ITV

Category: TV Channels

  • TV9 promotes Sanjeev Mulchandani to News9 business head

    TV9 promotes Sanjeev Mulchandani to News9 business head

    MUMBAI: The Barun Das-headed Associated Broadcasting Co – the holding company of the TV9 group news channels – has promoted Sanjeev Mulchandani as executive vice-president – sales and business head of the English news channel cluster – News9. Prior to this Sanjeev was branch and revenue  head – west & east for the TV9 network.

    Sanjeev has been with the network for around five years in various positions. Before TV9, Sanjeev was the zonal head – sales (west & south) of Zee News for three years. He has had time with iTV network, Network18, Star India, Reliance Broadcast, Aidem (for NDTV),Hindustan Times, Hutchison Essar, and Hindustan Lever.

    As executive vice-president sales &  business head Sanjeev is in charge of driving revenue growth and building strategic partnerships for the TV9’s English cluster, News9, as well as continuing with his existing role of sales for linear TV. 
     

  • SPNI hires Nimisha Pandey for top programing job at Sony-SAB

    SPNI hires Nimisha Pandey for top programing job at Sony-SAB

    MUMBAI; It’s homecoming for television creative professional Nimisha Pandey. Market sources say that she is set to join Sony Entertainment Television’s profitable Sony SAB channel as its programming head.

    For those not in the know, Nimisha had joined Multiscreen Media (as Sony was known then) for two years as an executive producer between 2004-2006 at the start of her career after completing her course in direction from the Film & Television Institute of India in Pune.

    It may be recalled that the long-serving NP Singh had retired as Sony Pictures Network India CEO a couple of months ago; he was replaced by content star Gaurav Banerjee. Nimisha is one of GB’s (as he is known) first unconfirmed senior creative hires since taking over.

    Nimisha was last the chief content head, originals at Zee5 for almost four years. Prior to that she was director international originals for nearly two years at global streaming powerhouse Netflix’s India ops Before that she held the position of head of content at Alt Balaji for three years.

    She has  had year-long-project-led stints at various production houses right from Balaji Telefilms, 4 Lions Films, Fireworks, Directors Kut, Sphere Origin (for three years),  and Shreya Entertainment over the years.

    We tried to reach out to the normally effervescent and bubbly Nimisha but she was unavailable for comment. Neither was anyone from Sony; it, being a Sunday.

    With the buzz being extremely strong, Indiantelevision.com decided to go ahead and report her appointment.

    With 20 years’ varied experience under her belt producing and commissioning shows, Nimisha does seem like the right candidate for the job.
     

  • Network18 Media shuffles senior management

    Network18 Media shuffles senior management

    MUMBAI: Reliance Industries group company Network18 has made some senior management changes, which it made public through a regulatory filing on the Bombay stock exchange on 12 October 2024.

    Shweta Gupta has been appointed as company secretary and compliance officer, replacing Nitten Gupta as the compliance officer who moved out of Network18 on 12 October 2024.

    Sanchayan Paul has also been roped in as chief human resource officer who will join Network18 from 1 November 2024. He replaces P. Sakthivel who will be moving into another role within the company from 31 October 2024.  The company had made the announcement of Sachayan’s  joining as CHRO designate in June 2024.

    Gupta is a qualified company secretary & law graduate with more than 20 years’ experience in the areas of  secretarial, corporate governance, legal and compliance functions.  Her last posting was as company secretary & compliance officer & legal head of Gulf Oil Lubricants India, a Hinduja group company. Before Gulf, she was associated with Hindalco Industries and JSW Steel.

    A graduate from Delhi university and a postgraduate from XLRI Jamshedpur, Sanchayan is a a veteran HR professional with more than 25 years’ experience. He was previously associated with Modenik Lifestyle, a PE-backed enterprise that he landed into after journeying through companies as varied as Reliance Industries, Thomson Reuters, Eicher Consulting Services, Hutchison Essar Telecom and Vodafone. He also took a stab at entrepreneurship, founding KaryaMitr, a tech-enabled platform for skill building and training aimed at the vernacular workspace. Sanchayan has also completed his digital business leadership pogramme from Cornell University.

