ITV

Tag: Network18

  • Zee Media appoints Raktim Das as new CEO

    Zee Media appoints Raktim Das as new CEO

    MUMBAI: Zee Media Corporation has named seasoned media professional Raktimanu Das, popularly known as Raktim Das, as its new chief executive officer, effective 4 November 2025. His appointment follows the resignation of former CEO Karan Abhishek Singh.

    The company’s board of directors approved the appointment at a meeting on 3 November 2025, as per its filings with the BSE and NSE. Das has also been designated as key managerial personnel of the company.

    A media veteran with over two decades of experience, Das has worked with leading organisations including TV9 Network, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Network18, Direct News, India Today, and The Times of India. His career spans revenue leadership, editorial strategy, brand monetisation, and digital transformation.

    Before joining Zee Media, Das served as chief growth officer (digital & broadcasting) at TV9 Network, where he played a key role in building high-performing teams and driving growth through innovation and intrapreneurship.

    A pioneer in the Indian media landscape, Das has been credited with creating industry-first branded content practices and media IPs across broadcast, digital, and OTT platforms.

  • Network18 turns up the volume on growth with a golden quarter

    Network18 turns up the volume on growth with a golden quarter

    MUMBAI: In a quarter where the media landscape was static at best, Network18 managed to change the channel to growth. The company’s second-quarter results for FY26 show that while much of the news industry wrestled with weak ad demand, Network18 found its own breaking news: a 7.2 per cent year-on-year rise in operating revenue, clocking Rs 477.2 crore in Q2 FY26, up from Rs 445.3 crore a year earlier and Rs 430.4 crore in the previous quarter.

    The bump came despite a 7 per cent dip in TV news inventory demand, hinting that the network’s improved pricing yields and robust market position helped it stay ahead of the curve. For an industry still feeling the aftershocks of cautious advertiser sentiment, Network18’s showing signals a quiet revival, one that could pick up further pace through Q3 and Q4.

    But the quarter wasn’t just about numbers, it was also about narrative. Cementing its leadership in regional news, Network18 acquired the remaining 50 per cent stake in IBN Lokmat News pvt. ltd. (IBNL) for Rs 25 crore, making News18 Lokmat a wholly owned subsidiary. The Marathi news powerhouse has seen strong revenue growth over the past three years and continues to reign supreme in the Marathi segment.

    For viewers, the move means a smoother experience across TV and digital; for the network, it’s another piece in the puzzle of regional dominance. “This acquisition strengthens our market-leading portfolio of national and regional news channels,” said Network18 chairman Adil Zainulbhai. “Our mission is to be the one-stop news destination for audiences across India.”

    Beyond news, the company is expanding into new frontiers. Moneycontrol, its flagship digital platform, has been building serious fintech muscle. Lending has emerged as a key growth engine, and its partnership with HDFC Bank, announced at the Global Fintech Festival 2025, adds further heft positioning Moneycontrol as India’s largest and most trusted financial destination.

    Meanwhile, Creator18, the network’s newest vertical, is crafting a future beyond headlines, one built on hashtags and human stories. The platform has already worked with over 1,000 creators, managing many exclusively, and is building what could become one of India’s largest creator ecosystems. From influencer campaigns to social-first storytelling, Creator18 is expanding Network18’s reach into lifestyle, culture, and commerce areas that increasingly shape public conversation.

    Network18’s 20-channel portfolio, which includes 14 regional channels, makes it the largest TV news network in India by both reach and viewership. And even as overall revenue growth for the first half of FY26 stayed broadly flat, the company’s tight cost control kept operating expenses steady, a sign of resilience in an uneven market.

    In an industry that thrives on breaking news, Network18 seems to have created some of its own from acquisition-led regional growth to digital diversification and creator-led storytelling. The message is clear: while others are still buffering, Network18 is already streaming into the future.

