ITV

Tag: Ad Sales

  • 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.”

  • JioStar taps ad sales powerhouse Anuradha Mathu Agrawal to lead the charge

    JioStar taps ad sales powerhouse Anuradha Mathu Agrawal to lead the charge

    MUMBAI: When it comes to advertising, the battle for consumer attention is fierce, and JioStar has just enlisted a powerhouse to take the lead. Anuradha Mathu Agrawal has stepped in as head of mid-market entertainment ad sales, armed with decades of experience in media sales and strategic revenue growth. With a career spanning top networks and ever-evolving markets, she is set to redefine JioStar’s ad sales game with fresh strategies and bold moves.

    Her appointment follows the exit of Dhruv Dhawan, who previously led digital growth for mid-tier and emerging clients. While Dhawan’s next move remains a mystery, his contributions to JioStar’s digital ad sales strategy were widely recognised.

    A career built on media mastery

    If the advertising industry had a hall of fame, Agrawal’s name would be etched in gold. She has consistently delivered market-leading ad sales strategies, built robust revenue streams, and established herself as an expert in regional content monetisation.

    Agrawal’s media journey kicked off in 1994 with Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd. (Times of India Group), back when print was still king and social media wasn’t hijacking everyone’s attention span. She later took her talents to India Today in 1998, proving she wasn’t just here to play—she was here to win.

    In 1999, she landed at Star India, where she spent nearly a decade making TV advertising a goldmine, selling ad slots that turned daily soaps, cricket matches, and reality TV into revenue machines. After an impressive nine-year run, she moved to Ndtv as senior vice president in 2008, and by 2010, she was fine-tuning brand deals at Turner Broadcasting System as an executive director (Cartoon Network, anyone?).

    Then came the plot twist—she co-founded Leomax International in 2012, running the show for nearly three years, striking e-commerce deals with Snapdeal, Fashion&You, and 99labels. Because why just climb the corporate ladder when you can build one yourself?

    By 2015, she was back in the corporate saddle as national revenue head at CNN-News18, before making a grand return to Star TV Network in 2016 as senior vice president—later rising to executive director at Disney Star post-merger, where she dominated regional ad sales in Telugu markets and the kids’ portfolio.

    The entertainment ad sales landscape is evolving faster than a binge-worthy series, and Agrawal is here to push JioStar to the forefront. With JioStar doubling down on innovation, her expertise will be pivotal in scaling revenue, optimising advertiser engagement, and creating a next-level media ecosystem.

    JioStar’s entertainment ad sales division just got a serious boost, and with Agrawal at the helm, the industry is watching closely. Will she revolutionise regional advertising? If history is any indication, the answer is a resounding YES.

     

  • Advertisers have seen and understood the power of news, reveals Network18’s Sidharth Newatia

    Advertisers have seen and understood the power of news, reveals Network18’s Sidharth Newatia

    Mumbai: News18 India has outperformed its competition for the 15th week in a row, extending its dominance in the Hindi news segment in the country. According to Barc data (Market Share 24 hours TG:15+, India, WK 40 to 43′ 22, All Day), News18 India continues to lead with 15.7 per cent.

    This has also been noticed by advertisers, which will help the network with the growth in ad sales and eventually increase revenue. There is not only growth in viewership but also in overall advertising revenues, which is reflected in strong double-digit yield growth for News 18. Network18’s consolidated revenue increased 12 per cent year on year to Rs 1,549 crore this year.

    Network18 Hindi cluster national revenue head Sidharth Newatia spoke with IndianTelevision.com about the cluster’s growth, strategies, and challenges. “We will continue to press that business lever going forward. We have taken a conscious decision to back our content more and have thus been very cautious about the ad inventories that we run. We want to provide our advertisers with a clutter-free environment to ensure their marketing objectives are met,” he expressed.

    He believes that the North, West, and South are the largest markets, with the North region accounting for the highest advertising spend for the news genre.

    The pandemic has had a positive effect on ad sales in the news genre. The importance placed on having news as part of the media plans has increased over the past two years.

    “Advertisers have seen and understood the power of news in these times and have used the medium to further their communications. There was a brief period during a pandemic when the news genre had a higher reach than some of the other genres. So, all in all, business has been good in these pandemic times,” he said.

    News 18 is consistently working on increasing the penetration of news genre advertisers in tier I and tier II cities and showcasing to them the power of news and the importance of building their brands through it.

    He elucidated, “The contextual and relevant nature of the news has already made the genre a must-have in all the media plans. Growing the advertiser base has been the key pillar of growth for us, and we will keep on pushing this metric hard.”

    While speaking about challenges to getting advertisements, Newatia expressed that the challenges are not in terms of advertisers but getting the volumes up to earlier levels.