  • Network18: mixed financial performance in Q2 FY 2025

    Network18: mixed financial performance in Q2 FY 2025

    MUMBAI: That the television industry is going through a rough phase has been talked about ad nauseum. Normally, the June-September quarter is subdued -especially in media and entertainment – with the monsoons setting in and most categories slowing down on their ad spends. But, in 2025, the spends were even further muted despite some tentpole properties being shown on television. Or at least that’s what the media pundits are saying. And this is reflected in the Q2 FY 2025 consolidated financials of the Reliance Industries-owned Network18 Media.

    Network18 Media’s losses have climbed to Rs 1520 million as against Rs 1190 million in the corresponding period of FY2024. Revenues too have marginally dropped to Rs  18,250 million (Rs 18,6600 million in Q2FY 2024). For Q2 FY2025, the company has tightened its belt and reduced its operational costs to Rs 10,670 million (Rs 12,380 million). However, its marketing, distribution and promotional expenses have climbed to Rs 5020 million (Rs 3,720 million); its finance costs have escalated to Rs 1,700 million (Rs 660 million).

    On a half yearly basis, the financials to 30 September 2024 look more respectable. H1 FY2025 profit is at Rs 490 million as compared to a loss of Rs 270 million in H1 FY 2022. The company has turned up a profit despite a drop in revenues to Rs 49,660 million (Rs 51,040 million). It has managed to put a handle on operational expenses which fell to Rs 33,690 million (Rs 36,040 million). However, its marketing, promotion and distribution costs have shot up to Rs 10,120 million (Rs 8,970 million). Employee benefit costs too have risen to Rs 7010 million (Rs 6650 million). Finance costs have more than doubled to Rs 3,200 million (Rs 1,340 million).

    The company said in the a press release posted on the Bombay stock exchange that the news portfolio revenue grew only six per cent primarily driven by growth in digital segment ad revenue across all platforms (Rs 4450 million against Rs 4220 million in Q2 FY 2024). TV advertising was soft during the quarter as industry advertising volumes for the news genre declined by 20 per cent YoY. News’ share in overall advertising inventory consumption also declined by over 200 bps YoY and QoQ.

    Its entertainment vertical  under Viacom18 saw a decline in operating revenue of five per cent during Q2 FY 2025  primarily due to the drop in movie segment revenue. In Q2FY24, Viacom18 Studios had released two big-ticket movies whereas there were no movies released this quarter, which had an impact of Rs 3300 million on the revenue. Growth in ad revenue was primarily driven by digital, across both sports and non-sports segment (Rs 4450 million vs Rs 4200 million). Entertainment TV revenue was shaved to Rs 13,390 million (Rs 14,160 million). This was largely offset by growth in subscription revenue (Rs 7,330 million vs Rs 5110 million) aided by new pricing as well as the increased monetisation of its sports portfolio.

    JioCinema’s recently launched SVOD plans witnessed strong traction and helped it become the fastest-growing subscription-based OTT platform in the country.

    The good news for the company is that The scheme of arrangement for the merger of Network18, TV18 Broadcast Ltd. (TV18) and e-Eighteen.com (E18) became effective on 3 October 2024.  The merger creates India’s largest platform-agnostic news media powerhouse with the widest widest footprint across languages, straddling both TV and digital.  

    The network has a monthly reach of over 350 million on TV and around 250 million monthly unique visitors across its digital portfolio. As consumers and advertisers increasingly gravitate towards omni-channel experiences across different aspects of their lives, having a deep and integrated presence across both TV and digital media will enable the merged entity to serve them better.  The combination of the businesses will result in operational synergies, cost optimization and opportunities for increased revenue realization.

    “We are happy to have completed the merger of our news businesses. With a strong portfolio of TV channels and digital platforms, covering the breadth of the country and catering to its linguistic diversity, we are ideally positioned to become the most preferred news network of India. We are committed to push boundaries of and lead the growth of the industry as we build on this strong foundation,” said Network18,chairman Adil Zainulbhai.
     

  • Zee Akaash to invest in vernacular social media dating app Flutrr

    Zee Akaash to invest in vernacular social media dating app Flutrr

    MUMBAI: A news channel company investing in a vernacular dating website! Does that surprise you? 

    Well it’s no shock for Zee Media subsidiary company Zee Akaash News which runs the Bengali channel 24 Ghanta. Zee Media informed the Bombay stock exchange (BSE) on 10 October 2024 that Zee Akaash has agreed  to invest Rs 37.5 million in Flutrr Digimate Pvt Ltd, which runs the social dating app and website Flutrr. 

