MAM
A case for disruptive innovations
MUMBAI: Disruptive innovations like the Indian Premier League (IPL) can break through a cluttered market, several experts said.
Kolkata Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore noted that the IPL was about challenging the norm. “Viewership has leapt sixfold and the reach has gone beyond traditional cricket lovers. From a business perspective, it was about creating a platform to reach out to a passionate public. The IPL was packaged to catch the people’s attention,” he said.
Particpating in a panel discussion at The Mindshare Brand Equity Compass, LinkedIn India country manager Hari V Krishnan noted that Linkedin created a disruptive innovation in the talent economy. The traditional ways of employment did not give transparency. “We extract insight from data. We are not just about helping somebody find a job but also helping them become more productive in their jobs,” he elaborated.
Disruptive innovations can be fought by rival companies by moving into another arena to strike. This is what Cirque Du Soleil did in the circus arena. Microsoft joint MD Hemant Sachdev said that innovation is what makes a company tick as it impacts the consumer experience. “Going forward, the Natural User Interface will be important like Xbox. It is a community that is real and experiential. Telecom is another example of disruptive innovation which gives real value not just to businesses but also to consumers.”
Leaders must provide fertile ground for innovations to grow. Companies, in the process, must be more open to failures and take the risk of adopting disruptive trends so that they break patterns. The interesting thing is that while 95 per cent of ideas fail, innovation is still the only way to succeed.
MAM
Network18 reshuffles editorial leadership across platforms
Expanded roles and new reporting lines aim to sharpen focus on growth across digital, social, CTV and linear TV.
MUMBAI: Network18 is giving its leadership structure a fresh edit because in the fast-changing world of media, even the newsroom needs a compelling new headline. The company has announced expanded roles for its editorial leadership across social, digital, connected TV (CTV) and linear platforms. In an internal communication, Rahul Joshi, MD & Group Editor-in-Chief, outlined new reporting structures designed to drive stronger coordination and growth.
Smriti Mehra, S Shivakumar and Mitul Sangani will now report directly to Joshi. Ganesh Iyer and Abhinay Chauhan will continue reporting to him as well.
Prabhat Chatterjee, Business Head of Forbes, and Arun Thapar, President of Content & Communication for AETN-18, will report to Smriti Mehra and lead revenue growth, marketing and product initiatives. Mallika Nath Handa will spearhead the development and scaling of special projects, including new shows and non-linear properties, and will also report to Mehra.
Jayesh Gokalgandhi, CFO for AETN18, will report to Ramesh Damani. Sidharth Newatia, CRO-ILC, will report to Mitul Sangani and focus on expanding reach and revenue across Hindi and regional language markets, with special emphasis on Tier-II and Tier-III regions. Pankaj Soni, Head of Marketing-ILC, will report to Mitul and work functionally with Ganesh Iyer.
The branded content business of Moneycontrol has been consolidated with News18 Studio. Don Zarrar will now collaborate with Shiv in the News18 Studio business while continuing to head his existing Studio/Focus teams at Moneycontrol.
Pranav Bakshi has taken on additional responsibility for the international business, alongside continuing to lead growth in Connected TV and social platforms. Naveen Mathur, who oversees Revenue Management for Network18’s international business, will report to Pranav, who continues to report to Puneet Singhvi.
Rajesh Sharma (Head of Broadcast Technology & IT), Rahul Singh (Head of Events & Technical Operations) and Bhupender Bhardwaj (Head of IT Security) will now report to Puneet Singhvi. Darshil Parekh, Head of Sales Strategy, Planning & Ops, will work directly with Ramesh Damani and Rahul Joshi, while Stanley Cyril, who manages Digital Sales Operations, will report to Darshil.
Jitamitra Mohanty, who leads the viewer and audience-focused Research & Analytics function, will now work with Santosh Menon to convert data on reach and engagement into actionable insights for content strategy, product innovation and sustained viewership growth.
In a media landscape where platforms multiply faster than breaking news, Network18’s latest reshuffle is clearly aimed at keeping its editorial and business engines firing in sync. Expect sharper storytelling, stronger revenue plays, and a more agile approach across every screen that matters.
