In line with its objective of establishing a unified “One Network18,” Network18 has recently made significant appointments and expanded responsibilities within its top leadership. This strategic step aims to foster a cohesive broadcast and digital ecosystem, promoting growth and innovation across all brands operating under the network.
As part of this initiative, Network18 has elevated the roles of key executives within the organization. Shivakumar has been designated as the President of News18 Studios, where he will assume leadership responsibility for the integrated business model. His role will encompass various business clusters and brands, with a specific emphasis on cultivating a nationwide appeal.
Karan Abhishek Singh, CEO of the Hindi News Cluster, will assume an expanded role encompassing revenue generation, ratings management, and maintaining the cluster’s reputation. With a strong emphasis on fostering brand growth across diverse channels and platforms, Karan will spearhead cross-functional collaboration among editorial, product, technology, and other departments.
Smriti Mehra, CEO of the English News Cluster, is a distinguished brand leader for CNBC-TV18, CNN-News18, CNBC-TV18.com, and News18 digital (English). In her expanded role, she will oversee revenue, ratings (audience growth), and the reputation of the portfolio. Smriti will drive brand growth across channels and platforms through cross-functional coordination, bridging editorial, product, technology, and other functions.
Mitul Sangani, CEO of the Regional News Cluster, a proven leader in Network18’s digital business, will now be responsible for revenue, ratings, and reputation for all regional television news channels and digital properties. Apart from this, he will also drive Local18, Network18’s fast-growing hyper-local brand.
Abhinay Chauhan, Executive Vice President of Government Sales, will continue to strengthen Network18’s relationships with state governments and PSU bodies, while identifying new business opportunities in this vertical.
Ruchir Khanna, COO of Firstpost, has been appointed to develop the product and website with a unique brand proposition, setting it apart from other players in the genre.
Preeti Sahni, COO of Forbes India (Print + Digital), will continue to lead international sales for the network while extending her responsibilities to lead the Forbes brand across multiple platforms.
Pranav Bakshi has joined Network18 as Head of Partnerships, focusing on creating new opportunities for audience growth and monetization across platforms. He will also work on revenue maximization by leveraging the network’s extensive video content repository.
This leadership team will report to Avinash Kaul and Puneet Singhvi, the co-owners of ‘One Network18.’ Together, they will drive Network18’s vision to become a truly integrated media ecosystem, ensuring continued growth, innovation, and audience engagement.