    “The television industry has not lost advertisers; in fact, it has gained them. The challenge is that the advertising spend per advertiser has gone down due to pressure on bottom lines because of rising input costs. Thus, clients have reduced their discretionary spending. Having said that, as a network, we are in an enviable position with the three national channels at the top of the pyramid. We have the number one Hindi general news channel in News18 India, the number one English general news channel in CNN News 18, and the incomparable number one English business channel in CNBC TV18,” he affirmed.

    This year, one of the strategies for Network 18 is to build an enviable intellectual property lineup that will be relevant, best in class, and second to none.

    Newatia stated, “The news genre is such that it has the power to bring about societal change. All programming/content is geared towards that objective only. We do shows like Rising India on a national level as well as on the state level with the political and social diaspora to discuss the way forward.”

    Recently, News18 India held a large event called Amrit Ratna, which honoured some very prominent Indians for their contributions to the country. All these things not only add shine to their brand but also give a 360-degree one-stop solution to advertisers.

  • Marketers underspending in media campaigns affecting ROI: Nielsen report

    Marketers underspending in media campaigns affecting ROI: Nielsen report

    Mumbai: Nielsen released its first-ever ROI report, which identified gaps in marketers’ budgets, channels and media strategies that are compromising returns on investment (ROI) on media plans. The global report reveals data and delivers insights on what drives returns on ad spends, how to measure the returns, and how to improve on the metrics brands already have, with content unique to advertiser, agency, and publisher audiences.

    According to the report, about half of marketers are not spending enough in a channel to get maximum ROI. While a poor ROI might cause brands to pull back on spending, Nielsen found that spend often needs to be higher to break through and drive returns. Nielsen’s “50-50-50 gap” states that while 50 per cent of media plans are underinvested by a median of 50 per cent, ROI can be improved 50 per cent with the ideal budget.

    Beyond budgeting, the ROI report delivers key insights and recommendations to deliver higher ROI across multiple marketing areas including:

    ● Full funnel marketing: It’s rare for channels to deliver above average returns for both brand and sales outcomes, with 36 per cent of media channels faring above average on both revenue and brand metrics. To grow ROI, brands should pursue a balanced strategy for both upper and lower funnel initiatives. Nielsen found that adding upper funnel marketing to existing lower and mid funnel marketing can grow overall ROI by 13-70 per cent.

    ● Emerging media: It’s difficult for brands to spend big amounts without proof that the new media works, but spending small amounts can make it hard to see if the media is working. Nielsen found that podcast ads, influencer marketing and branded content can deliver over 70 per cent in aided brand recall, and that influencer marketing ROI is comparable to ROI from mainstream media.

    ● Ad sales growth strategy: Ultimately, ROI will inform publisher pricing power. Publishers are not just competing against others in their channel, but also against other channels, so comparing channel ROIs can help set pricing strategy. The ROI report uncovered that social media delivers 1.7x the ROI of TV, yet social gets less than one-third of TV ad budgets.

    ● Audience measurement: Campaigns with strong on-target reach deliver better sales outcomes. However, only 63 per cent of ads across desktop and mobile are on-target for age and gender in the US, meaning that on the channels with the most exhaustive data coverage and quality, over one third of ad spend is off-target. To capitalise on opportunity and drive impact, advertisers should prioritise measurement solutions that cover all platforms and devices, with near-real-time insights. 

    “Nielsen’s 2022 ROI report serves as a guide for brands, agencies and publishers. In a time when there are more channels than ever to reach desired audiences, it’s critical that insights on ROI are attainable and easy to understand,” said Nielsen vice president, media & advertiser analytics Imran Hirani. “Brands can’t afford to waste valuable ads on the wrong audiences. By investing wisely and having a balanced strategy of both upper-funnel and lower-funnel initiatives, brands can reach the right audiences and maximise their ROI.” 

    This is the first ROI report produced by Nielsen. The ROI report findings were generated by Nielsen using a wide range of measurement methods including marketing mix models, brand impact studies, marketing plans and expenditure data, attribution studies, and Ad ratings collected in recent years. In most cases, Nielsen’s findings were organised into normative databases or meta-analyses across a sample of studies to produce insights that are representative of Nielsen’s experience, providing marketers, agencies and media sellers a more complete view of media effectiveness compared to a single company drawing from its own experience.

    Check the Full Report here: https://global.nielsen.com/insights/2022/roi-report/

  • 9X Media elevates Deepali Oroskar and Nihal Ghosh to SVP – ad sales

    9X Media elevates Deepali Oroskar and Nihal Ghosh to SVP – ad sales

    Mumbai: 9X Media has announced the elevation of Deepali Oroskar and Nihal Ghosh to senior vice president of ad sales. They both will report to 9X Media chief business officer Punit Pandey.

