departments so why not in this industry. If we are to match the standards with international content we need investments from foreign investors.” 

     

    For Arora, there is no harm in increasing FDI to 49 per cent “but the investment should not dictate the strategic affairs, and there shouldn’t be any interference in editorial freedom,” he added.

     

    Though the news industry is extremely positive about the possible increase, none of them are ready to compromise with strategic and editorial affairs. 

     

    Focus News managing editor Shailesh Kumar said, “If FDI is increased in news it would be a very good decision as most of the channels are going through a tough time and we need investment from other sources to rejuvenate the industry.”

     

    ABP News CEO Ashok Venkatramani is of the same opinion. “We (ABP News) are in total favour of the increase and I don’t see any possibilities of editorial or strategic affairs getting influenced due to any investment. If this actually happens then we will develop and grow big. Hence I am very happy that the point has been raised. We welcome the increase in FDI cap,” he said.

     

    No second thoughts came from any of channels; while they unanimously welcomed the increase in FDI cap to 49 per cent, they also held a firm grip on not compromising with editorial or strategic affairs. 

     

    Now it remains to be seen how things develop and whether the issue is debated at the top level. Considering the fact that the current government is concentrating on building an open market scenario to ensure economic growth and reform, speculations of a possible increase in FDI cap to 49 per cent can soon be a reality.

  • Ad Cap: Broadcasters buoyed by Arun Jaitley’s comment

    Ad Cap: Broadcasters buoyed by Arun Jaitley’s comment

    MUMBAI: While delivering speech at the first Justice J. S Verma Memorial lecture Information and Broadcasting Minster of India Arun Jaitley opposed the concept of Ad Cap in channels. He termed this concept as a contradiction to the Article 19 (i) A of Indian constitution. 

     

    Jaitley had said, “With the growth of digital platforms, news channels are going to find it immensely difficult to survive. The definition of news has changed; it was accuracy then and spontaneity now.” 

     

    With this Jaitley stressed on the fact that as news is now immediately available on the digital platforms, lesser people will tune into the television for the same.

     

    NDTV executive vice-chairperson KVL Narayan Rao said, “If this development turns real it will put an end to the lengthy sustaining debate. We will be extremely delighted and grateful to the government as we have been campaigning for this since a long time now. It will strengthen the development and bring a balance as the distribution charge is very high and the major source of revenue is advertisement.”

     

    The Minister, during his speech also noted how distribution costs were “phenomenally high.” He was of the opinion that low revenues in the media industry is a threat as it leaves direct effect on quality in terms of news gathering and reporting. “Low revenue will result in numerous amalgamations and takeovers,” Jaitley had said.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com on Jaitley’s remark on Ad Cap, Multi Screen Media president Rohit Gupta said, “We were never in favour of ad cap and see this comment of the Minister as a positive step. This will enable us to develop and hence I appreciate and welcome the statement.”

     

    The I&B Minster had also mentioned that many a times he come across speeches that he actually never delivered. According to him, these things happened due to two reasons: 1) Misinterpretation by the reporter in charge, and (2) In order to generate more TRP both are directly proportional to revenue. “If adequate revenue is generated then companies will have better reporters and there will be less thrive for TRP and hence the final product will be more credible,” he said.

     

    Appreciation also came from India TV editor in chief and chairman and News Broadcaster’s Association president Rajat Sharma. “News broadcasters have been raising this issue for more than a year now, I am happy that Arun Jaitley has understood the problem. He has realised that ad cap will make news channels unviable but more important is the minister’s view that the ad cap is against freedom of expression provided in the Constitution of India.”

     

    Focus News managing editor Shailesh Kumar termed it as a move in the right direction. He said “If the remark of I&B Minister on Ad Cap turns into a decision, it will be a blessing for the channels. Most of the channels are going through a tough time and need to generate more revenue.”

     

    On the other hand, Zeel MD and CEO Punit Goenka was of a slightly different opinion. While speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Goenka said, “It is a good move for news and music channels.” Separating his channel from the others, he further added, “Zee will continue to follow the ad cap. The ministry comes up with such statements and many fall for the trap.” 

     

    Jaitley concluded his speech by saying, “It will be music to Rajat (Sharma) and other media person’s ear on hearing this view from me. My I&B Ministry, a couple of years ago came out with a statutory amendment to law saying no channel will telecast advertising beyond so many minutes, since then I am struggling in my own mind as how this meets the challenge of Article 19 (i) A (of Indian Constitution). Is the government suppose to say how much news and how much advertisement or it should be viewers prerogative to switch when it turns monotonous.”  