  • Performace sets sights on South East Asia expansion

    Performace sets sights on South East Asia expansion

    MUMBAI: Performace is gearing up to go global, announcing its strategic expansion into South East Asia with Vishal Raj at the helm as business head. Known for his stints at Jiosaavn, Bytedance, Network18, and Belive, Vishal brings nearly two decades of experience in digital advertising, media sales, and APAC business development to the table.

    Singapore will serve as the regional headquarters, with plans to build teams and partnerships in Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand. The expansion underscores Performace’s aim to strengthen its presence in high-growth markets and deliver data-driven, performance-focused marketing solutions to clients across the region.

    Performace CEO Saurabh Gaur said, “Expanding into southeast Asia is a crucial milestone in our journey to become a global player. The region’s dynamic digital ecosystem offers immense opportunity, and Vishal’s proven APAC expertise positions us to deliver meaningful value to clients and partners.”

    Welcoming his new role, Vishal Raj added, “My goal is to leverage Performace’s insights and technology to drive measurable growth across southeast Asia. I am focused on building high-performance teams, strategic partnerships, and scalable, sustainable business operations. By combining local market insights with innovative solutions, we aim to create a strong foundation for success across the region.”

    With this move, Performace is not just expanding its footprint but reinforcing its reputation for strategic innovation, operational discipline, and client-centricity, setting the stage for long-term global growth in digital marketing and performance media solutions.

  • Bharat Express brings back Varun Kohli as group chief executive

    Bharat Express brings back Varun Kohli as group chief executive

    NOIDA:  In the media industry, boomerang hires are increasingly common. But when a news channel rehires the executive who built it from scratch, it signals ambition rather than desperation.

    Bharat Express has brought back Varun Kohli as director and group chief executive, marking his return to an organisation he helped launch in January 2023.  Kohli, who spent just over a year at Bharat Express before joining Times Network as chief operating officer, is being tasked with expanding the channel’s reach and deepening its impact in India’s competitive news broadcasting market.

    During his first stint, Kohli shaped the channel’s editorial and business strategy, built its core team and established its operational framework. His move to Times Network in 2024 saw him oversee critical operations across a larger network. Now, armed with that broader experience, he returns to accelerate Bharat Express’s growth trajectory.

    “During his first innings, Varun played a foundational role in successfully launching the channel and positioning Bharat Express as a credible voice in Indian news media,” said Bharat Express chairman, managing director & editor in chief Upendrra Rai. “With his return, we are confident that his deep industry experience and visionary approach will help us accelerate our growth and take the channel to new heights.”

    Kohli brings three decades of media experience, having held leadership roles at ITV Network, Deccan Chronicle Holdings, Network18, Bennett Coleman & Co., HT Media and Amar Ujala Prakashan. He is known for launching and turning around media brands, with a reputation for driving revenue growth and building high-performance teams.

    The appointment positions Bharat Express for its next phase of expansion, with Kohli’s return bringing both institutional knowledge and fresh strategic insights gained from his time at one of India’s largest broadcasting networks.

  • GST 2.0 reloads India’s growth story at Network18’s power-packed summit

    GST 2.0 reloads India’s growth story at Network18’s power-packed summit

    MUMBAI: Talk about tax reform with extra firepower Network18’s Reforms Reloaded 2025 lived up to its billing as India’s biggest policy stage, convening the nation’s top minds just as GST 2.0 kicked in on 22 September 2025. Policymakers, CEOs, economists, defence strategists, and global investors gathered in Delhi to decode how the new regime could reshape India’s economic trajectory and set the tone for its Vision 2030 leap.

    The day was packed with insights, optimism, and the occasional hard truth. From GST reforms to defence indigenisation, divestment to digitisation, leaders sketched out how India could convert reform rhetoric into real, lasting impact.

    Chief economic advisor V Anantha Nageswaran called GST 2.0 “a very significant landmark reform”, predicting it will provide a “very significant boost to domestic demand”. Coupled with recent tax concessions, he said, the multiplier effect would “quite definitely boost GDP numbers”, with FY26 growth expected towards the upper end of the 6.3–6.8 per cent range.

