News Broadcasting
MTV announces new network group structure
NEW YORK: MTV Networks chairman and CEO Tom Freston, has announced a new network group structure for the company. The new structure expands the roles of both Judy McGrath and Herb Scannell, longtime leaders within MTV Networks.
McGrath, formerly MTV Networks Music Group president will now become MTV Networks group president. She will be responsible for MTV, MTV2, VH1, CMT and Comedy Central, which officially joined Viacom and MTV Networks on 22 May. Comedy Central’s president Larry Divney will report directly to McGrath. The former Nickelodeon, TV Land, and TNN president, Scannell, will become MTV Networks Group president. He will be responsible for Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite, TV Land, Noggin and TNN. TNN will soon be knwon as Spike TV.
Freston said, “This structure places two of our best, most experienced, and most successful leaders in expanded roles that position us perfectly as we continue to expand as a company. Judy’s accomplishments over the years speak for themselves. She has an unmatched creative vision and a proven ability to build, strengthen and transform powerful brands and I am thrilled to have her take on this added role and new challenge.
Herb is a remarkably talented creative executive who has brilliantly led the channels under his leadership from one success to another, dramatically growing their businesses along the way. His skills will serve us well as we launch Spike TV and aggressively grow that brand as the first network for men.”
In their new roles McGrath and Scannell will oversee the
management of their respective networks. An official release informs that in addition, they will now together with Freston, MTV Networks President and COO Mark Rosenthal, MTV Networks International President Bill Roedy be part of a newly established MTV Networks Management Committee that will play the lead role in the management of the company.
News Broadcasting
Book Cricket gets a digital century on News18 amid T20 fever
Nostalgic classroom game revamped in English, Hindi plus Telugu on web and app.
MUMBAI: When the T20 World Cup fever hits fever pitch, News18 decides to flip the script straight back to the classroom. The digital news platform has revived the timeless schoolyard favourite Book Cricket as an interactive online game, perfectly timed to ride the cricket wave gripping fans across the globe. The reimagined Book Cricket ditches textbooks for smartphones, blending old-school nostalgia with modern gameplay. Once a sneaky recess pastime played by flicking book pages to score runs, the digital version now offers seamless fun for anyone craving a quick cricket fix between overs.
Available in English, Hindi and Telugu (with more languages planned across News18’s network), the game sits within the platform’s fast-growing gaming portfolio of over 20 titles, all built in-house. It joins event-driven hits like ‘Kursi Catcher’ and ‘Result Rewind’ during the 2025 Bihar Assembly Elections, plus festive specials such as ‘Durga’s Astras’ for Durga Puja and ‘Mouse Modak’ for Ganesh Chaturthi.
News18 Digital CEO Mitul Sangani said, “Gaming is a key pillar of our engagement strategy. At News18, we uniquely combine our newsroom agility with immersive gaming experiences. By blending credible content with interactive formats, we are creating meaningful engagement in an era defined by shrinking attention spans and evolving consumption habits.”
Select titles have expanded beyond News18.com to CNBC-TV18.com and Firstpost.com, reflecting the network’s push to deepen user interaction across platforms. The Book Cricket game is live now at https://www.news18.com/games/book-cricket/.
In a tournament where every boundary counts, News18’s digital Book Cricket proves the simplest games can still deliver the biggest smiles no syllabus required, just pure cricket joy one page-flip at a time.