     

    The controversial law was invoked by the Authority in May 2012 and it was disputed by television broadcasters, who had also challenged the jurisdiction of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in this regard before the Telecom Disputes Settlement & Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT).

     

    The News Broadcaster’s Association (NBA) along with others had challenged the ad cap rule, contending that TRAI does not have jurisdiction to regulate commercial air time on television channels. The Delhi High Court panel led by Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Rajiv Sahai adjourned the petition till 24 March, 2015. 

     

    Meanwhile TRAI gave assurance of taking no action against any channel till the matter is resolved in court. The regulator’s instance, directed all channels to keep a record of the advertisements run by them. It can be noted that the ad cap case was adjourned to 21 January, 2015 when it last came up for hearing on 20 November, 2014.

     

  • Focus News to revamp regional channels under Shailesh Kumar

    Focus News to revamp regional channels under Shailesh Kumar

    MUMBAI: It was in September that Shailesh Kumar quit as editor in chief and CEO of news channels.

    After a small holiday, the man is back with a mission. Kumar has joined Focus News as managing editor-regional news channels. As part of his new role, he will be handling the five regional channels – Focus Odisha, Focus Bangla, Focus NE, Focus Haryana and Focus Hi Fi.

    “My primary focus here will be to revamp the channels in the coming three to four weeks,” says Kumar about his new role and plans for the network.

    The revamp of the five channels will be done simultaneously. “We will concentrate on content right now as we want the channels to be more relatable in their particular regions,” highlights Kumar and adds, “We will plan our FPCs accordingly.”

    Kumar brings with him a wealth of media experience spanning over a career of three decades cutting across print and TV. He has worked in leading news organisations like the Navbharat Times , Aaj Tak, Zee TV and most recently News Nation.

     

  • News channels building ammo for D-day

    News channels building ammo for D-day

    MUMBAI: As the mother of all elections draws to a close, news channels are working themselves to a frenzy to feed the hungry electorate byte-by-byte updates of the poll results.

      

    Speaking of Times Now, the channel has stretched itself to the limit, promising 250 hours of non-stop election coverage, starting with the poll of polls and culminating in a grand finale.

     

    News Nation, on the other hand, will showcase poll results using innovative graphics between 6am and 3pm on 16 May, followed by expert analyses and later, special shows around formation of the new government.

     

    CNN-IBN and IBN7, with their shows A Billion Votes – Post Poll Survey and Mera Vote Meri Sarkar – Post-Poll Survey, respectively, have promised 100 hours of poll coverage, beginning 12 May and ending 16 May. The last phase will be complete with insights into the world’s largest electoral exercise.

     

    CNN-IBN, IBN7 and IBN-Lokmat editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai said in a statement, “With the results of the biggest elections of our times round the corner, the entire nation is keeping a close eye on the outcome. The IBN Network has been a front runner in election programming. Through our 100 hours of extensive coverage, we look forward to continuing our leadership and delivering on the expectations of our viewers of being the most accurate and most trusted network for elections.”

     

    Sardesai along with his formidable team will lead the network’s election coverage, with help from political experts including Swapan Dasgupta, Ramachandra Guha, Surjit Bhalla, Manini Chatterjee, Sandeep Shastri, Kumar Ketkar, Dipankar Gupta and Paranjoy Guha Thakurta.

     

    For ABP News, counting day will start at the crack of dawn at 6am with live interviews of the key faces of this election and a summary of the trends and results using state-of-the-art election software and graphics that the channel has come to be synonymous with. Helping viewers understand the poll results and their implications will be ABP News’ experienced anchors including Kishore Ajwani, Abhisar Sharma, Sumaira Khan as also Neha Pant from the National News Centre, Noida.

     

    Prannoy Roy will once again step into the role he started off with all those years ago. The ace journalist will anchor NDTV’s show-stopper, India Decides – The Final Countdown. The channel is hoping to ensure the fastest national projection, based on early numbers and Roy’s expertise. Counting day will see Roy and Dorab Sopariwala joined by some of the country’s finest anchors, including Barkha Dutt, Vikram Chandra and Srinivasan Jain among others.

     

    Similarly, prominent faces associated with various news channels will lead the channel coverage for the day. For instance, Ajay Kumar, Ramesh Bhatt and Pinaj Tyagi will be the main anchors on News Nation on 16 May.