    Tourism minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat emphasised that the reforms would touch lives across strata, “from a farmer to a millionaire in Mumbai,” with 95 per cent of goods seeing a reduction in taxes. This, he argued, would put more money into consumers’ pockets, spur MSMEs, and even boost domestic tourism.

    Consumer affairs minister Pralhad Joshi went a step further, hailing GST 2.0 as “the biggest reform since 1975”. He announced a dedicated consumer helpline to tackle complaints about GST benefits not being passed on and praised the new online input credit refund system: “Compliances have been simplified, refunds have been made online… what can be a bigger relief for businesses?”

    DIPAM secretary Arunish Chawla highlighted how reforms in capital markets were democratising investment. Despite FIIs pulling out Rs 1 lakh crore between January and August, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) poured in Rs 5 lakh crore, with two-thirds of DIIs now individual investors. “As markets stabilise, we will bring in more OFS, minority stake sales and IPOs, and exceed this year’s Rs 47,000 crore divestment target,” Chawla said, cautioning against obsession with headline figures.

    Defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh spotlighted the government’s push for self-reliance, announcing 25–30 billion dollars in annual capex for the next decade, with 75 per cent of that to be spent within India. The move, he argued, would not only strengthen defence capabilities but also catalyse indigenous manufacturing and innovation.

    Beyond GST, panellists debated India’s reform roadmap: asset monetisation, renewable energy, frontier tech, and reshaping globalisation in India’s favour. The mood was decidedly optimistic that GST 2.0, alongside these reforms, could power a competitive, consumption-led economy.

    Network18 (Broadcast) CEO Avinash Kaul framed the day’s significance: “At a time when global economic shifts and technological disruption are transforming industries, Reforms Reloaded sparks future-focused conversations on governance, GST, and India’s evolving role in the global economy.”

    By the end of the summit, one thing was clear: GST 2.0 isn’t just another acronym in India’s policy alphabet soup. It’s the pivot around which India’s growth story for the next decade will turn, a story that leaders at Reforms Reloaded believe could make Bharat both resilient at home and credible on the world stage.

    Because when it comes to India’s economic future, the message from the summit was loud and clear: it’s time to reform, reload, and rise.

  • GST set to star as Network18 reloads reforms with economic power summit

    GST set to star as Network18 reloads reforms with economic power summit

    MUMBAI: When it comes to India’s growth story, the script is being rewritten and Network18 is handing the nation a sneak peek. On 22 September 2025, Delhi will host Reforms Reloaded 2025, a high-impact summit designed to unpack the country’s most pressing economic questions. With GST 2.0, Aatmanirbharta, Make in India, and Vision 2030 taking centre stage, the event promises to bring together the sharpest minds from government, industry, and diplomacy to map India’s next big leap.

    The summit will feature sector-specific dialogues on how the latest GST reforms are reshaping industries from manufacturing and e-commerce to services and hospitality. At the same time, big-picture conversations will tackle themes like public relief, governance, and international cooperation.
    A star-studded line-up

    Network18 has assembled a heavyweight speaker list that reads like India’s economic Avengers. Among those taking the stage are:

    ●    V. Anantha Nageswaran, chief economic advisor, GoI

    ●    Rajesh Kumar Singh, IAS, defence secretary of India

    ●    Arunish Chawla, secretary, DIPAM

    ●    Ambassador Anil Sooklal, South African high commissioner to India

    ●    Benedikt Höskuldsson, ambassador of Iceland to India

    ●    Kimmo Lähdevirta, ambassador of Finland to India

    ●    Amitabh Kant, ex-G20 sherpa & former CEO, NITI Aayog

    ●    Rajiv Memani, president, CII & chairman & CEO, EY India

    ●    V. Vaidyanathan, MD & CEO, IDFC First Bank

    ●    Santosh Iyer, MD & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India

    ●    Nilesh Shah, MD, Kotak Mahindra Asset Management

    ●    Utpal Sheth, founder & mentor, Trust group

    ●    Atul Suri, CEO, Marathon Trends Advisory

    ●    Shashi Shekhar Vempati, co-founder, Deeptech for Bharat

    ●    Vivek Mishra, co-founder & CEO, Raphe Mphibr

    This eclectic mix of economists, policymakers, diplomats, and CEOs will explore everything from macro reforms to micro impact ensuring the conversation spans boardrooms, trading floors, and households alike.

