ITV

Category: News Headline

  • Sony Pictures’ Juhita Gupta takes lead role on YouTube channels

    Sony Pictures’ Juhita Gupta takes lead role on YouTube channels

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India has handed the reins of its YouTube channels to Juhita Gupta, a seasoned media professional with over 16 years of consumer insights and market research under her belt.

    Gupta, who has spent more than a decade shaping programming strategies and audience growth across Sony Sab, Sony Pal, Sony Max and Set, is known for blending data storytelling with sharp commercial impact. Her remit now includes steering Sony’s digital video footprint at a time when streaming platforms are fighting fiercely for attention.

    Before joining Sony, she worked with 9XM, Disney Channel, Hungama, Star Movies and Channel V, giving her a panoramic view of India’s entertainment ecosystem, from kids’ content to blockbuster films.

    She began her career in FMCG research at Nielsen and TNS, tracking categories from skincare to home care. Those early years sharpened her instincts in quantitative and qualitative research, a skill set she later repurposed for television and, now, digital.

    Gupta’s expertise runs the gamut from weekly TV ratings (TAM, BARC) and promo planning to ethnographies, focus groups and social listening. In her own words, she thrives on “insight mining” and translating numbers into narratives, a talent Sony hopes will give its YouTube channels an edge in the battle for viewers.

  • Mona Singh voices Coto’s new brand film on emotional wellness

    Mona Singh voices Coto’s new brand film on emotional wellness

    MUMBAI: Coto, India’s leading emotional wellness platform, has released a stirring brand film narrated by actor Mona Singh, urging people to speak up and seek support without fear.

    Drawing from millions of minutes of real conversations on its platform, the film transforms lived struggles into powerful stories. A long-distance partner, a burnt-out parent, a young professional crumbling under expectations, each vignette reflects lives we recognise, but too often ignore.

    Produced with Trigger Happy Entertainment Network, the campaign doesn’t just spotlight problems; it offers pathways forward. “This film gives voice to the invisible battles so many fight while wearing a smile,” said coto, co-founder, Shefali Anurag. “Our mission is clear: to replace silence with presence, stigma with compassion, and isolation with connection.”

    For Mona Singh, lending her voice was more than a gig. It was personal. “Just as I rely on a nutritionist and fitness trainer for my physical health, coto
    supports my emotional wellness, bringing clarity and calm when it matters most,” she said. “The difference between barely surviving and truly thriving often comes down to having the right support at the right moment. That’s why I count on coto’s experts, not as a sign of weakness, but as essential
    tools for peak performance in every aspect of life.”

    With India’s $7 billion wellness market booming, coto is positioning itself not just as a platform but as a cultural force, normalising conversations around mental health, love, and relationships. The brand film is now live across coto’s digital channels, sparking dialogues that aim to travel well beyond the screen into living rooms, workplaces, and communities.

  • William V takes charge as CFO of Jio Blast Esports

    William V takes charge as CFO of Jio Blast Esports

    MUMBAI: William V has been appointed chief financial officer of Jio Blast Esports, the joint venture between Reliance’s Jio Platforms and Denmark’s Blast ApS. He will oversee financial strategy, governance and operational efficiency as the company pushes into India’s fast-growing esports sector.

    A chartered accountant by training, William has more than two decades in senior finance roles. He currently also serves as CFO at JioAds. Before joining Reliance, he spent seven years at Dentsu Aegis Network as director of finance and group treasury, following a decade at Star India where he handled US GAAP reporting, Sox compliance and project evaluation. Earlier stints included Darashaw and L&T Finance.

    At Jio Blast Esports, William is tasked with driving financial planning, compliance and automation while supporting long-term value creation in an industry that sits at the crossroads of gaming, sports and entertainment.

  • Nilay S exits Upstox after five-year marketing stint

    Nilay S exits Upstox after five-year marketing stint

    MUMBAI: Nilay S has wrapped up his near five-year run at online brokerage Upstox, where he rose to director of marketing.

    Joining in 2020, Nilay helped shape the firm’s brand and product marketing strategy, spearheaded marquee campaigns across the IPL and World Cup, and built initiatives such as UpLearn and UpNews. He led a 25-strong team, directly managing seven functional leaders, and drove growth across SEO, ASO and newer platforms.

    Earlier, Nilay spent nearly two years at Bytedance in senior marketing roles, handling go-to-market strategy for TikTok India. His résumé also spans stints at WPP’s Maxus Global, Accenture and TBWA.

    A graduate of Gujarat University with a later product management programme at Duke, Nilay signalled that he is “excited about what lies ahead” as he moves on from Upstox.

