Media veteran Mr Uday Shankar has officially launched Mr Upendrra Rai’s highly anticipated National Hindi News Channel, Bharat Express amidst much fanfare a dazzling ceremony organized at Hotel Andaz by Hyatt in New Delhi on 1st February 2023.

The channel launch was attended by senior Political Leaders, Bollywood celebrities, Sports Icons and Business Luminaries namely Shri Anurag Thakur, Minister for I&B and Youth Affairs & Sports, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Jal Shakti, Mr Nityanand Rai, MoS, Home Affairs, Shri Sanjeev Balyan, MoS, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Mr Sunil Arora, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India and Dr Kumar Vishwas. Bollywood Singer B Praak also dazzled the audience with his impromptu performance.

Speaking at the launch Mr Uday Shankar, said, “I wish Upendrra all the best at the launch of his media venture and congratulate the entire team of Bharat Express at a successful launch. Having known Upendrra for so many years, I am assured that Bharat Express will demonstrate paramount journalistic ethics when seeking and delivering news”

Extending his gratitude, CMD and Editor-in-Chief, Mr Upendrra Rai commented, “Mr Uday Shankar has continued to inspire me through years and I am privileged to have him officially launch Bharat Express today. The channel will continue to reflect our core ethos of Satya, Sahas and Samarpan in the pursuit of Bold and Direct Journalism. Given the quickly changing market dynamics, Bharat Express is well-equipped to deliver relevant news content to the evolving discerning news viewer”

Bharat Express will have a pan-India presence and is available across all major DTH and Cable Networks, namely, Tata Play – 535, Dish TV – 671, D2H – 753 and Airtel DTH.

Mr Varun Kohli, CEO, Bharat Express, said, “The launch has created a lot of hype and anticipation among viewers and advertisers alike. We are aiming to be a leader in the news space with an improved viewer engagement across our TV and Digital platforms.

TikTok’s Sofia Hernandez, GUT’s Anselmo Ramos and Ogilvy’s Liz Taylor Join The One Club Board of Directors

The One Club for Creativity, the world’s foremost nonprofit organization supporting the global creative community, has added three top industry leaders to its esteemed Board of Directors.

Elected by a vote of The One Club membership to two-year terms, effective immediately, are Sofia Hernandez, Global Head of Business Marketing, TikTok; Anselmo Ramos, Cofounder, Creative Chairman, GUT; and Liz Taylor, Global Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy.

Board member responsibilities include providing input and feedback on the club’s many professional development, education, inclusion & diversity and gender equality programs, connecting the club with advertising and design schools, and nominating top creatives to serve on juries for The One Show and ADC Annual Awards, both of which are currently open for entries.

“One reason why The One Club is so prestigious is because of its exceptional, diverse and gender balanced Board, an impressive group of the most prominent creative professionals in our field,” said Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club. “We’re thrilled to have Sofia, Liz and Anselmo on the Board, and look forward to their input on ways to expand our mission to support and celebrate the success of the global creative community.”

The three join a select group of global creative leaders who serve on the club’s National and International Boards.

"The creative space has never looked this diverse – from the types of creators, to what they’re creating to how they’re creating it – I’m excited to be a part of this shift,” said Hernandez. “What better time to join The One Club For Creativity as they help enable and empower creative people across the globe”.

Ramos added "I told Kevin I've been waiting for this call ever since I bought my first One Show Annual in 1993 and I could barely speak English. It's a dream and an honor to help The One Club continue to promote diversity and creativity across the industry."

“The One Club is not only a champion of world-changing ideas, but a pivotal force that has shaped and grown the careers of creatives around the world, myself included," Taylor said. "I was that young creative who endlessly studied The One Show annuals and entered as many student competitions as I could. Now, to be asked to be on the Board of The One Club for Creativity is just a sublime way to complete the circle. I am beyond humbled and thrilled at the opportunity to join such an incredible organization and build on its efforts to unlock the potential of the next generation of diverse creative talent.”

Hernandez, Ramos and Taylor replace José Mollá, founder, CCO at the community, who served on the Board for 18 years including a three-year term as chairman; former Ogilvy Toronto co-CCO and Swim cofounder Nancy Vonk, who relinquished her seat upon being inducted into The One Club's Creative Hall of Fame last fall, and Chloe Gottlieb, director, product design at Google.

The channel has a targeted marketing plan to maximise the engagement of stakeholders

The prime time of the year has arrived when there is an increased curiosity among the citizens of India on what’s next for the Indian economy?

The diversified Indian economy has grown steadily over the past 50 years, with strong trade relations with other countries. Expectations from Industry leaders of different sectors are sky-high for the upcoming Union Budget. In an endeavor to report timely updates and analysis on the budget, Zee Business’ ‘Shining India’ news show aims at engaging the viewers on Budget Day’ on 1st February 2023 from 7 am to 11 pm, primarily focusing on a full-day analysis, with a breakdown and discussion on the Budget 2023-24. This will also further add extensive value to the advertisers, as it can create an impactful brand value among the target audience.

Through the Shining India news show, the channel has exclusively lined up guests and key leaders to simplify the budget / finance jargons for the common man. This will allow viewers to have an in-depth understanding of the impact of Union Budget proposals on their day-to-day life. From the business point of view, this strategized move also brings in revenue and creates opportunities for sponsorship on exclusive budget programming and special packages around this theme.

Speaking on the launch, Anil Singhvi, Managing Editor, Zee Business, said, “The Indian economy has emerged as the world's fifth largest, with a GDP of $3.5 trillion in 2022 aspiring to achieve a $5 trillion milestone by 2024-25. We, at Zee Business, strongly believe in truth and fairness in reporting. Budget sessions have been progressive, to attain economic development. ‘Shinning India’ looks forward to providing a platform for key industry leaders to bring to light what can be expected in fiscal management, growth strategies that can be adopted for the manufacturing sector, infrastructural developments, etc.”

