MAM
Sun TV to up ad rates of Malayalam and Kannada channels from 1 April
MUMBAI: Kalanithi Maran-promoted Sun TV Network will be upping ad rates for its Malayalam and Kannada language channels from 1 April, in tune with its other regional language channels.
For the Malayalam market channels, Sun TV Network has decided to increase the rates from six to 33 per cent.
The ad rates for the Kannada channels, meanwhile, will be increased from five to 13 per cent.
The slot fees (broadcast fees) received from the content producer will also be increased accordingly.
Recently, Sun TV announced the hike in ad rates for its Tamil channels – Sun TV, KTV, Sun Music, Sun News, Chutti and Adhitya and Telugu channels – Gemini TV, Gemini Movies, Gemini Music, Gemini News, Gemini Comedy and Kushi.
The overall effective ad rate hike across the four markets would be in the region of 13-15 per cent, according to market estimates.
Sun had last revised its ad rates across its channels between 10-33 per cent from January 2010. This resulted in an effective hike of 13 per cent, according to market estimates.
Meanwhile, Indiantelevision.com was the first to report that Vijay Kumar has replaced Ajay Vidyasagar as Sun TV Network COO.
MAM
Visa appoints Suresh Sethi as India country head
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.