     

    As for ET Now, election coverage will commence at 7:00 am. The channel will have a panel of experts comprising Swaminathan Aiyar, Bibek Debroy, Sadanand Dhume and Sanjeev Aga who will decode the election results and give comprehensive analysis of how the economy and markets will shape up post elections. ET Now also has a lineup of industry captains like Godrej Group chairman Adi Godrej, Hero MotoCorp joint MD Sunil Munjal, Ashok Leyland vice chairman R.Seshasayee, HDFC vice chairman & CEO Keki Mistry, CII president Ajay Shriram, and FICCI president Siddharth Birla to represent the industry’s viewpoint on the election results and the likely agenda for the new government.

     

    Realizing the kind of viewership these channels are all set to garner on the counting day, a multitude of brands have latched onto the exercise. For example, IBN network has roped in ebay.in, ACC Cement, Renault, Asian Paints and Principal Mutual Funds while Microsoft is its technology partner. News Nation has got onboard Ghadi Detergent, Pepsi, LG, SBI, Hitachi, Airtel, Spice Mobile, TVS Motors and J.K. Cement while ABP News has tied up with Hero, Luminous, Snapdeal.com and Kent Water Purifiers.

     

    Consequently, news channels have hiked their ad rates for a 10 second spot. According to News Nation CEO Shailesh Kumar, the channel has hiked ad rates 15 times the normal rates for prime time for a 10 second spot. However, media planners and buyers beg to differ.

     

    A prominent media planner on condition of anonymity revealed that many such figures are floating around. Like it is being said that Times Now, which used to charge Rs 3,000 for a 10 second spot, has now hiked ad rates to Rs 7,500 or even Rs 9,000. Or for that matter, Hindi news channel Aaj Tak has doubled its ad rate from the previous Rs 4,500 to Rs 9000 approx.

     

    The media planner went on to say that news channels are in fact still trying to get advertisers on board. And though the ad rate may be the same on paper for any single news channel, new brands may have to pay a steep price as compared to old timers who might even be offered a discount.

     

    Not to be left behind in the online space, immediate trends and results from all counting centres will be relayed to NDTV in Delhi, which will reach viewers with state-of-the-art graphics almost as soon as they are released. ABP News has deployed personnel at various counting centres across the country to digitally deliver real-time data to the servers so that viewers get the results at a fast pace. Separate teams will also work right through the day for delivering results on Twitter, Facebook, Whatsapp, BBM or SMS, wherever a viewer is, on the device of his choice. Times Now has already launched an app called Election HQ app, which is also available on i-tunes to provide information to its viewers on the go. To make the incoming information simpler for the audience to understand, IBN has created the Microsoft Election Analytics Centre. The CNN-IBN – Microsoft Election Analytics Centre uses a range of Microsoft devices and services, and leverages analysis of current and historical data to provide people with intelligent election insights.

     

    With almost all news channels ready to bombard viewers with wide-ranging news and analyses related to the poll results, it remains to be seen which one manages to grab the highest number of eyeballs, along with of course, the new government.

  • Madras HC restrains Zee Media, News Nation in defamation suit filed by MS Dhoni

    Madras HC restrains Zee Media, News Nation in defamation suit filed by MS Dhoni

    MUMBAI: It’s Rs 100 crore and we aren’t talking about any Bollywood movie.  It is about a defamation suit filed by Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni against two news channel networks Zee Media Corporation and News Nation and also against suspended IPS officer G Sampath Kumar.

     

    Dhoni has filed the suit in the Madras High Court claiming that the three parties had made highly defamatory, scandalous, libelous and malicious false reports about his involvement in the IPL betting scandal.

     

    According to a report in The Hindu, an interim order has been passed by justice S Tamilvanan restraining the two news networks from broadcasting any news linking Dhoni with the betting scam for a period of two weeks.

     

    The reports that were broadcast by the news networks revolved around IPL team Chennai Super Kings, of which Dhoni is the captain, and his alleged involvement in match fixing, which, the suit said, has devastated his reputation and image in the eyes of millions of fans all over the world.

     

    When contacted, Zee Media Corp CEO Alok Agrawal said, “We have done nothing wrong. The allegations are baseless. Our lawyers are working on it and we will be fighting the case till the end.”

     

    One the other hand, the one-year old News Nation’s CEO Shailesh Kumar said he is awaiting a copy of the court’s interim order and that the news broadcaster is yet to rope in a lawyer to defend itself.