“Brands /clients have always been looking for innovative options to connect with their customers during budget season. That's where Zee Business and ZMCL present cross-platform avenues with multiple engagement tools which serve varied client needs that are beyond regular FCTs. With our credible and comprehensive programming line-up, we hope to see significantly higher number of eyeballs and better stakeholder management, thus broadening the scope of our business,” highlighted Madhu Soman, Chief Business Officer, Zee Business & WION.

The channel has a targeted marketing plan, including mailers, print ads and budget contests to maximise engagement of stakeholders. It also further aims to encourage the audiences to be involved in the budget coverage through the ongoing infotainment buzz via social media posts.

Progressive Punjab Forum, executed as part of State Business Summit series hosted by TV9 Network, aims to build the federal India business play

In a wide-ranging interaction with business leaders assembled under the aegis of TV9 Progressive Punjab Forum, Bhagwat Mann, the state Chief Minister, said his government was moving fast to cut red tape and ease the process of setting up business.

“We aim to provide single window clearance to industry. We seek to end red tape. No-objection certificates can be secured easily,” Mann told the Progressive Punjab Forum.

Mann made several policy announcements at the Forum that witnessed a large number of business leaders join the deliberations.

Mann hailed India Inc leaders and their contribution to the India growth story. “Businesspeople are true patriots since they create employment, pay taxes and also garner profits. A government should offer solutions instead of being feared by the business community,” he averred.

Interactivity defined the deliberations as business leaders freely expressed themselves.

Mann further added, “I have come to Mumbai after many years and I had a close connection with Mumbai, when I was working in television shows. We are planning to set up a film city in Punjab. Therefore, I want to request filmmakers and producers from Mumbai to come and set up their studios here in Punjab because I want to connect the Punjabi cinema industry with Bollywood. This will also help the government generate some revenue”.

The Forum was attended by business representatives drawn from a cross section of business verticals & even filmmakers. The Chief Minister fielded questions from the Network anchors, and this was followed by two power panel discussions where ideas for investment and growth came up for active discussion.

Speaking on the occasion, Raktim Das, Chief Growth Officer (Broadcasting & Digital), TV9 Network said, “TV9 Network is committed to hosting state leaders across India to foster a vibrant business and economy landscape leading to further the India economic growth story. Progressive Punjab Forum is a step in that direction, and we are happy to note the constructive level of engagement between the Chief Minister and invited business leaders.”

Among the top business leaders who joined the Forum deliberations included Rahul Rajendra Agarwal, Director, Donear Group & OCM, veteran industrialist Vijay Kalantri, Anant Singhania, CEO, JK Enterprises and President of IMC Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Dr. Aneel Kashi Murarka, MD, Mirachem Industries, Anuj Sharma, Founder, Alsisar Impact, Ashish Dobhal, India Head, UPL (United Phosphorus Limited), Ragavan Venkatesan, Founder, MD & CEO, Digivriddhi (DGV), and Rupinder Singh Sachdeva, Chair, PHDCCI, Punjab Chapter.

Kappa Originals is about music without borders. Languages and genres from across the country will be brought to our audiences. It is all about original music and original creators.

Mathrubhumi’s Kappa TV to Mathrubhumi’s - Kappa Originals

Background

Past 10 years Mathrubhumi has been contributing greatly into India’s independent music space. It’s iconic music and entertainment show Music Mojo has not only been a platform for so many of today’s popular and big bands and artists but also a great promoter of independent music. At this milestone of completing 10 years as a broadcasting/telecasting partner for independent music, Mathrubhumi is proud to move into our next phase.

Mathrubhumi is launching a new independent music label. For us, Kappa has been about music and will continue to be. Music moves souls and we want to be a more involved partner in this process for all music lovers making it about both the music and it’s amazing creators and facilitating the creation, maintenance and growth of a sustainable ecosystem for all, including music labels like ours. Our new music label is called Kappa Originals

Why an independent music label?

It is about original creators, original ideas and original music. Music is universal and impactful. While we are all drawn to popular music from Cinema, the joy of discovering new music is a journey that independent musicians and creators make possible. For Kappa, it is about keeping the world of music for its audiences original so discovery and explorations are possible. For our musicians, it's about their original sound and creativity and for our audiences, it is about music they love and music they didn’t know they would. Through the label, we hope to co create independent original music for this time and times to come.

About the label - Kappa Originals

Definition: Original independent music label from south India.

Kappa Originals is about music without borders. Languages and genres from across the country will be brought to our audiences. It is all about original music and original creators.

The Launch event:

The launch of the label was being done through the release of 2 singles from our first various artist album - “I’m Original” that features artists Job Kurien ft. Rex Vijayan and Sayanora ft. Rap Kid, both supported by Varkey. They are all great representatives of a generation of independent musicians who grew with Kappa in the past 10 years.

The Album - I’m ORIGINAL

Songs released

Artist 1: Job Kurian

Song: Athe Nila (Malayalam Song)

Team Athe Nila:

- Rex Vijayan
- Varkey
- Ananthu Nirmal : Grooves and Percussion
- Rony George - Guitar
- Shikku Dan Jacob- Guitar
- Ananthapadmanabhan Nirmal- Drums
- Balachandran- Base Guitar

Artist 2: Sayanora Philip

Song: Aare Jiyare

Team Aare Jiyare :

- Varkey
- Rap Kid- Rap Vocals
- Aditya - Lyrics
- Sujith VV - Guitars
- Sreeshankar P- Guitars