    “Reforms Reloaded 2025 is a platform that brings together India’s top minds to discuss the next chapter of India’s economic journey,” said Network18 CEO for (broadcast) & MD, A+E Networks | TV18 Avinash Kaul. “Global shifts and tech disruption are transforming industries. This summit will highlight how inclusive reforms can empower a self-reliant India.”

    Echoing the sentiment Network18 group chief strategy officer Puneet Singhvi said: “The latest GST reforms have put the spotlight back on Make in India and Vision 2030. By uniting policymakers and business leaders, Reforms Reloaded will spark fresh thinking and deliver practical solutions to unlock opportunities across manufacturing, services, e-commerce, and beyond.”

    The day-long summit, starting 11:00 am onwards, will air live on Network18 channels, giving viewers a front-row seat to the ideas shaping India’s economic destiny. With GST spends and compliance challenges in focus, the summit aims to provide both vision and actionable roadmaps bridging policy intent with ground realities.

    For a nation chasing high growth while balancing global uncertainties, Reforms Reloaded 2025 promises not just a conversation but a compass: charting how India can move from reform to resilience, and from resilience to reinvention.

  • Times change again as Varun Kohli exits, Gopakumar takes interim charge

    Times change again as Varun Kohli exits, Gopakumar takes interim charge

    MUMBAI: Another shuffle at Times Network has set the industry buzzing. Varun Kohli, who joined as chief operating officer barely a year ago, has suddenly stepped down from the role. In the interim, Rohit Gopakumar, currently CEO of entertainment and digital business at The Times Group, has been handed charge of the broadcast business.

    The development comes against the backdrop of CEO M.K. Anand’s exit in July 2024, when he quit after more than a decade at Bennett, Coleman & Co. (BCCL). Kohli was brought in just a month earlier, in June 2024, to oversee the network’s revenue function across its television broadcast business.

    Kohli, a seasoned media professional, moved to Times Network from Bharat Express, where he spent a year and a half as director and CEO. Before that, he briefly helmed Sporty Media Solutionz as CEO and held senior stints at ITV Network (group CEO), Network18, HT Media, and Amar Ujala Prakashan.

    Meanwhile, Gopakumar isn’t new to the media house. He joined the group in August 2023 as CEO of Worldwide Media and was later elevated to lead entertainment and digital. His expanded remit now includes steering Times Network’s broadcast operations during a tricky phase for the industry.

    With two top exits in just over a year, Times Network finds itself once again at a leadership crossroads and all eyes will now be on how Gopakumar steadies the ship.

  • Profit scripted, as Network18 bounces back in Q1 FY 26

    Profit scripted, as Network18 bounces back in Q1 FY 26

    MUMBAI: Who needs a plot twist when your earnings season delivers one? Network18 has returned to the profit stage with a Q1 performance that reads more like a financial thriller than a media earnings report. For the quarter ended 30 June 2025, Network18 Media & Investments Limited reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 148.85 crore, reversing a net loss of Rs 195.36 crore from the same period last year. The surprise twist? A windfall from revaluing its stake in Eenadu Television Private Limited (ETPL), which contributed Rs 150.64 crore as an exceptional gain after ETPL ceased to be an associate effective 7 July 2025.

    On a standalone basis, the plot thickens further Network18 clocked a net profit of Rs 516.17 crore, a sharp rebound from a loss of Rs 74.65 crore in Q1 FY25. This included an exceptional income of Rs 587.01 crore due to the revaluation of its 24.5 per cent stake in ETPL.

