News Broadcasting
Sudhanshu Vats appointed MD Viacom18; Rahul Joshi is MD Network18 and TV18
MUMBAI: It’s promotion time at the Reliance Industries-owned news firm TV18 Broadcast and Network18 Media and entertainment broadcasting major Viacom18. The boards of the three companies have upped their respective CEOs to managing director (MD). Sudhanshu Vats who was earlier group CEO, Viacom18 has now been designated as MD even as Rahul Joshi has been given the same designation at both Network18 Media and TV18 Broadcast. Joshi’s position is for a term of three years with effect from 9 July 2018, while Vats’s redesignation awaits the receipt of necessary regulatory approvals.
Vats has been associated with Viacom18 from last six years, while Joshi has worked at Network18 Group since September 2015 and is CEO news and group editor in chief.
Adil Zainulbhai, chairman of Network18 and TV18 said “Both the appointees have tremendous skill and experience and will continue to drive our news and entertainment businesses towards leadership, as we continue to invest in these areas.”
Joshi has done his masters in management studies from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), Mumbai University.
Prior to joining the Network18 group, he worked for more than two decades with The Economic Times, where he rose through ranks to quickly become one of India’s youngest editors, and has also worked as its editorial director. He also launched ET Now and helped shape the digital coverage of ET Online.
Joshi was also employed with The Indian Express in the past. He is also on the board of News Broadcasters Association (NBA).
Vats is a management graduate from the Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad. Prior to joining Viacom18, he spent about 20 years in Hindustan Unilever (Unilever India) where he worked in sales & marketing and general management roles across categories and shaped many popular household brands. Vats is also chairman of the national media & entertainment committee of CII (Confederation of Indian Industry), VP of IBF (Indian Broadcasting Foundation) and director of BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council).
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.