  • Mayoori Kango returns to Publicis to script an AI-powered new chapter

    Mayoori Kango returns to Publicis to script an AI-powered new chapter

    MUMBAI: From Bollywood spotlight to boardroom strategy, Mayoori Kango has never shied away from reinvention. The digital veteran has now rejoined Publicis Groupe as part of the global executive leadership team at Publicis Global Delivery (PGD), while also stepping in as CEO for PGD’s India Delivery Centre. The move marks a homecoming for Kango, who has already left her imprint on Publicis through earlier leadership roles at Performics (2016–2019) and Zenith (2012–2016). This time, her remit is bigger: driving global strategy across media, data-tech, and AI, and scaling PGD’s India operations into a hub of innovation.

    Kango arrives at Publicis fresh from Google, where she spent six and a half years. Most recently, she served as Industry head for AI, Martech & Media Solutions (Aug 2024–Aug 2025), and before that as head of industry for agency partnership (2019–2024). Her time at the tech giant placed her at the forefront of AI’s impact on marketing and media, a focus she is set to double down on at Publicis.

    Her career trajectory reads like a map of the digital advertising revolution: from 360i (2007–2009), where she worked on campaigns for Natgeo and Red Roof Inn, to Resolution Media (2009–2010), leading SEM for Pepsi, Monster, and Electrolux, to Digitas (2010–2012), running the Delta Search business. By the time she took the reins as chief digital officer at Zenith India, she was already recognised as one of the leading voices in digital transformation.

    Armed with an MBA in Marketing from Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College (2005–2007), Kango has built a rare global career that blends Silicon Valley tech with Madison Avenue storytelling and Indian market scale.

    Her dual role at Publicis is as much about the future as it is about continuity. As AI reshapes workflows, creativity, and consumer engagement, Kango will lead PGD’s efforts to position Publicis as the go-to partner for next-gen marketing solutions with India at its core.

    For an industry that thrives on reinvention, Kango’s return feels fitting. After all, who better to script a new chapter in AI-led marketing than someone who has lived through every act of digital’s ongoing drama?
     

  • Taronish Karkaria to lead iconic Taj West End, Bengaluru as GM

    Taronish Karkaria to lead iconic Taj West End, Bengaluru as GM

    MUMBAI: Taj West End, Bengaluru has appointed Taronish Karkaria as its new general manager. A second-generation hotelier, Karkaria has spent more than 20 years with Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL), shaping operations at some of the group’s most celebrated properties.

    He was most recently the pre-opening general manager of Taj Gandhinagar Resort & Spa, and earlier served as director of operations at  Taj Palace, New Delhi, the capital’s largest luxury convention hotel. His career has also spanned senior roles at The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, and Taj Lands End, Mumbai.

    IHCL, senior vice president–operations, Satyajeet Krishnan said Karkaria’s experience would “play a key role in further strengthening the hotel’s position as one of the city’s most distinguished luxury destinations.”

    Calling Taj West End “a true icon of Bengaluru’s hospitality landscape,” Karkaria said he aimed to build on its legacy by blending warmth and innovation to craft meaningful guest experiences.

    In his new role, he will oversee operations, sharpen revenue strategy and strengthen the property’s reputation as one of Bengaluru’s most storied hotels.

     

     

  • NDTV launches ‘The Buck Stops Here’ with Padmaja Joshi

    NDTV launches ‘The Buck Stops Here’ with Padmaja Joshi

    MUMBAI: When it comes to primetime chatter, NDTV is putting its money where its mouth is. With The Buck Stops Here, fronted by Padmaja Joshi, the network is betting on a simple promise: end the noise, get to the point, and deliver answers that matter.

    Airing weeknights at 9 pm on NDTV 24×7, the show is pitched as the “end of every argument”, a space where governance, economy, society and India’s role in the world are not just debated but distilled into clarity.

    Joshi, NDTV’s managing editor and primetime anchor, brings her trademark directness to the role. “No evasion and no prevarication” she insists, setting the tone for debates that aim to close with conclusions rather than cliff-hangers.

    CEO and editor-in-chief, Rahul Kanwal, framed the launch as a statement of intent and said, “The Buck Stops Here is primetime as India deserves it – rigorous, and uncompromisingly focused on what matters most to the nation. Padmaja Joshi brings an editorial depth and clarity of vision that will ensure this is not just another show, but the end of every argument – a definitive moment in the national conversation.”

    For NDTV, the programme signals more than a new slot, it marks the channel’s renewed ambition to mirror a confident India with sharper, bolder coverage. For viewers weary of endless shouting matches, it could well be the place where the buck really does stop.

