ITV

Category: People

  • SJ Uplift Kabaddi elevates Simran Malik chief operating officer

    SJ Uplift Kabaddi elevates Simran Malik chief operating officer

    MUMBAI: In a strategic move aligned with its next phase of growth, SJ Uplift Kabaddi has announced the elevation of Simran Malik as the company’s COO. Simran, who previously served as Head of Marketing, has been a key force in building the Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League’s (UPKL) presence in India’s sporting ecosystem, particularly in shaping grassroots engagement strategies and driving operational success.

    Simran’s new role as COO will oversee all operational functions, including franchise relations, logistics, matchday execution, and stakeholder engagement.  She will also focus on streamlining internal processes to enhance efficiency across teams, ensuring operational excellence as the company scales up. A major part of her responsibilities will include spearheading the rollout of Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League Season 2, along with World Super Kabaddi League (WSKL). In addition, she will also support other emerging sports initiatives, from managing infrastructure and broadcast partnerships to supporting grassroots development and youth training programs under SJ Uplift Kabaddi.

    Talking about Simran’s elevation, SJ Uplift Kabaddi Private Ltd Director and Founder, Sambhav Jain added, “From playing a key role in shaping Season One to now leading Season Two, Simran’s rise reflects her instrumental contributions, steady growth, and trusted stewardship through every phase of our journey. She has consistently demonstrated clarity, commitment, and leadership in the role she has taken on. As we enter a progressive phase of growth and structure, her elevation reflects the company’s trust in her leadership and our shared ambition for the future.”

    Reflecting on the growth, Simran Malik said, “This promotion marks a meaningful milestone in my journey with SJ Uplift Kabaddi. I’m grateful to Mr. Sambhav Jain for his trust and mentorship. I’m equally thankful to my team—their dedication is the foundation of everything we are building. Our belief is simple: when the team grows, we all grow. As we build a next generation sports ecosystem rooted in regional passion and global ambition, I’m excited to lead new projects like UPKL Season 2 and support WSKL. By unifying operations, we are expanding leagues into new markets, enhancing every match experience, and forging partnerships across continents. I also hope to inspire more women to take leadership roles in the sports industry, because when diversity grows, the ecosystem thrives. Our mission: to transform kabaddi from a regional sport into a global phenomenon, one fan, one league, one market at a time.”

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  • Tarini Kumar appointed senior executive editor, NDTV 24×7

    Tarini Kumar appointed senior executive editor, NDTV 24×7

    NDTV has appointed Tarini Kumar as Senior Executive Editor of its flagship English news channel, NDTV 24×7. In this leadership role, she will be responsible for steering the channel’s output operations – overseeing the daily news flow, driving editorial planning, shaping programming strategy, and ensuring consistent quality in content delivery across time bands.

    Kumar brings with her close to two decades of newsroom experience, marked by senior editorial roles and an in‑depth understanding of broadcast workflows. She spent more than 15 years with India Today TV, where she progressed through a variety of positions, from programming producer to key roles in the output desk to Executive Editor. She played a pivotal role during high-impact national events, including election coverage and special programming blocks that required precision, agility, and sound editorial judgment.

    Before that, she served as deputy news editor at CNN‑News18, where she was responsible for prime‑time shows.

    Speaking on the appointment, NDTV’s CEO and editor-in-chief Rahul Kanwal said, “Tarini’s extensive experience in output leadership and content strategy will strengthen NDTV’s editorial operations and programming depth. She knows news, she knows the people – her arrival brings a renewed focus on fostering strong teamwork and creating workflows that can respond swiftly to breaking developments without compromising on our legacy of editorial rigour.”

  • Namrata Dadwal joins NDTV 24×7 as senior editor

    Namrata Dadwal joins NDTV 24×7 as senior editor

    MUMBAI: NDTV announces the appointment of Namrata Dadwal as senior editor, NDTV 24×7, with a clear mandate – to supercharge the network’s data journalism and analytics, and weave sharper insights into the heart of its news programming.

    Dadwal steps into the role with over 18 years of experience at the intersection of journalism, data, and visual storytelling. She has built and led editorial teams that have turned complex numbers into clear, compelling narratives – whether heading the Data Intelligence Unit at TV Today Network, crafting in‑depth features at The Economic Times, or shaping high‑impact communication campaigns with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UNICEF.

    She has set up award‑winning data desks, mentored young journalists, and spearheaded projects that combine editorial depth with digital innovation – skills that are increasingly vital as newsrooms evolve to bring clarity and context in conversations.