    Flutrr, offers a dating experience in one’s native tongue with a multilingual user interface, which has never been seen on an Indian dating platform before.

    The company was founded by the father son duo of Kaushik and Anirban Banerjee, Anil Pathak, and Suhrid Devsharma, who are listed as its directors. It reported a revenue of Rs 25 million in financial year 2024, and it has 450,000 active users. Flutrr has romanced with other media companies as well with The Times of India group investing in it earlier. 

    As per the BSE filing, Zee Akaash News will purchase one equity share at a price of Rs  22,391, and five convertible warrants for Rs 37.5 million. It  expects the transaction to be completed by 31 December 2024. 

  • Times Network crosses 100M users online: Comscore

    Times Network crosses 100M users online: Comscore

    Mumbai: Times Network has emerged as India’s top digital news publisher, amassing 104 million monthly unique users across platforms, according to Comscore’s August 2024 report. This remarkable achievement highlights the network’s impressive 168 per cent growth since February 2024, outpacing competitors like NDTV (99 million), ABP Network (89 million), Jagran (86 million), and Indian Express (77 million). Times Network’s commitment to delivering innovative, digital-first content formats has cemented its leadership in both the general and business news segments.

    This surge was driven by the Network’s flagship digital brands—TimesNow.in, ETNow.in, TimesNowNavbharat.in, Zoomtv.com, and Digit.in—which offer users a personalised experience through live interactive segments, consumer-centric explainers, and cutting-edge content powered by AI and AR. The recent acquisition of tech platform Digit.in played a key role in this growth, delivering a 160 per cent increase in just three months.

    Times Network has also expanded into regional languages, including Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, and Bangla, to meet the growing demand for localised content. Further expansion into languages like Malayalam and Kannada is expected soon. Additionally, the launch of TimesDrive.in (auto news) and HealthandMe.com (health and wellness) showcases the Network’s ongoing diversification into key verticals.

    Speaking on the occasion, a spokesperson from Times Network said: “Our digital-first initiatives and commitment to high-quality journalism have fueled our rapid growth, helping us surpass legacy players in the market. With 104 million unique users and counting, we are proud to lead India’s digital news revolution.”

    The network’s growth reflects its commitment to meeting the evolving interests of its audience across industries while maintaining a steadfast focus on audience engagement and quality journalism. Earlier this year, Times Network became the fastest-growing digital video news network in the country, with over 4 billion monthly views across its channels.

    https://www.timesnetwork.in

  • Maharashtra’s vision for growth unveiled at Zee 24 TAAS ‘एक पाऊल पुढे’ conclave

    Maharashtra’s vision for growth unveiled at Zee 24 TAAS ‘एक पाऊल पुढे’ conclave

    Mumbai: Maharashtra solidified its reputation as a progressive leader in India during the successful ‘महाराष्ट्र – एक पाऊल पुढे’ conclave, organised by Zee 24 TAAS. The event brought together the state’s top leaders, policymakers, and industry experts to discuss Maharashtra’s pivotal role in driving India’s economic, social, and cultural growth. The conclave spotlighted Maharashtra’s pioneering strides in infrastructure, youth development, and entrepreneurship, positioning the state as a national frontrunner.

    Esteemed guests, including cabinet minister for school education, Deepak Kesarkar and Marathi Language, excise minister Shambhuraj Desai, Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, MD of Mumbai metro rail corporation Ashwini Bhide, and others, took the stage to outline Maharashtra’s forward-looking strategies.

    Kesarkar shared a vision for the state’s future, stating, “Maharashtra’s youth are our greatest asset.” He stressed the importance of “skill development, job creation, and upskilling” in preparing a competent workforce. Ashwini Bhide underscored Mumbai’s infrastructure upgrades, particularly the Metro 3 project, calling it “a lifeline redefining urban mobility” and marking “the beginning of a new era of connectivity for the state.”

    Shinde praised Maharashtra’s leadership in infrastructure, technology, and investment. “Maharashtra continues to lead in every metric – FDI, the startup ecosystem, or industrial development. From the coastal road to bullet trains, we are relentlessly working to make Maharashtra India’s most business- and citizen-friendly state,” he remarked.

