News Broadcasting
Star News uplink issue held up by the home ministry
NEW DELHI : Even after the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) last week cleared Star News’ proposal for restructuring its uplinking entity to conform with foreign direct investment (FDI) norms, the company’s request to uplink from India is now stuck with the home ministry.
“The ministry of information & broadcasting has cleared it for all intents and purposes. But now Star News’ proposal is pending with the home ministry, which is examining it in detail with respect to security issues,” a Press Trust of India report quoted a government official as saying.
The report further stated that a Star India spokesperson declined to comment on the issue when contacted and joint venture partner Ananda Bazar Patrika could not be reached for comments.
Star had offloaded 74 per cent equity stake in the uplinking entity Media Content and Communication Services India Pvt Ltd (MCCS) to the ABP Group, which had applied afresh last month, the PTI report said.
The fresh application by MCCS followed the government’s decision to tighten uplinking guidelines, in which it stipulated that an Indian entity should hold at least 51 per cent equity. The government had earlier expressed apprehensions about proxy control of Star in MCCS wherein minority stakes had been offloaded to a clutch of high net worth individuals like ad man Suhel Seth, Hindustan Times editor Vir Sanghvi and Balaji Telefilms chairman Jeetendra.
In the fresh application moved by MCCS, it had sought government permission to induct 26 per cent foreign investment from Star News Broadcasting Ltd. The restructuring , according to the application submitted to FIPB, was to be a two-part exercise, which involved MCCS first becoming 100 per cent owned by Aveek Sarkar’s ABP Group. The second stage involved MCCS offloading 26 per cent in favour of Star.
Meanwhile, indiantelevision.com learns that because MCCS, for all practical purpose, is an ABP company that has 74 per cent shareholding, all public relation activities would now be looked after by MCCS itself through a public relations agency.
The agency that has been shorlisted to do this job, according to PR industry sources, is Perfect Relations.
Till now Star India used to handle most of the PR activities associated with Star News.
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.