     

    The Hindu report also said Dhoni claims the news reports were done with an intention to project him as an object of hate and ridicule.

     

    Dhoni has also claimed a total of Rs 100 crore as damages from the three defendants.

  • News Nation’s Radio Campaign

    News Nation’s Radio Campaign

    MUMBAI: Country’s premium Hindi News channel News Nation has once again embarked on a brand campaign. The activity will start with a burst on top radio stations across the country. The theme of the campaign is to empower and educate people to take their own informed decision at the ballot box for Lok Sabha election 2014.

     

    The target audience of the campaign is youth and decision making audience who want to bring a change in the society. The campaign will start form 3rd March’14.

     

    Speaking of the campaign Mr. Shailesh Kumar, CEO & Editor in Chief said, “Radio is one of the popular mediums which address our target audience. Our creative conveys the significance of empowerment and informed decisions at the onset of the most important democratic process…Lok Sabha Elections 2014”

     

    It may be noted that News Nation which celebrated its 1st anniversary on 14th Feb’14 has walked up the ladder of ratings and is well placed in the Hindi News genre. News Nation had decided to make itself a reporter led channel with extensive field reporting. The channel has gradually emerged as a serious player with pure news content and traditional style of presentation.

     

    Mr. Abhay Ojha, Sr. VP- Sales & Marketing said “Radio was one of mediums which were used in our launch campaign; the current campaign is aimed to act as reminder of the values of News Nation. This is the most appropriate time for the activity as general elections are close by.”

     

    News Nation today is available on DTH platforms like Tata Sky (LCN-472), Airtel DTH(LCN-294), Dish TV(LCN-568), Videocon D2H(LCN-304),DD Free Dish (LCN-59) apart from all major MSOs/LCOs across the country like DEN, Hathway, GTPL, Fastway, Digicable, Siti Cable, In-digital etc.

  • News Nation readies second channel launch as it celebrates first anniversary

    News Nation readies second channel launch as it celebrates first anniversary

    MUMBAI: As the country heads into general elections, there’s a regional Hindi news channel being added.

     

    As it celebrates its first anniversary today, News Nation, a national Hindi news channel, has geared up to enter the regional news channel space with the launch of a channel for the states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

     

    News Nation’s news channel for Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand is all set to be launched on 19 February. The new channel already has 200 employees on board. The dry runs of the news channel are on but the name of the channel has not yet been disclosed.

     

    The Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand channel will operate from two main offices in Lucknow and Dehradun and have bureaus in 10 other cities, including in Varanasi, Jhansi, Meerut and Agra.

     

    News Nation’s Senior Editor Ranjeet Kumar will be the editorial head of the Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand channel.

     

    The channel on the launch day will be available to all cable TV viewers in the two states as well as to subscribers of DTH television service provider Freedish.

     

    News Nation has invested almost Rs 50 crore in its second news channel. A marketing campaign for the new channel, like in the case of News Nation, will follow a month after the launch.

     

    The new channel will initially be free of advertisements. “We have a rule that we let the people sample the content we have, get the ratings and then reach out to advertisers,” says News Nation CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Shailesh Kumar.

     

    The programming of the channel will be youth focussed. The vibrant colours of the two states will reflect in the logo as compared to the neutral logo of the national channel.

     

    The Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand news channel will not have the usual programming focussed on entertainment, crime and astrology. The channel will have hard news but minus any sensationalism. “You can compare News Nation to any international channel,” says Kumar buoyantly.

     

    The network has ambitious plans to expand its presence in the country. “We are currently studying markets to identify areas that are lacking good quality news channels and after that we will choose our locations,” says Kumar. He also added that there is no restriction on staying just in the Hindi Speaking Market (HSM).

     

    According to TAM data provided by the channel, News Nation has garnered an average of 68 TVTs between weeks 3 and 6 for CS 15+ age group in the HSM.

     

    News Nation is looking at signing annual advertisement deals with various clients before the election season sets in. Currently, it only has four to five minutes of advertising per hour.

     

    After having built a credible space for itself within a year, News Nation is optimistic that its first regional channel will also achieve similar success.

     

    “The road for us was not easy as this is an extremely cluttered genre. We clearly understood that there was a need for a Hindi news channel which was aggressive yet relevant, a channel based on pure news content yet blooming with new ideas and therefore, we came up with News Nation and within months of its launch it crossed over its competitors in terms of ratings,” says Kumar.