    Nihal will be in-charge of revenues for 9XM and 9X Jalwa and Deepali will lead the ad sales teams for 9X Tashan and 9X Jhakaas. Deepali and Nihal are both senior ad sales professionals with each of them having over 15 years of experience.

    “Deepali and Nihal have both been with the organisation for over a decade and have consistently proven their mettle,” said 9X Media chief business officer Punit Pandey. “They have led the ad sales teams to achieve better revenue targets and have performed extremely well. In their new roles, I am confident that they will achieve much success, steering the Network towards the next phase of growth.”

    “I am delighted to be a part of 9X Media,” said Nihal Ghosh. “From a single music television channel, 9X Media has evolved into India’s largest music television network comprising platforms both television and digital. It’s exciting as well as challenging to helm the ad revenue at 9XM and 9X Jalwa. My current focus will be on reinstating the Ad revenue to the pre covid levels and to put the channels back on the growth trajectory.”

    “This is indeed an exciting time to lead the ad sales function for 9X Tashan and 9X Jhakaas,” said Deepali Oroskar. “The pandemic has created disruption across all industries. It has drastically changed the way people consume and engage with media and content. Brands need to keep pace with the changing consumer psychographics. Regional channels have shown immense potential in attracting the new age consumer. My priority would be to make brands aware about these new dynamics and ensure an excellent run for our channels.”   

  • Star India elevates Vaibhav Goyal to SVP – ad sales for sports

    Star India elevates Vaibhav Goyal to SVP – ad sales for sports

    Mumbai: Disney-owned Star India Network has elevated Vaibhav Goyal to Star Sports senior vice president – ad sales, as per his LinkedIn profile. Previously, he held the position of Star Sports vice president – ad sales, for 6.6 years.

    Goyal joined Star Sports as assistant manager and he was named assistant vice president – ad sales in July 2003. Prior to Star Sports, he was with GroupM India as planning manager for over three years.

    A qualified engineer from MITS – Gwalior, Goyal has completed his MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies.

  • The Q appoints Pankaj Rai as head of ad sales, North & East regions

    The Q appoints Pankaj Rai as head of ad sales, North & East regions

    Mumbai: Hindi GEC, The Q on Tuesday announced the appointment of Pankaj Rai as head of ad sales for North and East regions, effective immediately. He will be based out of the company’s New Delhi office.

    In his new role, Rai will be responsible for driving the advertising sales for the channel in the respective regions and report directly to CEO, Simran Hoon, said the company in a statement.

    Rai is a seasoned media professional armed with over 15 years of expansive industry experience. Prior to joining The Q, he was associated with Zee Network, Mid-Day, and Shaadi Dot Com in various capacities. He has handled key accounts for linear TV channels including Zee TV, Zee Cinema, &TV among others. With hands-on media sales experience across TV, print, and digital, he has successfully contributed to top-level revenues. Rai also has a deep understanding of traditional and new media functioning.

    Speaking on the appointment, Hoon said, “We are delighted to welcome Pankaj to The Q. This is one of our most-awaited and critical hires in ad sales for the North and East regions and we are confident of the value he will add to our growing portfolio of advertisers. Given his exceptionally strong relationships and business acumen with stakeholders in the market, we look forward to him bolstering our businesses to new heights.”

    Talking about his new role, Rai shared, “I am delighted and grateful for this opportunity with The Q. The Q brings to the market an exciting proposition unlike any other channel in the GEC space. The channel has also seen tremendous growth within a short span and continues to gain popularity among viewers and advertisers which by itself speaks volumes. I am excited about this new innings and look forward to working closely with Simran and the team entire team as we steer towards the next wave of growth.”

  • Leadership secrets & wisdom from Viacom18

    Leadership secrets & wisdom from Viacom18

    MUMBAI: A few months ago,  during the thick of the lockdown due to the pandemic, Viacom18 CEO Sudhanshu Vats announced that he was moving on from the organisation he led for around eight years. Earlier, in 2019, his deputy COO Raj Nayak too departed from a company he was associated with for seven years. Both  the leaders have left a long-lasting impact on Viacom18. And especially the senior team which is currently being led by the new CEO Rahul Joshi, who also heads the news operations under TV18.

    In a fireside chat with Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO & editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari last week, Viacom18 network head of ad sales Mahesh Shetty recalled the days when he had an opportunity to work with both  Raj Nayak and Sudhanshu Vats and his bond with his current CEO Rahul Joshi. And he shared the leadership and management styles of the two senior execs. 

