GECs
Network18 hands Avinash Kaul, Rahul Kansal additional portfolios
MUMBAI: Close on the heel of a senior executive from Network18 group announcing his departure and internal synergies being brought about in the company for better cohesion and functioning, the organisation has handed some other top execs newer responsibilities.
Reliance Industries Ltd-controlled Network18 COO Avinash Kaul has been handed the sales responsibilities for the group with all national sales heads reporting into him. Kaul will continue to be the MD of A+E at TV18, the television arm of Network18 that controls the largest number of TV news channels in India.
Brand wiz Rahul Kansal , who cut his teeth at the Times of India group and joined Network18 earlier this year as group brand advisor, has been given interim charge of the overall marketing for network. Day-to-day activities will be taken care of by respective TV channels.
Two recent departures from the group and a joint venture included that of Forbes India CEO and Network 18 President (Revenue) Joy Chakraborthy and Viacom18 COO Raj Nayak . Nayak will stay on till early 2019 with the company that’s a joint venture with American media giant Viacom.
Apart from Kaul and Kansal getting additional responsibilities, Network18 president of special projects Priyanka Kaul will take over the charge of broadcast Focus and branded content and is shortly expected to revamp the Focus division.
The two Kauls and Kansal will continue to report to Network18 and TV18 MD Rahul Joshi.
Network18 Media and Investments Ltd is a media and entertainment company with interests in television, internet, filmed entertainment, digital business, magazines, mobile content and allied businesses. The company manages various digital businesses, including portals such as moneycontrol.com, ibnlive.com, burrp.com, in.com and firstpost.com.
It also operates digital commerce properties like HomeShop18 and bookmyshow.com. In addition, Network18 is a leading player in the publishing space having under its wing titles such as Forbes India, Overdrive, Better Interiors and Better Photography.
Through its subsidiary TV18 Broadcast Limited, the group operates news channels such as CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz, CNBC Bajar, CNBC-TV18 Prime HD, CNN-News18, IBN7, ETV channels and News18 Lokmat (a Marathi regional news channel in partnership with the Lokmat group).
TV18 also operates a joint venture with Viacom, called Viacom18, which houses a portfolio of popular entertainment channels like Colors, Colors HD, Colors Infinity, Rishtey, MTV India, MTV Indies, Comedy Central, Vh1, Nick, Sonic, Nick Jr, Teen Nick and Viacom18 Motion Pictures, the group's filmed entertainment business. TV18 operates a factual entertainment channel History TV18 and FYI TV18 through a joint venture with A+E Networks.
GECs
Samsung TV Plus launches Kings of Comedy channel
New free FAST channel brings iconic Hindi comedy shows to millions of Samsung Smart TV owners.
MUMBAI: Samsung TV Plus has just turned up the laughter volume and it’s completely free. The leading free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service in India has launched Kings of Comedy, a premium comedy channel featuring some of the country’s most beloved primetime shows. Available exclusively on Samsung TV Plus, the channel delivers back-to-back hits including Comedy Nights with Kapil, Khatra Khatra Khatra, and Comedy Nights Bachao, with no login or subscription required.
The launch marks a milestone for free streaming in India, offering audiences a dedicated comedy destination directly from their Samsung TV home screen. It arrives as Samsung TV Plus India celebrates its 5th anniversary, during which the service has grown its monthly active users by 42 per cent and more than doubled its total viewing hours. The platform now offers over 180 free channels across 14 languages.
Samsung TV Plus India general manager and head of business development Kunal Mehta said, “Comedy is the heartbeat of Hindi entertainment, and Kings of Comedy brings together the shows Indians already love, completely free on their Samsung TV. Our focus remains the same take the content people know and make it effortless to access.”
Globally, Samsung TV Plus has surpassed 100 million monthly active users across more than 4,500 channels, solidifying its position as one of the world’s leading free streaming services.
Kings of Comedy is now available on all compatible Samsung Smart TVs. For viewers seeking non-stop laughter without any cost, this new channel delivers a royal treat proving that sometimes the best entertainment really does come with no strings (or subscriptions) attached.
