MxMIndia

Tag: Rahul Joshi

  • New roles for Ferzad Palia and Anshul Ailawadi

    Viacom18 restructures its leadership team

    By Our Staff

    Ferzad Palia
    Ferzad Palia
    Anshul Ailawadi
    Anshul Ailawadi

    Viacom18 has announced changes in its leadership team to bolster its digital and broadcast businesses. Driving the agenda of growing its digital subscription businesses, in his new role, Ferzad Palia will head all subscriber-driven pay services (SVOD – Voot Select and Voot Kids) and International expansion for Voot and will report to Gourav Rakshit, COO, Viacom18 Digital Ventures.

    The network’s Youth, Music and English Entertainment business will now be led by Anshul Ailawadi, erstwhile strategy and project management lead at the Group CEO’s office. Ailawadi will report to Rahul Joshi, Managing Director, Network18, in his new role.

    Notes a communique: “In its endeavour to become a future-proof organisation, identifying opportunities to drive synergies is crucial. Ferzad has led the growth of the network’s Youth, Music and English Entertainment business for the past 16 years. More recently he launched Voot Select that has already raced to add 1mn+ subscribers within a year. He will now look to cohesively grow Viacom18’s SVoD and International digital businesses. Anshul has played a key role in the growth of Viacom18 over the last 6 years and is a strong proponent of the tremendous fandom, and the potential business opportunity that the YME brands of Viacom18 command. In a young country like India, these brands have a long runway for growth, especially given the proliferation of digital platforms.

     

     

  • Ravish Kumar will continue to lead the network’s regional broadcast forays in Kannada and Marathi

    Rajesh Iyer back at Viacom18. To head Colors Bangla, Odia, Tamil & Gujarati

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rajesh Iyer
    Rahul Joshi
    Rahul Joshi

    Viacom18 has announced the appointment of Rajesh Iyer to take on independent charge of Colors Bangla, Colors Odia, Colors Tamil and Colors Gujarati. Meanwhile, Ravish Kumar will continue to lead the network’s regional broadcast forays in Kannada and Marathi. Both Iyer and Kumar will work closely to grow the regional broadcast footprint of Viacom18.

     

    Speaking about the appointment, Rahul Joshi, MD, Network18 said: “Regional broadcast entertainment is a key pillar in our endeavour to chart out a high-growth path for Viacom18. India is witnessing an unprecedented boom in the segment and agility is the need of the hour to get to leadership positions in our existing regional markets. With his years of leadership experience across TV and digital ecosystems, Rajesh is ably poised to take on the challenges presented by the genre and successfully grow the business.”

     

    Iyer joined Network18 in March 2019 and has worked closely with the leadership team there to spearhead new initiatives. Prior to this and as part of the broadcast leadership team at ZEEL, he launched and headed Zee’s second Hindi GEC &TV in 2015. He has worked with Viacom18 in the past for six years when he led the marketing portfolio of the flagship channel Colors. He has also worked with Star India, YuppTV and advertising agencies Ambience Publicis and Ogilvy & Mather.

     

     

  • Vats will be serving till tomorrow, April 15, 2020.

    From yesterday: Sudhanshu Vats resigns as Group CEO & MD. Rahul Joshi to take charge

    By A Correspondent

     

     

    Sudhanshu Vats
    Rahul Joshi

    Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO and MD of Viacom18, has decided to move on from Viacom18 after eight years at the helm. In his tenure, the network grew from a six-channels to a 54-channel one,, with a strong regional and digital presence. Rahul Joshi, Managing Director of the Network18 group of which Viacom18 is a subsidiary, will take charge. The leadership team will will continue to manage their respective verticals under Joshi’s leadership. Vats will be serving till tomorrow, April 15, 2020.

     

    Speaking on the development, Adil Zainulbhai, Chairman of the Board, Network18 said, “Sudhanshu is a dynamic and admired leader in corporate India today. Not only has he led from the front in shaping up Viacom18’s growth story, he has also championed the cause of the sector at the various industry bodies that he has captained. While we are sad to lose him, it is equally reassuring to know that we have a strong second line that’s raring to go. I’d like to wish Sudhanshu all the very best for his future endeavours.”

     

    Added Vats: Speaking about his journey at Viacom18, Sudhanshu Vats said, “It has been an extremely challenging and satisfying 8 years at the helm of Viacom18. I have had the privilege of working with some of the best minds in M&E industry to chart the growth story of Viacom18. We have together built one of the most admired media company of brilliant storytellers with diversified presence across screens and platforms. As I look forward to taking up newer challenges, I shall always cherish the learnings in leading India’s youngest and fastest-growing media and entertainment company.”

     

    According to sources, Zainubhai wrote a mail to Viacom18 employees in the evening after which the media was informed. “Sudhanshu has built a distinct culture at Viacom18 – one that marries creativity to structure and forments a strong sense of employer brand affinity. This is evinced by the long service records of many of our employees as well as through the growth of our leaders.”

  • Viacom18 and TV18 have launched a multi-media marketing campaign, titled ‘Ek Me Hai More Yahaan, created by Leo Burnett Orchard

    Viacom18 and TV18 offer entertainment + news pack for new tariff regime

    By A Correspondent

     

    Viacom18 and TV18 have launched their Value Pack comprising some of their leading channels across genres in the wake of the forthcoming new tariff regime.

