News Headline

Revolving doors keep spinning in television as executives flee for calmer pastures

Published

5 months ago

August 31, 2025

MUMBAI: The Indian media and entertainment business is experiencing something of a convulsion. At the heart of the storm sits television, a medium once considered impregnable, now rattled by both economic pressures and shifting consumption patterns. Senior and mid-level executives are walking out of plush offices at an unprecedented rate, turning resignation letters into the industry’s hottest commodity. The revolving doors at general entertainment channels, factual broadcasters and news networks have scarcely stopped spinning.

Take the case of Rahul Kanwal, who after more than 16 years of high-profile editorial leadership quit India Today TV to join NDTV, in a move that shocked newsroom insiders. Or Ajit Varghese, the revenue chief at JioStar, who traded the corporate heft of a giant for partnership status at Madison, Sam Balsara’s three-and-a-half-decade-old agency. Meanwhile, Ashish Sehgal, a towering presence at Zee Entertainment for two decades and long seen as a confidant of Subhash Chandra and Punit Goenka bowed out just last week, a departure many in the industry still consider unimaginable.

The Indian entertainment industry has been undergoing a leadership shake-up, particularly at Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI). Veteran executive Neeraj Vyas exited after decades with the broadcaster to pursue entrepreneurial ambitions, signalling a personal pivot. Leena Lele Dutta, who oversaw the Kids and Animation business, is also stepping down, with Ambesh Tiwari set to replace her—a move that reflects SPNI’s portfolio restructuring. At the same time, the network bolstered its programming muscle by onboarding Nimisha Pandey as Programming Head at Sony SAB, underlining a renewed focus on fresh content creation.

At Zee Media, a similar churn has unfolded. Manish Kalra and Archana Anand departed from Zee5 amid the platform’s ongoing strategy reset, while Mona Jain, Chief Revenue Officer, stepped down in August, citing industry-wide advertising pressures. Leadership realignment continued with Karan Abhishek Singh taking over as CEO, succeeding Abhay Ojha. These shifts highlight both the turbulence caused by stalled merger talks and the urgent need for sharper digital and ad revenue strategies.

The news broadcasting sector has also witnessed high-profile exits. Avinash Pandey, CEO of ABP Network, resigned after more than two decades, stating personal reasons and the desire for a new professional chapter, with Sumanta Datta stepping in as his successor. MK Anand, CEO of Times Network, retired after leading the group through market headwinds, paving the way for Varun Kohli, who joined as COO to drive growth. Meanwhile, industry veteran Bobby Pawar shifted gears by joining News18 Studio as a creative consultant, reflecting the increasing importance of branded storytelling and creative content partnerships in newsrooms.

The exits stretch beyond individual cases. Varun Kohli, who lasted barely a year as chief executive of Times Now, is gone. Aditya Raj Kaul, a stalwart of TV9, has crossed over to NDTV. At Warner Bros Discovery, Uttam Pal Singh, who spearheaded kids’ programming, resigned suddenly earlier this year, followed by Azmat Jagmat, another senior name. And in a particularly symbolic shift, Sanjog Gupta, head of sports at JioStar, has left to take up what one insider calls “a less bruising role” at the International Cricket Conference.

What explains this exodus? A cocktail of pressures, say industry watchers. “Some of the folks are being let go on account of job redundancies,” observes one long-time media consultant. The wave of mergers and acquisitions JioStar’s consolidation, Zee’s attempted tie-ups, and the global reorganisations at Warner Bros Discovery has created overlapping functions. Where there are two people for one chair, one has to go.

But redundancies only partly explain the malaise. The sharper truth, argue observers, lies in economics. Television revenues are under siege. Ad growth has slowed dramatically, with TAM Media data showing a 10 per cent decline in the first half of the year. Broadcasters, desperate to offset the slide, are demanding steeper targets from revenue heads and programming chiefs. “The expectations are unreasonable,” says another insider. “Advertisers are spoiled for choice, streaming platforms are eating into budgets, and yet top managements are chasing revenue hikes that are simply not possible. The stress is unbearable.”

Increments, too, have dried up. Senior executives accustomed to annual rises and bonuses now find themselves fighting merely to hold ground. Worse still, broadcasters have been launching streaming services of their own almost all advertising-driven which has only spread resources thinner and pushed teams into even more brutal competition for a shrinking pool of ad dollars.

Not all departures are sackings; some are voluntary retreats. As one industry observer puts it: “Executives are not just quitting jobs, they’re choosing health over hypertension. The rat race is too costly.” Indeed, several departures from Sanjog Gupta’s exit to ICC, to executives slipping into agencies or advisory roles bear the hallmark of a search for relative calm.

Macro forces are compounding the gloom. With Russia’s war in Ukraine dragging on, Israel and Palestine locked in fresh conflict, and US president Donald Trump slapping stiff tariffs on Indian goods, global instability is feeding into local advertising budgets. Brands, particularly multinationals, are cautious, trimming campaigns and deferring big spends. “Belt-tightening will only intensify in the second half of the year,” warns a veteran media planner. “Blood baths are going to continue. Expect more resignations, more forced exits. The churn is far from over.”

For now, television in India is still a business of scale: hundreds of millions watch every day, advertising still contributes the lion’s share of broadcaster revenues, and regional channels continue to proliferate. But for the men and women running the show, the glamour has dimmed. The executive suite, once the ultimate perch, has become a revolving door. And the more it spins, the less likely it seems to stop anytime soon.

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Awards

Hamdard honours changemakers at Abdul Hameed awards

Published

3 days ago

February 7, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.

The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.

Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.

The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.

Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.

Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.

The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.

Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.

Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.

The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.

Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.

MAM

Why the best campaigns today start with insights, not ideas

Published

3 days ago

February 7, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: For decades, creative storytelling has been the cornerstone of brand communication. The “big idea” amplified through catchy jingles, striking visuals, and memorable hooks was once the gold standard for relevance and recall. Creativity defined presence, and the loudest, boldest campaigns often won attention.

But the marketing landscape today looks very different.

Audiences are more exposed, more discerning, and far less patient. They are inundated with messages across platforms, formats, and creators, often encountering hundreds of brand touchpoints in a single day. In this environment, creativity alone especially when untethered from real consumer truths is no longer enough to move behaviour. Great ideas are abundant. Meaningful impact is not.

This is where insights matter.

The difference may seem subtle, but it is fundamental. An idea represents what a brand wants to say. An insight reflects what the audience is already thinking, feeling, or experiencing. The most effective campaigns emerge not from cleverness alone, but from the intersection of these two forces.

From creativity to relevance

As the marketing ecosystem becomes increasingly saturated, consumers are growing immune to inflated claims and surface-level storytelling. Even beautifully crafted campaigns can fail if they are disconnected from lived realities. The gap between a brand’s internal enthusiasm and the audience’s actual sentiment can be the difference between attention and indifference.

Insights help bridge this gap. They force brands to pause, listen, and observe to understand emotions, behaviours, cultural contexts, and contradictions. Instead of trying to be remembered through louder branding, insight-led campaigns allow audiences to see their own experiences reflected back at them. When a campaign articulates a problem that feels personal, relevance is created. Trust follows.

Insight is interpretation, not information

It’s important to distinguish between data and insight. Data tells us what is happening. Insight explains why it is happening. While data is measurable and structured, insights are interpretive and dynamic, shaped by real-time sentiment and human behaviour.

Modern consumers are full of contradictions. They demand authenticity while remaining deeply aspirational. They want brands to take a stand but expect nuance, not instruction. They seek transparency, yet are drawn to curated narratives. These tensions are not obstacles, they are opportunities. When understood correctly, they can shape communication that feels timely, credible, and human.

Some of the most effective campaigns today are born not in isolated brainstorm rooms, but through listening to audiences, creators, editors, online communities, and cultural signals. Insights often exist in blurred patterns, but once identified, they can redefine how a brand connects.

A recent campaign we executed for Domino’s illustrates this shift clearly. The brief wasn’t to make a pizza look bigger or louder. Instead, it was rooted in a simple behavioural truth: in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, sharing food is an emotional act tied to family, celebration, and value perception. The “Big Big 6-in-1 Pizza” became a canvas for this insight. The campaign leaned into regional voices and real sharing moments, allowing people to show how they experienced the product rather than being told why they should buy it. Influencers and celebrities amplified genuine usage, not scripted endorsements. The impact from engagement to footfall to sales came not from a clever idea, but from understanding how people relate to food in their everyday lives.

Shifting the starting point

Today’s consumer landscape demands a shift in perspective from “What should the brand say?” to “What does the audience need to hear right now?” This marks a move away from inward-led marketing toward communication shaped by behaviour, emotion, and cultural relevance.

Brands leading today are keen observers. They notice when perfection stops resonating. They sense when luxury shifts from aspiration to excess. They recognise when influencer content begins to feel repetitive and trust erodes.

Virality, too, is often misunderstood. It is not a strategy to chase, but an outcome. Campaigns rooted in insight do not aim to go viral; they aim to resonate. When content reflects something familiar, a shared truth, emotion, or tension, it travels organically because people see themselves in it.

Ideas attract attention. Insights build connection.

The evolving role of PR

For PR professionals, this shift has redefined success. Coverage volume alone no longer tells the full story. The more meaningful questions today are: Did the communication influence behaviour? Did it align with cultural conversations? Did it address a real consumer pain point?

Insight-first thinking allows these questions to be answered at the planning stage, rather than corrected midway through execution.

In a world where formats and platforms will continue to evolve, what remains constant is the power of authentic communication. The strongest campaigns today do not begin with a brainstorm, but with observation, interpretation, and empathy. That is not just better marketing, it is more responsible, resilient, and meaningful brand-building.

Brands

Ahmad Muneeb elevated to VP – HR centre of excellence at Zepto

Published

3 days ago

February 7, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Zepto has elevated Ahmad Muneeb to vice president – HR centre of excellence, placing him at the helm of the company’s total rewards, executive compensation and organisational effectiveness as the quick-commerce firm powers through a high-growth phase.

The move follows his stint as senior director of the HR COE, where he played a central role in preparing the company for IPO readiness while scaling its people analytics capabilities. During this period, Muneeb helped align complex performance management structures with more streamlined and scalable employee experience frameworks.

In his new role, he will steer the design of total rewards strategies, executive compensation planning and organisational design, while also overseeing performance management, employee experience initiatives and people analytics programmes.

Before joining Zepto, Muneeb spent nearly three years at Meesho, where he held multiple rewards and HR business partner roles. Earlier in his career, he worked as a senior rewards consultant at Mercer, advising high-tech clients on compensation benchmarking, pay structures and talent-focused reward frameworks.

He began his hr journey at Cognizant, where he supported compensation programmes for nearly two lakh employees across India and worked on m&a compensation alignment and skill-based pay initiatives. Prior to moving into HR, Muneeb started his career as a software engineer at Netcracker, bringing a technical grounding to his people strategy work.

With a mix of consulting rigour, start-up agility and enterprise-scale experience, Muneeb’s elevation signals Zepto’s continued focus on building robust people systems as it races towards its next phase of growth.