The Indian Express Group hosted the 16th edition of the Ramnath Goenka Awards for Excellence in Journalism on March 22, 2023, in Delhi, with Dr. Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, the Chief Justice of India, as the Chief Guest. The ceremony honoured journalists from both print and broadcast media who have demonstrated exceptional strength of character and integrity while reporting news under challenging or dangerous circumstances.

Addressing the audience in his speech, the chief guest of the evening, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Chief Justice of India, said, “The media is the fourth pillar in the conception of the State, and thus an integral component of democracy. A functional and healthy democracy must encourage the development of journalism as an institution that can ask difficult questions to the establishment – or as it is commonly known, ‘speak truth to power.’ The vibrancy of any democracy is compromised when the press is prevented from doing exactly this. The press must remain free if a country is to remain a democracy. India has a great legacy of newspapers which have acted as catalysts of social and political change. Many journalists, both in our country as well as across the world, work in difficult and unfriendly conditions. But they are relentless in the face of adversity and opposition. It is precisely this quality which must not be lost. As citizens, we may not agree with the approach that a journalist has adopted or the conclusions that they reach. I, too, find myself disagreeing with many journalists. After all, who amongst us agrees with all other people? But disagreement must not distort into hatred and hatred must not be permitted to evolve into violence.”

Adding to this, Viveck Goenka, CMD, Indian Express group, says: “An independent judiciary and an independent press are -- and will remain -- inalienable parts of our democracy. Do what is right irrespective of who is before you, who it’s affecting, and, in this case, who you are challenging” and lauding the CJI’s work, the CMD said “his innovative initiatives to open up court hearings; his use of technology to increase public access to the bench; his moves to bring transparency into the court’s decision-making; his thoughtful, nuanced reflections on the role of the court and its limitations; his acknowledgements of differences. All these are enduring reforms that, I am sure, will strengthen the judiciary and deepen public trust in it.”

Raj Kamal Jha, Editor-in-chief, The Indian Express, said, “The evening was a “very special story”. 37 pieces of powerful reporting from 27 newsrooms, two books that enriched our understanding of what shaped India and a wonderful applause that cuts across party lines.” Thanking the Chief Justice, he said “Your vision for a free media and your notes of caution affirm our faith that the Supreme Court will remain to borrow a metaphor you used in your recent speech, the north star. For journalists and journalism, year after year, case after case, the star light has illuminated the road ahead. From scrapping teh ban of a publication, Romesh Thapar 1950 to protecting the media from executive interference in Indian Express 1984, to extending free speech online, Shreya Singhal 2015 to ensuring journalists personal liberty in Arnab Goswami 2020, the court has kept pushing back at the state to expand our freedoms. That’s why when the lights dim, when a reporter is arrested under a law meant for terrorists, when another is arrested for asking a question, when a university teacher is picked up for sharing a cartoon, a college student for a speech, a film star for a comment, or when a rejoinder to a story comes in the form of a police FIR, we turn to the north star for its guiding light. More so as Chairman Mr Viveck Goenka said a free media and an independent court are kindred spirits. The health of one has serious implications for the health of the other. Both secure an invaluable space. The work we celebrate this evening comes from that space. “Thank you to the winners, we know that an abusive social-media post is more fun to read, summoning righteous rage, needs no effort, being afraid is very easy, but its reporting like yours with fairness and accuracy, with a rigour for detail and a respect for the contrary that best makes the case for journalism.”

The winners of the 15^th & 16^th Ramnath Goenka Awards for Excellence in Journalism which were felicitate during the event are:

Radio City and Mid-day brought to audiences the culmination of ‘Hitlist OTT Awards’ Season 4 through a virtual award ceremony with Radio City’s RJ Archana as the event host for the evening!

The award ceremony was conducted virtually on 17th March 2023 where the brightest talent in the digital content industry from around the world was recognized and celebrated. Being recognized as the original and most credible awards for the OTT industry, Hitlist OTT Awards acknowledged exceptional achievements of the prominent artists and performers in original programming and content created for Over-The-Top platforms. The virtual ceremony also featured special performances, exclusive interviews, and surprise appearances from some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry.

Following the immense success of the previous three seasons, the fourth season of Hitlist OTT Awards left the audiences in awe as this season saw 67.5mn votes where the ‘aam janta’ voted for their favorite artists, web series, and movies across 16 categories. The renowned in-house jury, consisting of Mayank Shekhar, a well-known film critic and Mid-day's entertainment editor, along with Radio City’s RJ Salil Acharya, India's recognized star influencer, shortlisted the nominees from an extensive range of categories such as drama, comedy, reality TV, documentaries, and more, making the grand finale night the most magnificent event of the year.

Speaking on the culmination of season 4 of Hitlist OTT awards, Mr. Kartik Kalla, Chief Creative Officer, Radio City, said, “This year has been immensely spectacular as we culminated Season 4 of the Hitlist OTT Awards with a whopping 67.5 million votes from the audience. Hitlist OTT Awards is one of our marquee properties and the most credible event that truly represents the best of the OTT world. The award ceremony was a night to remember as we celebrated the notable work of the stalwarts from the OTT entertainment industry. Our expanded categories, spanning drama, comedy, reality TV, and documentaries, elevated the event to a new level. We are elated to have acknowledged the game changers in the world of OTT Entertainment and their commitment to the industry. Radio City along with Mid-day will continue to brace the OTT entertainment industry through Hitlist OTT Awards in the coming seasons."