    ‘Namrata’s appointment signals a decisive move to embed data at the core of our storytelling. Her ability to translate analytics into narratives will add a new dimension to how NDTV 24×7 explains the world to its viewers’, said NDTV CEO and editor-in-chief, Rahul Kanwal.

  • Subhojit Roy joins Sony Pictures Networks India as VP, ad sales

    Subhojit Roy joins Sony Pictures Networks India as VP, ad sales

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India has appointed Subhojit Roy as vice president, ad sales, strengthening its leadership ranks as it seeks to sharpen its commercial edge in a rapidly evolving media landscape.

    Roy brings with him over 14 years of experience in media and technology sales, having previously held senior roles at TV Today, ABP Network, Viacom18, Zee Studios and Reliance Broadcast Network. Most recently, he served as vice president, sales and strategy at TV Today, where he led monetisation efforts across broadcast and digital verticals.

    An alumnus of ICFAI University and IIM Ahmedabad, Roy has been a driving force behind branded content monetisation, revenue expansion through original IPs, and advertiser-led partnerships. His career spans stints in digital, broadcast, OTT and even government-tech interface sales, underscoring his deep understanding of both legacy and emerging revenue streams.

    At Sony Pictures Networks, Roy is expected to helm advertising strategy across the network’s diverse portfolio, bringing a data-driven approach to branded content, inventory optimisation, and advertiser solutions. His appointment comes at a time when broadcasters are grappling with shrinking linear margins and the urgent need to futureproof monetisation models through digital convergence.

    In his own words, Roy believes, “Almost every industry is getting massively disrupted by the combination of tech and media. Embrace it and empower your people.”

  • Amagi appoints Sangeeta Chakraborty as chief revenue officer

    Amagi appoints Sangeeta Chakraborty as chief revenue officer

    MUMBAI: Amagi, a cloud-based SaaS technology solutions provider for broadcast and streaming TV, announced the appointment of Sangeeta Chakraborty as its chief revenue officer. In this role, Chakraborty will lead all global go-to-market functions, including sales, customer success, marketing, services, and operations, to drive Amagi’s next phase of growth and customer impact.

    Sangeeta brings over two decades of enterprise software leadership experience, having scaled revenue and customer success organisations across both product-led and sales-led growth models. She has held senior leadership roles at high-growth technology companies, including Miro, Okta, Checkr, SymphonyAI, Accela, and VMware.

    Chakraborty was Miro’s chief customer officer from November 2021 to February 2023 and chief revenue officer from March 2023 to December 2024. During her tenure, the company scaled more than 250,000 customers worldwide while growing its user base to 80+ million. The company was valued at $17.5 billion and ranked #11 on the Forbes Cloud 100 list.

    “Joining Amagi at this juncture is incredibly exciting. The media industry is undergoing a profound transformation, and Amagi stands at the forefront with its cloud technology innovation that is purpose-built for today’s video economy. From live production to monetization, Amagi is powering critical workflows for the world’s top media brands. I look forward to working with our global teams and customers to unlock new growth opportunities, strengthen our market leadership, and deliver measurable value through innovation, scale, and trust”, said Chakraborty.

    A frequent industry speaker and strategist, Chakraborty brings domain expertise in SaaS and AI across diverse industries such as financial services, healthcare, government tech, and telecom. She holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and a B.Tech. in Computer Science from NIT Warangal. Sangeeta will be based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

    Commenting on the appointment, Amagi co-founder & president -global business, Srinivasan KA said, “Media companies around the world are accelerating their shift to cloud-native, AI-powered infrastructure. Sangeeta brings the leadership and customer-first mindset that will help us lead the next chapter of our global expansion and market leadership.”

  • Maran brothers’ feud ends with a Rs 800 crore handshake: media reports

    Maran brothers’ feud ends with a Rs 800 crore handshake: media reports

    MUMBAI: According to news daily Indian Express, a bitter family dispute between the Maran brothers, Kalanithi and Dayanidhi, has been resolved following the direct intervention of Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin. The settlement, which saw DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran reportedly receive around Rs 800 crore in cash and nearly an acre of prime land in Chennai’s exclusive Boat Club area valued at an estimated Rs 100 crore, brings an end to a row that had rattled investor confidence and threatened the DMK’s image.

    The feud boiled over in early June when Dayanidhi issued a legal notice to his elder brother Kalanithi, alleging fraudulent share allotments and corporate misgovernance at Sun TV Network in the early 2000s. Dayanidhi had initially sought Rs 1,500 crore, while Kalanithi was only willing to offer Rs 500 crore.

    Stalin, who has previously mediated within the Maran family, initially attempted to resolve the matter himself. When this failed, he enlisted the help of Dravidar Kazhagam president K Veeramani and senior journalist N Ram, both of whom have close ties to the family. Sources indicate that three rounds of talks, including two in person and one via video conference, ultimately led to the agreement.