    The conclave also addressed Maharashtra’s status as India’s entertainment capital, along with its initiatives in education and youth empowerment. Zee 24 TAAS, officiating editor Kamlesh Sutar said, “The ‘महाराष्ट्र – एक पाऊल पुढे’ conclave showcases the state’s visionary leadership. Zee 24 TAAS takes pride in being a platform that highlights Maharashtra’s transformative work.”

    Zee Media Corp Ltd CEO Abhishek Singh added, “We have always championed growth-centric journalism. This conclave reinforces our mission to spotlight Maharashtra’s efforts in fostering innovation, equal opportunities, and economic growth.”

     https://www.zee24taas.com

  • News18 hosts Bihar Diamond States Summit, showcasing key leadership insights

    News18 hosts Bihar Diamond States Summit, showcasing key leadership insights

    Mumbai: News18 India successfully hosted the Bihar edition of the Diamond States Summit in Patna, providing a platform for robust discussions on the state’s future. Following previous successful editions in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra, this summit featured prominent political leaders and policymakers from Bihar, who shared their views on the state’s progress, law and order, and upcoming challenges.

    Attendees included key figures like minister of industries & tourism, Nitish Mishra, secretary-environment, Bandana Preyashi , Chairman – RERA, Vivek Singh , Deputy CM of Bihar Vijay Kumar Sinha, food and consumer protection minister, Leshi Singh, JDU National President and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Jha, minister of urban development & housing Nitin Nabin , and BJP MLA Shreyasi Singh.

    Sinha made a powerful statement: “Those who once disregarded Gandhi’s principles are now forming parties in his name. Prashant Kishor may claim to build leaders, but in Bihar, true opportunities come to those who selflessly serve the people. Under Nitish Kumar’s leadership, law and order have been restored, and Bihar’s growth is flourishing under the BJP. In contrast, alliances with the RJD lead to chaos. Those who give tickets to criminals have no moral ground to speak on crime. We reject opportunistic politics.”

    Bihar’s water resources minister, Vijay Chaudhary, addressed the recent flooding concerns, saying, “The people of Bihar will once again bring Nitish Kumar to power. Prashant Kishor’s statements hold no weight. His call to end liquor prohibition isn’t aligned with true public welfare. This year’s unusual floods, exacerbated by record rainfall in Nepal, have made minimising damage and delivering relief our top priority. Pappu Yadav’s accusations are baseless, and the Bihar government is excelling in its relief operations.”

    Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary added, “Organised crime once flourished under Laloo Ji’s leadership during the RJD regime, and it’s disheartening that the same family now speaks on the issue. Nitish Kumar’s decision on prohibition is historic. Prashant Kishor’s use of Gandhi’s name for political gains is regrettable. Though the floods were caused by Nepal’s heavy rains, our robust preparedness ensured Bihar remained stable.”

    Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Jha praised Kumar, noting, “Nitish Kumar has transformed Bihar into a recognised brand, and the state is advancing rapidly. His efforts in developing the Darbhanga Airport and restoring Bihar’s historical glory are commendable. Under his leadership, significant progress has been made in infrastructure, power, and law enforcement, and Bihar is poised to rank among the top 10 states in the future.”

    The summit concluded with optimism, as leaders discussed a forward-thinking vision for Bihar’s development, with an emphasis on collaboration between policymakers and industry experts to shape the state’s future trajectory.

  • CNBC-TV18 marks 25 years with the inaugural edition of ‘Global Leadership Summit’

    CNBC-TV18 marks 25 years with the inaugural edition of ‘Global Leadership Summit’

    Mumbai: CNBC-TV18 has marked its 25th anniversary with a landmark economic event – the Global Leadership Summit (GLS), presented by HSBC India and co-presented by Embassy REIT. The flagship summit is scheduled to take place at the Jio Convention Centre, BKC in Mumbai on 14 November 2024.

    The flagship event celebrates 25 years of CNBC-TV18’s journey as India’s most trusted business news platform. This prestigious event marks a significant milestone, commemorating CNBC-TV18’s unmatched dominance, resilience, and success in the field of business and economic news. Over the years, the channel has earned its reputation as the go-to destination for deep insights, analysis, and coverage of India’s economic and corporate landscape. The CNBC-TV18 Global Leadership Summit will bring together a carefully curated gathering of India’s most influential voices from government, corporates, markets, and other sectors. It’s designed to foster a dialogue that inspires, informs, and influences the future direction of India’s economy and business environment.

