MAM
Zee brings 3 regional channels under one head, Nitin Vaidya
MUMBAI: As part of the restructuring exercise, Zee Network has brought three of its regional channels under one head.
Nitin Vaidya is made the head of Zee’s Marathi, Bangla and Gujarati channels. He was earlier business head of Zee Marathi. Now, the heads of Bangla and Gujarati channels will report to Vaidya. Vaidya will also continue to be business head of Smile TV, Zee’s comedy channel.
The three channels will also have a single ad sales head. Earlier Zee’s regional channels had individual channel and ad sales heads. The new ad sales structure will be headed Rajiv Chatterjee, who in turn will report to Vaidya.
Comments Vaidya on the restructuring, “This initiative will help us bring about synergy and alignment to the advertising sales of our regional channels. This new ad sales model will be applicable to the western and northern regions of the country.”
Zee’s Punjabi channel will be kept outside this new structure. Rabindra Narayan will continue as business head of the two channels Zee Punjabi and ETC Punjabi. Zee has already roped in former ETV hand R Ajaykumar to head its South initiatives.
The present restructuring follows Zee’s bringing together of its regional channels under the Zee brand, replacing Alpha. Simultaneously, the network also went for a facelift by introducing new logos for all its channels.
Brands
Nodwin Gaming appoints Sonal Varma as global director of live events
Former Comic Con India VP to scale global gaming and pop culture experiences
MUMBAI: Nodwin Gaming has appointed Sonal Varma as global director of live events, bringing on board a seasoned architect of fan communities as the company accelerates its global push in gaming, esports and youth culture.
Varma steps into the role with more than 15 years of experience creating large-scale fan experiences and cultural platforms. She is best known for her long stint at Comic Con India, where she most recently served as vice president and helped transform the convention into one of the country’s most recognisable pop culture gatherings.
At Nodwin Gaming, Varma will lead the strategy, design and execution of the company’s global live event initiatives. Her mandate includes expanding flagship intellectual properties and developing new formats that bring gaming communities together across emerging markets.
Over the years, Varma has been closely associated with building and scaling community-led events such as Comic Con India, Geekly and the Indian Cosplay Championship. Her work has focused on turning niche fandoms into thriving cultural ecosystems by blending entertainment, creator culture and brand partnerships.
Her appointment comes at a time when Nodwin Gaming is expanding its international events footprint through properties such as DreamHack India, NH7 Weekender, Comic Con India and the Battlegrounds Mobile India Series. The company has also been growing its presence across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa through esports tournaments, gaming festivals and fan conventions.
Nodwin Gaming co-founder and managing director Akshat Rathee, said Varma’s experience in building fan-centric platforms would play a key role in the company’s next phase of growth.
“Sonal brings a deep understanding of how live experiences can bring communities together around gaming and pop culture. As we expand our global live events footprint, her experience will help us create experiences that feel authentic and meaningful for audiences across markets,” he said.
Varma said the scale of opportunity at Nodwin Gaming made the move particularly exciting.
“Joining Nodwin Gaming at this moment feels incredibly exciting because the canvas is so large. There are new audiences, new markets and new formats waiting to be explored. I’m looking forward to working with teams across the network to create live experiences that celebrate gaming culture while staying rooted in the communities that power it,” she said.
Over the past few years, Nodwin Gaming has built an ecosystem that stretches across competitive gaming, creator communities, music festivals and youth culture platforms. With Varma now leading global live events, the company is looking to further expand its flagship properties while experimenting with new formats that blend gaming, entertainment and fandom for audiences around the world.
