MAM
Manan Sheel Bhasin signs off from India TV after four years
The ad sales veteran, who has spent over two decades steering revenue for some of India’s biggest news networks, moves on from his role heading north India sales
DELHI: Manan Sheel Bhasin has called time on his four-year stint at India TV, announcing his exit on LinkedIn with a note that reads more gratitude list than resignation letter. “Signing off,” he wrote, describing the tenure as an enriching and exciting journey before thanking the organisation’s leadership and colleagues by name, from Sudipto Chowdhuri and Gulab Makhija to Ritika Talwar, Amit Sinha and Gaurav Tyagi, among many others. For an executive who has spent more than two decades in television ad sales, the send-off is as much a nod to relationships built as it is to targets hit.
Bhasin joined India TV, run by Independent News Service, in August 2022 as vice president, sales, heading the north region, a role in which he has spent the last four years steering the channel’s revenue strategy in one of its most competitive markets. Before that, he had an eight-month stint at News24 as vice president, sales, heading north and east, following seven years and two months at Network18 Media & Investments, where he served as associate vice president, ad sales, and regional head, north, for the News18 India and News18 Hindi speaking markets network cluster, running both display and focus sales across Hindi general and regional news channels.
His grounding, though, comes from an even longer run at Star News, where he spent over eight years as group account director, ad sales, handling the entire corporate ad sales revenue for north India across Star News, Star Ananda and Star Majha. Earlier still, he cut his teeth at TV Today as a senior executive and briefly at Ten Sports as an assistant manager, rounding out a career that has tracked the evolution of Indian television news, from the Star stable through Network18 to the independent newsroom battles of News24 and India TV.
What stands out across Bhasin’s run is the sheer continuity of his specialisation: ad sales leadership for Hindi and regional news television, a segment that has weathered fierce competition from digital platforms yet remains a significant revenue pool for broadcasters chasing north Indian audiences. Four organisations, nearly 23 years, and a consistent focus on display and activation revenue suggest an executive who has built his career on relationships and regional market depth rather than chasing titles. As he signs off from India TV, the industry will be watching where that expertise lands next.
