GECs
Viacom18 rejigs top deck as it gears up for the next growth phase
MUMBAI: Viacom18 today announced a management restructuring aimed to consolidate its growing portfolio play as it prepares to further enhance performance through focused content innovation and collaboration across brands.
Manisha Sharma, who has been the force behind the continued success of Colors, has now been elevated to chief content officer, Hindi mass entertainment. In her new role, she will be heading content for the entire HME cluster including Colors and Rishtey. Manisha will now report directly to Viacom18 group CEO and managing director designate Sudhanshu Vats.
In a first for the organization, Viacom18 has unified all revenue across the network under the leadership of chief operating officer Raj Nayak.
Nina Elavia Jaipuria’s role has been expanded to head – Hindi and kids TV network. Her mandate now includes channels across kids and Hindi mass entertainment clusters.
Head of the regional TV network Ravish Kumar will be leading the network’s foray into regional broadcast entertainment across languages and genres.
Ferzad Palia will continue leading the network’s efforts in strengthening Viacom18’s command on youth, music and English entertainment while creating content and experiences for Viacom18’s young audience.
Ajit Andhare will now take on the expanded role of Viacom18 Studios chief operating officer to drive Viacom18 Motion Pictures’ forays into national and regional cinema and build Tipping Point as a brand for digital content production.
Saugato Bhowmik will continue to lead Integrated Network Solutions, building homegrown IPs in experiential entertainment and driving the licensing business under Viacom18 Consumer Products.
All the above will report into Sudhanshu Vats.
“The first decade of Viacom18 marked the hyper-growth phase for us with 50X growth in topline. In order to make Viacom18 future-ready and dial up growth across different lines of business, it is imperative to drive synergies, leverage scale and build content capabilities across screens. As we step into our next phase, it is important that we shape an organizational structure that allows us to retain the garage-nimbleness that got us here while enabling Viacom18’s independent business lines to leverage the synergies that consolidation brings. Integrating our revenues and building content engines to cater to multiple screens across India, under the above leaders, is an important step towards a forward-looking organization,” said Vats.
These organizational changes will be operationalised with immediate effect.
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.