    Watch the virtual fireside chat with Mahesh Shetty

    “I have huge respect for Raj Nayak. He is a maverick sales guy, and an amazing person. It was big shoes to fill in. I have done deals with him in the past when I worked at Radio Mirchi for Mirchi Music Award that used to come on Colors. He is someone who enjoys huge respect in media and entertainment industry,” Shetty shared during his conversation…

    Shetty was hired by Vats to look after ad sales and revenue for the whole network – both regional and Hindi channels. “Raj was COO and he looked after direct sales for Colors,” said Shetty. “He built and left behind a fabulous sales team. There is not much of a change that has happened in it. It is not like that the new leaders have come in and they have changed the entire team, most of the team leaders are the same.”

    He further highlighted that Raj had this attitude to think scale, to think big in sales efforts. “It is a great legacy that Nayak has left behind. The team is aware of the fact that they are selling big impact properties. So, I don’t have to go out and tell the teams how to sell.”

    Read more news on Raj Nayak

    Recently, long-timer Simran Hoon stepped down from her role as Viacom18 EVP and ad sales head after nearly 13 years with the organisation.

     “I don't have control over things which are above me,” said Shetty referring to Vats’ exit a few months ago. “But it’s to his credit that he handled my hiring the way he did. And how he kept the morale at the company high, during the tough times. The fact is that if you look at the past 18 months there are not too many exits. All the key people are there in the company.  it is a journey that all of us as a team have gone through. We all have tough times,” he shared.

    He has been focused on building and strengthening the sales team, getting their trust, and bringing in processes and data mining and management into the sales efforts. Said he: “I think I have a job and a challenge at hand. My boss (Rahul Joshi) is a person who helps me in this journey, Rahul is also great person, he has a different kind of experience than what Sudhanshu Vats had. The last six months with him have s been good.”

    He further added, “Both Sudhanshu Vats and Rahul Joshi are managers who let you build and drive your own strategies. Because then the onus is on you to deliver and it’s not like you can put your monkey on your boss’ back.”

  • Times Now partners with Sky Media for ad sales in the UK

    Times Now partners with Sky Media for ad sales in the UK

    MUMBAI: In a move to strengthen its ad sales in the UK market, Times Now has signed a deal with Sky Media. The channel has been recently launched in the UK market and claims to have received good initial response to its programming.

    Sky Media, will be the channel’s exclusive ad sales partner for all mainstream sales in the region. The agency will be mandated to handle the airtime as well as sponsorship sales for the channel in the UK.

    The channel has also recently taken on board Tarun Sawhney as the country sales manager based in London to manage all the channel sales and marketing in UK and for all the channels in India for clients in the region. With the intent to grow its mainstream sales, the channel tested on Barb in February and has become barb rated since April.

    Times Network International business head Naveen Chandra said, “Times Now has had consistent ratings leadership in India and in other markets due to its product differentiation with high quality, hard-hitting journalism for the last ten years. We are happy to introduce this strong News product to the South Asian TV audiences in the UK, and build it with smart local marketing initiatives. In Sky Media sales, we believe we have the perfect sales partner for leveraging our product strengths.”

     “It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to add TIMES NOW to our extensive portfolio of South Asian targeted channels; it adds another dimension to our offering for advertisers with great news content for a continually growing and important audience”, said Sky Media operations director Richard Hawking.

     

  • Times Now partners with Sky Media for ad sales in the UK

    Times Now partners with Sky Media for ad sales in the UK

    MUMBAI: In a move to strengthen its ad sales in the UK market, Times Now has signed a deal with Sky Media. The channel has been recently launched in the UK market and claims to have received good initial response to its programming.

    Sky Media, will be the channel’s exclusive ad sales partner for all mainstream sales in the region. The agency will be mandated to handle the airtime as well as sponsorship sales for the channel in the UK.

    The channel has also recently taken on board Tarun Sawhney as the country sales manager based in London to manage all the channel sales and marketing in UK and for all the channels in India for clients in the region. With the intent to grow its mainstream sales, the channel tested on Barb in February and has become barb rated since April.

    Times Network International business head Naveen Chandra said, “Times Now has had consistent ratings leadership in India and in other markets due to its product differentiation with high quality, hard-hitting journalism for the last ten years. We are happy to introduce this strong News product to the South Asian TV audiences in the UK, and build it with smart local marketing initiatives. In Sky Media sales, we believe we have the perfect sales partner for leveraging our product strengths.”

     “It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to add TIMES NOW to our extensive portfolio of South Asian targeted channels; it adds another dimension to our offering for advertisers with great news content for a continually growing and important audience”, said Sky Media operations director Richard Hawking.