News Broadcasting
UTV has big hopes on revamped ‘Shakalaka Boom Boom’
MUMBAI: The longest running kids show on cable & satellite TV, Star Plus’ Shakalaka Boom Boom, has just undergone a reinvention (thankfully not another 20-year fast forward).
The first episode of the revamped show, which aired last week (Monday, 17 November), has seen the exit of most of the old cast. While Sanju and co are gone, star of the show ‘the magic pencil’ is still there with a new set of kids, including an alien kid ‘Shaan’.
Although the target audience remains the 4-14 one, it is a crucial audience as it forms 25 per cent of the viewing junta, which normally plays a great role in consumerist trends (read pester power).
Was there a need for revamp, were the ratings plummeting? UTV director Zarina Mehta retorts, “You need to reinvent constantly to maintain the freshness of the show. Plus with the original cast having all grown up, there was a fear that the target audience might not gel well with them. We have till now farmed out the story till April 2004, while scripting till January is already done. The ratings were not going down in fact we have seen a steady 4. TRPs for the first edition. Even the latest edition has got SLBB into top 50 in C&S homes”
Just like the last series, this time on the channel has signed a host of new child artiste barring one – Hansika Motwani, who plays 12-year old tomboy Shona. The story is about Shona and her four rich orphaned siblings who constitute the Malhotra kids, and their fight to survive the evil designs of their maternal uncle and wife and bad boy cousin.
With a typical Cinderella story in place, the story needed a fairy god mother. In came alien kid Shaan, the owner of magic pencil to help them solve their problems and get back at Kaartik and his evil parents.
Will the magic work with kids? “Although technically our audience is 4-14, we aim our show at 12-year-olds, who want to believe in magic,” offers Mehta.
MERCHANDISING: Encouraged by the response to the last years merchandising initiative of of SLBB pencils, where Star Plus’ designed pencil boxes, timetable etc, and distributed them amongst the school kids, something on similar lines is under discussion. Mehta indicated that the channel might even plan to venture into SLBB merchandise for commercial purposes.
The merchandise and the revamp aside, UTV is planning to get a few successful characters from other shows and popular figures for guest appearances.
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.