    Operating revenue, however, told a more subdued tale. Consolidated revenue from operations came in at Rs 467.86 crore, down sharply from Rs 3,140.92 crore in the year-ago period. A large part of this decline stems from the exclusion of subsidiaries like Studio18 Media and Indiacast Media Distribution, which ceased to be part of the group in late 2024.

    Expenses followed the trend, with total costs at Rs 550.12 crore, down from Rs 3,509.46 crore last year. Key cost heads like marketing and distribution (Rs 113.73 crore) and operational costs (Rs 100.30 crore) reflected the reshaped structure of the business.

    The company’s earnings per share (EPS) swung from -Rs 0.82 last year to Rs 0.97 in the current quarter, highlighting the impact of exceptional items.

    Among key line items, employee costs stood at Rs 185.61 crore, while finance cost came in at Rs 52.30 crore. The company recorded depreciation and amortisation expenses of Rs 34.12 crore, and reported other income of Rs 10.15 crore for the quarter.  

    In the fine print, the company noted that despite ETPL no longer being an associate, it retains economic interest in the 24.5 per cent equity stake. The financial results also include profits from joint ventures and associates, amounting to Rs 70.32 crore, further cushioning bottom line performance.

    With cost optimisation, consolidation, and strategic divestments sharpening the focus, Network18 seems to be scripting a leaner, more profitable arc for FY26. Whether this is the start of a blockbuster run or a one-off cameo remains to be seen. But for now, the credits roll on a profitable note.

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  • Tanuj Luthra elevated as chief business officer at CarDekho Group

    Tanuj Luthra elevated as chief business officer at CarDekho Group

    NEW DELHI: Auto-tech platform CarDekho Group has named Tanuj Luthra as its chief business officer, (CBO) marking a significant leadership elevation for the digital veteran with over two decades of experience in media, digital, banking, and telecom.. 

    Luthra, who joined CarDekho in 2023 as vice president – new auto, has since April 2025 (when he was named CBO) has been overseeing  the group’s entire business strategy, revenue leadership, and partnerships. His remit includes driving growth across digital ads, branded content, SaaS offerings, and white-label IPs, while accelerating the company’s digital transformation journey in the automotive space.

    A business engineer-turned-marketer with an MBA and a senior management programme from IIM Ahmedabad, Luthra has previously held key roles at Network18 and Star India, The Walt Disney Co, and Citibank. Known for cracking Rs 100-crore+ deals and pioneering brand-led content integrations, he has worked with top-tier brands including Dabur, Coca-Cola, Patanjali, and Alibaba.

    Industry insiders say Luthra’s mix of deal-making prowess, strategic acumen, and deep client relationships puts him in the driver’s seat to unlock the next chapter of growth for CarDekho.

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  • Eenadu TV no longer an associate; NW18 assigns voting rights to promoter

    Eenadu TV no longer an associate; NW18 assigns voting rights to promoter

    MUMBAI: In a pivotal move linked to the grand consolidation of India’s entertainment landscape, Eenadu TV is no longer an associate, as Network 18 has assigned its 24.5 per cent voting rights in the broadcaster to ETPL’s promoter and continues to retain its economic rights. The transaction, completed at 2:06 p.m. on 7 July, effectively ends ETPL’s status as an associate of the media conglomerate.

    Network18 informed the Bombay stock exchange about this change via a regulatory filing. 

    The assignment of voting rights—mandated under a Competition Commission of India (CCI) order dated 27 August 2024—was part of the conditions for the greenlighting of the blockbuster merger between Viacom18 (now Studio18 Media Pvt  Ltd) and Star India (now JioStar India Pvt Ltd).

    Though stripped of control, Network18 retains full economic interest in the 24.5 per cent stake. The company said the promoter of ETPL has no ties to Network18’s promoter group, and the deal doesn’t qualify as a related-party transaction.

    As of 31 March 2025, ETPL accounted for a hefty 32.61 per cent of Network18’s consolidated net worth. But despite the shift in status, the company claims there will be no hit to its balance sheet, thanks to a fair valuation mechanism under prevailing accounting standards.