News Broadcasting
AOL announces nominees for 2006 ‘TV’s Top 5! Viewer Awards’
MUMBAI:AOL announced the nominees for the 2006 TV’s Top 5! Viewer Awards honouring television’s most talked-about moments from the past year in unique categories such as Best Trainwreck Moment, Best Steamy Smooches Moment and Best Creature Comforts Moment.
The finalists and winning moments are determined solely by fan voting, which opens today at 6 PM (EST) on the web at AOL.com/television (http://www.aol.com/television).
Beginning today at www.aol.com/television, fans can view all the nominated moments and vote for their favorite in each category. The five finalists, one from each category, will be announced on 7 August. Voting will then re-open to determine the season’s best moment of all. The winning clip will be revealed on 21 August. This is the fifth year that AOL Television has celebrated the year in TV by letting the fans pick the best moment.
The following are TV’s Top 5! Nominated Moments for 2006:
BEST TRAINWRECK MOMENT:
— Mrs. Perrin has a meltdown on “Trading Spouses”
— Andre sobs uncontrollably on “Project Runway”
— Isaac Mizrahi gets hairy on E!’s “Live From the Red Carpet”
— Donald Trump flirts with his own daughter on “The View”
— Paula goes off on Simon “American Idol”
BEST OH SNAP! MOMENT:
— Nate has a seizure on “Six Feet Under”
— Edgar dies of nerve gas on “24”
— Tony gets shot by Uncle Junior on “The Sopranos”
— Michael kills Ana Lucia and Libby on “Lost”
— Chris Daughtry is eliminated on “American Idol”
BEST CELEB DID WHAT?! MOMENT:
— Ellen flips a bird on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno”
— Reese feuds with Biff on “The Late Show With David Letterman”
— Jennifer Garner accidentally reveals her baby’s sex on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno”
— Letterman tears apart Bill O’Reilly on “The Late Show With David Letterman”
— Star gets hit by a football on “The View”
BEST CREATURE COMFORTS MOMENT:
— Leno gets bugged out on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno”
— The world’s ugliest dog shows up on “Last Call With Carson Daly”
— A family of super dogs wow the crowd on “Live With Regis & Kelly”
— A dog catches a Frisbee while on his hind feet on “The Late Show With David Letterman”
— Ellen gets a great big puppy hug on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”
BEST STEAMY SMOOCHES MOMENT:
— Kate surprises Jack with a kiss on “Lost”
— Carlos makes a tantalizing offer to Lynette on “Desperate Housewives”
— Jim lets Pam know how he feels on “The Office”
— Derek and Meredith give into their passion on “Grey’s Anatomy’”
— Joy smooches Meredith before she leaves “The View”
The nominees have all been featured on TV’s Top 5!, AOL Television’s daily recap of the best five moments of the previous day based on fan response and input from AOL Television’s editors. Fans can view these moments at aol.com/television and give feedback on their favourite clip of the day. The nominees are among the most viewed and highest rated moments from the past year, according to an official release.
News Broadcasting
GenNext takes charge as Network18 reshuffles leadership
With Avinash Kaul bowing out, Network18 hands reins to younger leaders, streamlines operations, and pushes data-driven growth across TV, digital and regional markets
MUMBAI: Network18 is redrawing its leadership map just as a long-time lieutenant bows out. Avinash Kaul, a central figure in the broadcaster’s rise since 2014, is leaving after 12 years to pursue “professional and personal goals”, triggering a broad-based reshuffle that puts a younger cohort directly under the top brass.
Kaul joined at a pivotal moment during the company’s transition and went on to scale the television business, combining strategic nous with data-led decision-making and a sharp read of the news landscape. “Avinash has been an integral part of the Network18 story,” the company said, thanking him for his leadership of the broadcast business and wishing him the best for the future.
In his wake, Network18 is betting on what it calls a “young and restless” leadership bench. “The team has taken charge and proved its mettle in quite adverse circumstances,” the note said, adding that “GenNext has seamlessly stepped in as we continue to outperform our peers.”
Operationally, the structure is being flattened. Smriti Mehra, S Shivakumar and Mitul Sangani will work directly with the top leadership, as they did in the fourth quarter. Ganesh Iyer and Abhinay Chauhan continue in their existing roles, while younger executives are being handed wider mandates across social, digital, connected TV and linear.
The reporting lines are being tightened to drive revenue and product momentum. Prabhat Chatterjee, business head–Forbes, and Arun Thapar, president–content and communication for AETN-18, will report to Smriti Mehra, alongside Mallika Nath Handa, who will lead special projects spanning new shows and non-linear properties. Jayesh Gokalgandhi, CFO for AETN-18, will report to Ramesh Damani.
Mitul Sangani will oversee expansion in Hindi and regional markets, with Sidharth Newatia, CRO–ILC, focusing on reach and revenue growth, particularly in tier-II and III markets. Pankaj Soni, head of marketing–ILC, will also report to Sangani while working functionally with Ganesh Iyer.
The group is also consolidating its branded content play. Moneycontrol’s branded content business will be folded into News18 Studio, with Don Zarrar moving to work with Shivakumar while continuing to lead existing studio and Focus teams.
International and platform growth are being bundled together. Pranav Bakshi takes on additional charge of the international business alongside connected TV and social platforms, with Naveen Mathur, who leads revenue management for the international unit, reporting to him. Bakshi continues to report to Puneet Singhvi.
On the technology and operations side, Rajesh Sharma, head of broadcast technology and IT; Rahul Singh, head of events and technical operations; and Bhupender Bhardwaj, head of IT security, will now report to Singhvi. Darshil Parekh, head of sales strategy, planning and operations, will work directly with Ramesh Damani and the top leadership, with Stanley Cyril, who manages digital sales operations, reporting to him.
Data is being pushed to the centre of decision-making. Jitamitra Mohanty, who leads research and analytics, will now work with Santosh Menon to turn audience data into “actionable insights that drive content strategy, product innovation and sustainable viewership growth”.
The message is clear: fewer layers, faster calls, sharper bets. With Kaul’s exit closing one chapter, Network18 is handing the wheel to a younger crew and doubling down on scale across screens. The race, it signals, will be run at full tilt.
