MAM
Ashish Sehgal takes charge as CEO of Times TV Network, sets sights on growth surge
NOIDA: Ashish Sehgal has stepped into a powerful new role as chief executive officer of Times TV Network and chief growth officer at Times Media & Entertainment, signalling fresh momentum for one of India’s most influential broadcast portfolios.
Sehgal said he is “honoured and thrilled” to begin the next chapter, and credited Vineet Jain and N Subramanian for backing him to drive the vision forward. His mandate is crystal clear: accelerate transformation, expand the news and entertainment footprint, and reinforce the network’s grip on market leadership.
A seasoned operator with more than three decades in revenue acceleration and media innovation, Sehgal has spent 14 years in leadership roles, including a high-impact tenure at Zee Entertainment Enterprises, where he most recently served as chief growth officer for broadcast and digital. He steered topline delivery across over 50 TV channels, ZEE5, global markets and brand partnerships—staking out bold bets on diversification and technology-led expansion.
Before Zee, he helped shape India’s television landscape at Star India through game-changing monetisation models behind Star Gold and Viva Pop Stars.
Earlier, he contributed to the launch of ESPN and Hallmark in India, and played a role in rolling out the country’s first FM radio channel with The Times Group.
Now, Sehgal’s track record returns home to the group where he once helped rewrite media playbooks. Expect sharper strategy, faster execution, and the kind of ambition that sends competitors scrambling to keep up. The game gets louder from here.
Digital
India leads global adoption of ChatGPT Images 2.0 in first week
From anime avatars to fantasy covers, users turn AI visuals into culture
NEW DELHI: India has emerged as the largest user base for ChatGPT Images 2.0, just a week after its launch by OpenAI, underlining the country’s growing influence on global internet trends.
While the tool was introduced as an advanced image-generation upgrade within ChatGPT, Indian users are quickly reshaping its purpose. Instead of sticking to productivity-led use cases, many are embracing it as a creative playground for self-expression, storytelling and online identity.
From anime-style portraits and cinematic headshots to tarot-inspired visuals and fictional newspaper front pages, the model is being used to create highly stylised, shareable content. Features such as accurate text rendering, multilingual prompts and the ability to generate detailed visuals with minimal input have helped drive rapid adoption.
What sets the latest model apart is its ability to “think” through prompts, generating multiple outputs and adapting to context, including real-time web inputs. But the bigger story lies in how users are engaging with it.
In India, trends are already taking shape. Popular formats include dramatic studio-style lighting edits, LinkedIn-ready headshots, manga-inspired avatars, soft pastel “spring” aesthetics, AI-led fashion moodboards, paparazzi-style visuals and fantasy newspaper covers. Users are also restoring old photographs, creating tarot-style imagery and experimenting with futuristic design concepts.
Local flavour is adding another layer. Prompts such as cinematic portrait collages and Y2K-inspired romantic edits are gaining traction, blending global aesthetics with distinctly Indian internet culture.
The surge reflects a broader shift in how AI tools are being used in the country, moving beyond utility to creativity. As younger users, creators and social media enthusiasts experiment with new visual formats, AI-generated imagery is increasingly becoming part of everyday digital expression.
If early trends hold, ChatGPT Images 2.0 may not just be a tech upgrade but a cultural moment, giving millions a new visual language to play with online.