Mayank Shekhar, Entertainment Editor, Mid-day said, “This season, people voted like never before—running into tens of millions! Fans got excited, the short-lists were appreciated and the favourites won. That’s what we had worked for, and couldn’t have asked for more—in the fourth season of the Hitlist OTT Awards! Onwards to another year of bingeing.”

Here's the list of Game Changers in the World of OTT Entertainment!

Category Winners
Best New Series Mukhbir: The Story Of A Spy
Best New Season Panchayat S02
Best Adaptation (Book/Series) Mukhbir: The Story Of A Spy
Best Direct-to-Web Film Sharmaji Namkeen
Best Actor (Male): Series Ishwak Singh
Best Actor (Female): Series Shefali Shah
Best Supporting Actor (Male): Series Suvinder Vicky
Best Supporting Actor (Female): Series Tillotama Shome
Best Actor (Male): Film RajKummar Rao
Best Actor (Female): Film Shefali Shah
Best Supporting Actor (Male): Film Gajraj Rao
Best Supporting Actor (Female): Film Juhi Chawla
Best Ensemble Cast: Series Shantanu Shrikant Bhake
Best Non-Fiction Indian Predator: Murder In A Court Room
Top Internet Sensation Munawar Faruqui
Best Creator/ Show runner TVF

HT Health Shots, a fast-growing digital health and wellness destination for millennial women, has tied up with DOOH network TagTalk to spread awareness on holistic health and wellness.

The content about fitness, health and wellness tips from Health Shots will reach the Gen-Z and millennial audience through TagTalk digital displays across gyms. TagTalk has recently expanded its DOOH network to key fitness centers like Anytime Fitness, Cloud9, SK27 by Salman Khan, Wellness Club by Rahul Dev and Fit7 by MS Dhoni.

Shipra Yadav, Business Head, Health Shots, says, "At Health Shots, we truly believe in the power of the digital medium and technology in making people more aware and alert about healthcare. Our website, app and social media handles feature expert-backed content across nutrition, fitness, mental health, sexual health and more. This tie-up with TagTalk extends our visibility beyond the online medium to educate our target audience about their health while they work on their fitness."

According to Gautam Bhirani, Founder - Eyetalk Media Ventures and TagTalk, "Fitness is the antidote to the chaos and complexity of modern-day life. As people are becoming increasingly health conscious, they are turning to gyms and wellness platforms to make positive changes to their lifestyle. As one of the leading digital platforms for women’s wellness in India, Health Shots has emerged as a catalyst in that direction. At TagTalk, we are happy to share important health content through our digital displays."

The iTV Network is hosting the We Women Want Festival on 18th March 2023 at the Juhu Hotel in Mumbai. The event marks the second edition of the We Women Want Shakti Awards, honouring India's women achievers. The day-long festival which is an extravaganza celebrating women and saluting their spirit will be will be telecasted live on NewsX 10 am onwards on Saturday, 18th March.

The august presence of the Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Smt Smriti Irani, Maharashtra Chief Minister Shri Eknath Shinde, and Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis will grace the We Women Want Festival.

We Women Want Festival will host riveting sessions with India's women in forces such as Surg Cdr Shazia Khan, Lt Cdr Annu Prakash, Lt Cdr Prerna Deosthalee, and Lt Cdr Kumari Sonam. The festival will witness a compelling session with acid attack survivors Daulat bi Khan, Reshma Saira Bano, and Ashu as they share their stories and discuss what must be done for women's safety.

Indian fisherwomen, female cab drivers, and female dabbawallas will be at the event on a panel titled 'bursting stereotypes.' Women sportswomen, including Indian shooter Anjali Bhagwat, Padma Shri cricketer Diana Edulji, and hockey player Helen Mary Innocent will speak about their journeys in a previously male-dominated sphere of sports.

Women in Cinema, Television, and OTT will be represented through veteran actors Raveena Tandon & Rupali Ganguly, Rasika Dugal, and Tina Dutta. Priyanka Chahar Choudhary, Sanjana Sanghi, Saiyami Kher, and Nimrit Kaur Ahluwalia will join the festival to talk about their journeys as rising stars of India. We Women Want Festival will also host singers Jaspinder Narula & Sona Mohapatra.

'We Women Want' is an initiative to showcase women's indomitable spirit through their grit and resilience stories.

Bipin Pandit, COO, The Advertising Club, shares his experiences of completing 25 years in the advertising body.

“It was on 1st March, 1998 that I joined The Advertising Club. My appointment letter was issued by the most respected, ever smiling and immensly popular Ramesh Narayan, who was the President then. Time really flies and how 25 years have gone by is something of which I think now and look upon the entire journey with lots of satisfaction, sense of achievement and accomplishment.”

Pandit further says: “It is extremely satisfying that I have been the point person and an integral part of 22 Effies, 21 Emvies, 10 Abbys, 15 Goafest, 12 Adasia, 3 Marquees, 500 plus jury sessions.”

The Times of India group, the official country representative of Cannes Lions in India, has launched the Young Lions India competition in 3 categories – Print, Media and Marketing. The deadline for entries will be April 7, 2023.

The competition is dedicated to identifying and celebrating young creative, media and marketing professionals and showcasing their creativity on a global platform. The winners will get to attend the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, which is scheduled from June 19^th to 23^rd.

Professionals aged 30 and under (born on or after 23^rd June, 1992) can submit their entries in either of the three categories on the official website of the competition (www.timesyounglions.com).

Entries will be judged by industry leaders following which, the shortlisted teams from each of the three categories will present their work to the jury members. All the entries received will be put under screening for eligibility and a team of two participants will be selected by an independent Jury appointed in India.