    Dayanidhi’s legal notice specifically claimed that in 2003, while their father Murasoli Maran was in a coma, Kalanithi allegedly allotted himself 1.2 million equity shares at a nominal Rs 10 per share, consolidating over 60 per cent of Sun TV. This, the notice alleged, diluted the stakes of the Maran and M Karunanidhi families from 50 per cent each to 20 per cent.

    Sun TV, in a stock exchange filing on June 20, vehemently denied the allegations, calling them “incorrect, misleading, speculative, defamatory and not supported by facts or law,” and stated that all transactions were legally vetted prior to the company’s public listing.

    Despite Sun TV’s rebuttal, the controversy sent tremors through the markets, causing its share price to drop over 5 per cent in intra-day trading, and an overall decline of about 8 per cent from recent highs, unsettling investors.

    A top source within the DMK first family confirmed that Stalin was visibly displeased by the public nature of the dispute, especially with assembly elections looming next year. His decision to bring in the 91-year-old Veeramani, an elder statesman of Tamil Nadu politics, was due to his respected stature and lack of financial interest in Sun TV.

    N Ram, a relative of the Maran family and former editor of The Hindu, also played a crucial role, lending credibility and balance to the mediation given his standing in the media world and ideological alignment with the DMK.

    “First, Veeramani phoned the Maran family. After that the others also joined, and three rounds of talks were held between the last week of June and the first week of July,” a source revealed, adding, “Both parties were asked to refrain from speaking to the media and were urged to settle and move on.”

    The talks underscored the potential damage to the DMK’s and Maran family’s reputation, as well as the high costs and protracted nature of continued litigation.

    The late Murasoli Maran, a nephew of Karunanidhi and cousin to Stalin, was instrumental in establishing the DMK’s presence in Delhi and served as a cabinet minister in multiple central governments. His presence as family patriarch had previously maintained peace between Kalanithi, who built the Sun TV empire, and Dayanidhi, who leveraged his father’s legacy to become the union minister for telecom.

    The first major rift, the Indian Express reported,  occurred in 2007 when the Maran family’s newspaper, Dinakaran, published a poll favouring Stalin as Karunanidhi’s political heir over M Alagiri, leading to violent reactions from Alagiri’s supporters. While tensions have simmered since, the financial dimension of this latest dispute made it one of the most severe.

    “This whole thing could have gone the other way,” a senior source commented. “But Stalin, Veeramani, and Ram made it clear: let this end now, before it weakens everyone.”

     Indian Express failed to get any comments from N. Ram, the Marans or the chief minister. 

  • Aniruddha Basu named national head of ABP One, driving growth strategy

    Aniruddha Basu named national head of ABP One, driving growth strategy

    MUMBAI: ABP Group, one of India’s most respected media conglomerates, has elevated Aniruddha Basu as national head of ABP One, its integrated media solutions arm. The move signals the group’s sharpened focus on delivering high-impact, client-centric campaigns in an increasingly competitive media landscape.

    With over a decade of experience at ABP, Basu brings a nuanced understanding of advertiser expectations, content innovation, and regional market dynamics. In his new role, he will lead strategic direction and business growth for ABP One, which acts as a bridge between brands and audiences by offering a suite of services including creative content, data-led media strategy, and omnichannel execution.

    The group credits Basu with playing a pivotal role in building ABP One into a trusted partner for national and regional marketers alike. He is widely acknowledged for his collaborative leadership style and ability to translate business objectives into engaging, measurable campaigns that stand out in a cluttered media environment.

    Industry observers say Basu’s elevation reflects a broader trend within Indian legacy media houses to empower leaders who can navigate changing client needs, leverage first-party data, and build long-term value through integrated brand experiences.

  • Gaurav Banerjee takes the hot seat at BARC India

    Gaurav Banerjee takes the hot seat at BARC India

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) managing director & CEO, Gaurav Banerjee has been named chairman of the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India. He replaces Shashi Sinha, whose two-year reign saw BARC go on a digital diet-adding smarter meters and deeper dives into premium households.

    Banerjee, who cut his teeth as a journalist before climbing the content ladder at Star India and Disney+ Hotstar, is no stranger to the BARC ecosystem. In 2022, he sat on its technical committee during his stint with Disney Star-where he helped bulk up Hotstar’s Hindi and regional original slate, making viewers binge and advertisers grin.

    At SPNI, Banerjee now drives the company’s strategy and operations, while juggling board roles at MSM-Worldwide Factual Media and Bangla Entertainment. Known for his editorial flair and boardroom savvy, his elevation to the BARC chair signals a continued bet on execs who straddle both streaming and broadcast worlds.