    The summit boasts of a stellar line-up of distinguished personalities, including Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs, GoI; Shaktikanta Das, Governor, Reserve Bank of India; Deepak Parekh, Former  Chairman, HDFC; Nita Ambani, Founder & Chairperson, Reliance Foundation; Falguni Nayar, CEO, Nykaa; Rishad Premji, Executive Chairman, Wipro; Narayana Murthy, Founder & Former Chairperson, Infosys; John Chambers,  Chairman Emeritus, Cisco; William Dalrymple, Historian & Author; Prem Watsa, Chairman & CEO; Fairfax Financial Holdings; Hitendra Dave, CEO, HSBC India; Sajjan Jindal, Chairman & MD, JSW Group; Dr. Anish Shah, Group CEO and MD, Mahindra Group; Uday Kotak, Founder & Director, Kotak Mahindra Bank;  Thomas Bach, President, International Olympic Committee; Pieter Elbers, CEO, Indigo; Gautam Kumra, Asia Chairman, McKinsey & Company  among others.

    Speaking about the event, CNBC-TV18 managing editor Shereen Bhan said, ” The CNBC-TV18 Global Leadership Summit is not only a celebration of our 25-year journey but a future-focused platform designed to curate ideas to realise India’s aspiration of becoming a developed economy. By assembling some of the world’s most accomplished leaders, we aim to spark meaningful dialogues that will identify priorities for both the Govt and the Private sector to deliver on high quality, consistent and equitable growth. We believe leadership is not just about protecting the past but also attacking the future and that is what we wish to focus on at the Global Leadership Summit”

    Adding her perspective, Network18 CEO, English & Business News, Smriti Mehra said, “Only a select few brands can claim the privilege of leading their industry for 25 years. At CNBC-TV18, we are proud to celebrate this remarkable journey of excellence. To commemorate this milestone, we are hosting the Global Leadership Summit—an unparalleled event where the brightest minds from India and across the globe will converge to shape the future and redefine the path of progress.”

  • Uday Shankar & what’s driving the Star-Disney-Viacom18 merger

    Uday Shankar & what’s driving the Star-Disney-Viacom18 merger

    MUMBAI: Uday Shankar has been lying low for quite a while, avoiding mixing and sharing his wisdom with journalists – a breed from which he emerged  – as he goes about reshaping a new media and entertainment powerhouse coming out of the merger of Disney Star with Reliance Industries’ Viacom18. 

    But the incoming vice-chair took some time out to speak to McKinsey.com. Speaking to the consulting firm’s insights section online, Uday, highlighted what drove the merger.

    “..India is one of the few markets where television still has reasonably good health, within that, a lot of it is changing. Connected TVs and handheld devices have become very substantial and mainstream,” he said. “You’re competing with global players: Google and Meta. Most of digital-advertising revenue goes to these two companies. So you need to pivot; you need to create a business. We saw an opportunity to leverage our inherent strengths and make that strategic pivot. That’s the primary rationale for the merger.”

    He added that the streaming business also requires innovation and disruption with AVoD and SVoD models having limited revenue potential in India. 

    “While there are a lot of people today who are willing to pay for content and who are interesting or important to advertisers, there are also a lot of people who are not relevant for either of these models,” explained Uday. “You need to create unique or native monetisation models to create value from that base. Whoever manages to create new revenue streams definitely has an advantage. So I think all these opportunities exist.”

    Uday then went on to say he’s learnt from every leader he has worked with, from Rupert, James, Lachlan and Mukesh Ambani who he currently continues to work closely with. 

    “The first thing is they’re all very clear about why they’re doing what they’re doing—and that clarity is very helpful,” he elucidated “They all play to win. And they all have a high threshold for failure. They’re patient, and they’re not willing to give up. And then, they all work on trust. They all take their bets on people. And once they trust people, they’re willing to back them up. And I learned that myself. I take my bets on people; I trust them once they earn my trust. And I back them up.”

    To read the full interview logon to 
    https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/uday-shankar-on-indias-media-and-entertainment-evolution#/

    Picture courtesy: McKinsey.com’s video interview with Uday Shankar