     

    Said Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO & Managing Director, Viacom18: “TRAI’s new tariff order is a pioneering move that will benefit all players across the broadcast value chain. Consumers will now have the choice to select the channels of their choice, broadcasters can see greater transparency in the value chain with under-reporting getting curtailed and distributors stand to benefit from the commissions and incentives they will earn. After the DAS implementation, this mandate will go a long way in bringing equity into the industry,”

     

    Explaining the company’s pricing and consumer connect strategy, he added: “If you thought that the one-rupee coin in your wallet has no value, think-again as Viacom18 and TV18 are all set to bring your family’s daily entertainment needs just for ₹1. Being home to the most loved and viewed channels in the country, our bouquet pricing will ensure that our viewers truly get the best of news, general entertainment (Hindi and Regional), kids entertainment, youth and English entertainment, music, infotainment and movies for every family member at only ₹1 a day. ‘The COLORS wala Pack’ is the most comprehensive pack and at a price point that keeps the budgetary concerns of our viewers in mind. After roti, kapda, makaan, entertainment is India’s 4th basic need and being the country’s fastest growing network, it is our constant endeavor to keep that need affordable.”

     

    Added Rahul Joshi, MD, Network18: “The new tariff order is a transparent and consumer-focussed regulation that gives freedom and choice to the end user. At a network level we remain committed to create quality entertainment and news content and firmly believe that in the new pricing regime, we will be the go-to network that best caters to content needs across demographics and geographies.”

     

    Adding to Vats’ and Joshi’s views, Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO, IndiaCast said, “We have created economical & competitive bouquets to bring the best value for money for an Indian household. India is a diverse market with multiple needs for entertainment in a family. Our channels have presence across a wide range of genres such as GECs, Kids, News, Infotainment etc that puts us in the best position to deliver entertainment for subscribers & earning potential for service providers. Furthermore, we are confident that TRAI shall work to put the Quality of Service Regulations into effective implementation so that transparency is achieved across the value chain in benefit of all stakeholders.”

     

    Viacom18 and TV18 have launched a multi-media marketing campaign, titled ‘Ek Me Hai More Yahaan, created by Orchard Advertising. The Ek Mein Hai More Yahaan campaign will be driven by the most prominent faces seen on Indian television such as Rohit Shetty, Neha Dhupia, Malaika Arora, Mahesh Manjrekar, Arya, and a galaxy of celebrities from Viacom18’s stable, educating the audience of all the entertainment and news that they can avail at INR 1 per day.

     

     

  • Rahul Joshi has been appointed as Managing Director of Network18 and TV18 and Sudhanshu Vats has been appointed as Managing Director of Viacom18. July 9, 2018

    Rahul Joshi & Sudhanshu Vats appointed MDs

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sudhanshu Vats

    The Board of Directors of Network18 Media & Investments Limited (Network18) has appointed Rahul Joshi as Managing Director of the Company for a term of three years with effect from July 9, 2018. Joshi has been associated with Network18 Group since September 2015 and is CEO – News & Group Editor in Chief. And The Board of Viacom18 Media Private Limited (Viacom18), the entertainment broadcasting arm of Network18, has decided to appoint Sudhanshu Vats as its Managing Director on receipt of necessary regulatory approvals. Vats has associated with Viacom18 from last six years and is the Group CEO of Viacom18.

     

    Said Adil Zainulbhai, Chairman of Network18 and TV18 on the appointments: “Both the appointees have tremendous skill and experience and will continue to drive our news and entertainment businesses towards leadership, as we continue to invest in these areas.”

     

     

  • He will report to Rahul Joshi, CEO – News and Group Editor-in-Chief of Network18

    Rahul Kansal joins Network18 as Group Brand Advisor

     

     

    Network18 has announced the appointment of veteran ad professional Rahul Kansal as Brand Advisor for the group. Kansal joins Network18 from Future Consumer Ltd. Prior to that, at Times Group, he led the very visible ‘Amanki Asha’, ‘Teach India’ and ‘Lead India’ campaigns.

     

    Rahul Kansal

    In his new role, Kansal will mentor the array of brands within the network and develop innovative properties to strengthen their positioning and connect with the consumers. He will report to Rahul Joshi, CEO – News and Group Editor-in-Chief of Network18.

     

    Kansal has been an advertising and marketing professional for 38 years.  He graduated from SRCC, Delhi University in 1977, and after an MBA from IIM Calcutta in 1979 worked with leading ad agencies JWT, O&M, and Mudra DDB before joining the Times group.

     

     

  • The Economic Times Editorial Director joins Network18 as CEO News and Group Editor-in-Chief

    Rahul Joshi joins Network18 as Group Editor-in-Chief & CEO News

    By A Correspondent

     

    What Raghav Bahl couldn’t achieve, AP Parigi and the bosses at Reliance Industries have been able to.

     

    Bahl, it may be remembered, had almost signed on Jaideep ‘Jojo’ Bose for his proposed Financial Times newspaper project. But now Parigi, an old Times of India hand, has pulled in Rahul Joshi as CEO News and Group Editor-in-Chief.

     

    Presently Editorial Director with The Economic Times, the appointment is of special interest to readers of MxMIndia because he used to be once editor of Brand Equity, the popular pull-out for advertising professionals.

     

    In a mail addressed to all employees of the group, Parigi introduced Joshi as “outstanding leader with stirring success behind in all formats of the media”.