    He takes charge just as the lines between TV and digital blur, and advertisers cry out for unified currency metrics. Expect Banerjee to double down on transparency, turbocharge tech upgrades and push into under-measured markets. With over 20 years in media, a master’s in filmmaking from Jamia, and a nose for what India wants to watch, he seems well-placed to script BARC’s next act.

    Industry watchers will be looking to see if Banerjee sticks to Sinha’s reformist script—or flips the channel entirely. Either way, the remote is now firmly in his hands.

  • The slow eclipse of India’s media and broadcasting pioneers

    The slow eclipse of India’s media and broadcasting pioneers

    MUMBAI: Once, they blazed across the Indian media landscape with the swagger of pioneers. Entrepreneur-led behemoths like Subhash Chandra’s Zee Entertainment, Kalanithi Maran’s Sun TV, Prannoy Roy’s NDTV, and Raghav Bahl’s Network18 weren’t just market leaders — they were institutions, holding their own even as foreign giants circled hungrily.

    Today, those stars are fading. Some have already fallen.

    Network18 and TV18 are now firmly in the grip of Reliance Industries and Disney Star. NDTV, long a bastion of editorial independence, is under the control of the Adani Group. Its founders — Roy and Radhika — have exited stage left, their names now relics of an era that once prized journalistic idealism.

    Zee, once the crown jewel of Indian broadcasting, is barely hanging on. The Chandra family — once majority owners — now clutch a meagre four-odd  per cent stake. It’s a dramatic fall from grace fuelled by Subhash Chandra’s ill-advised adventures into infrastructure. To bankroll these forays, he pledged Zee shares, opening the gates to lenders who came calling. The result: a sharp dilution of promoter ownership and a credibility crisis. The failed merger with Sony’s Indian arm, Culver Max Entertainment, only added insult to injury — scuppered reportedly due to concerns about Zee’s financial hygiene. A company once viewed as squeaky clean had its reputation muddied.

    Sun TV, the fourth of the old guard, is also showing cracks. Helmed with iron discipline by Kalanithi Maran, it long stood as a symbol of stability. But the facade is now under strain. A family feud has burst into public view, with brother Dayanidhi Maran accusing Kala of wresting control of Sun TV through backdoor share acquisitions. Legal notices have flown, regulatory filings issued, and the company insists all was above board. Still, some reputational damage has been done — and the gossip mills are churning.

    The result is a media map being redrawn in real time. Where once these founders shaped the narrative, today they’re either sidelined, embattled, or ousted. And as corporate titans and conglomerates take over, the question is whether passion-led media can survive in an era of balance sheets, bottom lines, and boardroom power plays.

    India’s media isn’t short on ambition. But nostalgia alone won’t stop the sun from setting on yesterday’s giants.

  • Mukund Acharya joins SPNI as CTO to spearhead its digital shift across linear and OTT platforms

    Mukund Acharya joins SPNI as CTO to spearhead its digital shift across linear and OTT platforms

    MUMBAI: Mumbai’s media corridors just got a new power player. Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has appointed Mukund Acharya as its chief technology officer (CTO), effective 19 June, 2025, in a move that signals the broadcaster’s intent to go full throttle on tech-first innovation across broadcast and digital platforms.

    Acharya, who led engineering at Disney+ Hotstar (now JioStar), is no stranger to high-stakes rollouts. From handling the ICC World Cups of 2023, 2024, and 2025 to overseeing the JioCinema-Hotstar integration, the man knows how to deliver under pressure, at scale. With 29 years under his belt at names like Yahoo and InMobi, Acharya brings a rare blend of depth, dexterity, and digital muscle.

    At SPNI, he will now oversee the Enterprise Technology Group (ETG), LIV Technology, and Broadcast Operations and Network Engineering (B.O.N.E.). His mandate? Lead SPNI’s transformation agenda, boost platform innovation, and align technology with evolving business goals—all while scaling both Sony LIV and the network’s broadcast empire.

    “Mukund’s proven leadership in technology-led transformation makes him an invaluable addition to our team”, said SPNI MD & CEO Gaurav Banerjee, lAs we expand our digital and broadcast capabilities, his role will be critical in aligning our technology roadmap with our vision for growth and innovation”.

    Acharya will report to Banerjee and work closely with the Sony LIV leadership as the platform gears up for its next evolution.

    SPNI’s appointment of Acharya comes as the media house doubles down on hybrid distribution, preparing itself for the next decade of entertainment where scale, speed, and seamlessness will define winners.