MAM
India to grow the fastest for CNN across Asia Pacific
MUMBAI: CNN is banking on India to boost its ad revenue this year as the international news outfit hunts for fast-growing economies in a downturn environment.
CNN expects a 10 per cent growth from the Asia Pacific region. “India, away from recession, will grow the fastest this year as we tap into more clients. North Asia’s contribution in terms of Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong will still be the most. The growth in Asia will be faster compared to the US which was also the case last year,” says CNN vice president ad sales Asia Pacific William Hsu.
CNN International’s top three markets in the Asia Pacific region are Korea, Southeast Asia and India. CNN has 20 Indian advertisers and plans to widen this pool. “A lot of Indian companies are going global. They look at our network for advertising,” says Hsu.
CNN has been growing at about 11 per cent compounded a year over the last decade. “The recession affected us the least. We anticipated the recession before it happened. Throughout 2007, we expected something to happen without knowing when. This allowed us to tweak our strategy. We approached more governments as they tend to up their spends during a recession to stimulate growth. We also built a 360 degree solution around TV and the Internet,” adds Hsu.
The focus on digital, which makes up 20 per cent of CNN’s revenues, also helped the news network to combat the global downturn.
CNN is growing its India content. “Eye On India is coming up and we are promoting it. We are dedicating a lot of our daily news output towards Indian business, which will be aired across the world,” says Hsu.
Brands
Pocket FM elevates Lalit Gangwar to COO to drive global growth
Founding member to lead operations, monetisation and expansion across markets
MUMBAI: Pocket FM has elevated Lalit Gangwar to chief operating officer, tasking the founding team member with leading global business operations as the company sharpens its international growth strategy.
In his new role, Gangwar will oversee end-to-end operations across markets, including growth, monetisation and execution for the company’s audio business. The appointment comes as Pocket FM looks to strengthen its operating foundation and build a more predictable, scalable global business.
Gangwar has been closely involved in shaping the company’s trajectory from its early days. He played a key role in building the growth and marketing playbook in India, helping the platform scale to over 150 million users within its first year and establish a strong foothold in the audio storytelling category.
He later led Pocket FM’s expansion into the United States, where he set up teams, defined market strategy and drove scale, contributing significantly to the company’s international ambitions.
Pocket FM co-founder and CEO Rohan Nayak said, “Lalit has been central to Pocket FM’s journey from the very beginning. He has built our growth engine and scaled our business across markets.” He added that the company’s focus on nurturing internal talent makes Gangwar a natural choice to lead the next phase.
Gangwar said, “Pocket FM has always been driven by a simple belief that powerful stories can travel across borders and create meaningful impact.” He noted that the company will continue to focus on scaling markets, investing in AI-led storytelling and strengthening monetisation.
As COO, Gangwar is expected to bring greater operating discipline while building systems, talent and processes to support long-term growth.
With leadership continuity and a clear global focus, Pocket FM appears to be turning the page to its next chapter, one that aims to take its storytelling playbook well beyond home turf.