  • Supreme Court tells comedians to apologise for mocking disabled

    Supreme Court tells comedians to apologise for mocking disabled

    NEW DELH: The supreme court on Monday ordered five stand-up comics, including YouTuber Samay Raina, to publish public apologies on YouTube and other social platforms for cracking jokes at the expense of persons with disabilities (PwDs).

    A bench of justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a plea by SMA Cure Foundation, represented by senior advocate Aparajita Singh, which flagged offensive remarks by Raina, Vipul Goyal, Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai, Sonali Thakkar alias Sonali Aditya Desai and Nishant Jagdish Tanwar.

    The court said it would determine financial penalties later, but made clear that “the degree of repentance should be higher than the degree of offending”. It also allowed the information and broadcasting ministry to join the proceedings, with attorney general R Venkataramani asked to draft guidelines on social media speech, ensuring dignity without imposing a gag.

    Justice Bagchi warned that comedy which commercialises speech by ridiculing communities crosses the line: “Humour is part of life. We laugh at ourselves. But when it targets others and breaches sensibility, it becomes problematic.”

    Justice Kant added that penal consequences under the IT Act should match the harm caused.
    Singh suggested that the comedians use their influence to spread awareness about disability rights, calling it the best form of apology. The judges asked the comics to respond to this proposal, noting that influencers have a duty not to hurt marginalised communities.

    The matter stems from Raina’s alleged jokes about the cost of treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, which the foundation said mocked both patients and their families. The court earlier compelled the comedians’ attendance, though their presence has now been dispensed with, provided they honour their undertakings.

    The bench stressed that free speech under Article 19 cannot override the right to dignity under Article 21. As Justice Kant put it: “Today it is the disabled, tomorrow it could be something else. Where will this end?”

  • Mirchi powers up world’s first live solar radio show with Adani Group

    Mirchi powers up world’s first live solar radio show with Adani Group

    MUMBAI: Talk about a bright idea! Mirchi has flipped the switch on the world’s first live solar-powered radio studio, proving that sunshine can power more than just rooftops, it can fuel an entire cultural moment.

    In partnership with the Adani Group’s campaign Hum Karke Dikhate Hain, Mirchi staged live solar-fuelled broadcasts in Mumbai and Ahmedabad. RJ Jeeturaaj, RJ Krutarth and RJ Urvi kept the energy high at two buzzing venues: the BMC Office Selfie Point near CST and Gurudwara Crossroads in Thaltej. The twist? Every watt came straight from the sun.

    The shows blended music, interviews and tales of clean energy transforming lives, from farmers and schools to hospitals. And this wasn’t a one-off spectacle. Mirchi rolled the movement out across 30 cities, with its RJs sharing real-world stories of how solar power is lighting up India.

    At the campaign’s heart sits Suraj Bhaiya Hain Na, a film showcasing Adani’s renewable vision and underscoring that solar energy is not just possible but scalable, practical and even cultural.

  • Mallika Nath Handa inks a new chapter with Network18 leadership move

    Mallika Nath Handa inks a new chapter with Network18 leadership move

    MUMBAI: When it comes to building big brand bridges, Mallika Nath Handa knows the blueprint. The seasoned media and partnerships leader has joined Network18 Media & Investments Limited in August 2025 to helm Building Strategic Relationships, marking yet another power move in a two-decade career spanning India’s biggest media and digital houses.

    Handa’s career arc is as eclectic as it is impressive. She most recently spent 1 year and 9 months at Zomato, where she headed partnerships and played a pivotal role in shaping the food-tech major’s brand-building efforts. Before that, she spent a mammoth 11 years and 8 months at Times Internet, rising to the position of head of revenue and branded content for Indiatimes Lifestyle Network.

    Her early innings saw her hold senior sales roles at AIDEM Ventures (1 year 11 months), NDTV Media (4 years 3 months), and Star TV (2 years 5 months). Across these stints, she sharpened her expertise in revenue growth, branded content, digital innovation, and strategic partnerships, working at the intersection of media, technology, and brand storytelling.

    An alumna of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (2000–2004) with a degree in Fashion Design and Information Technology, Handa’s journey reflects a blend of creativity and commercial acumen, a combination that’s particularly suited to navigating Network18’s expansive media ecosystem.

    The move comes as Network18 continues to deepen its relationships with advertisers, creators, and platforms in an increasingly fragmented media landscape. With her proven track record in forging partnerships and scaling businesses, Handa’s entry signals the company’s intent to fortify its strategic growth playbook.

    From fashion design to food-tech to forging the future of one of India’s largest media networks, Handa’s career trajectory proves she has always been in the business of connections and at Network18, she now gets to take that literally.