2024: Landmark Leadership Shifts Reshaping Indian Media Industry
Indian media evolves in 2024: Leadership transitions, Zee-Sony merger fallout, Disney-Reliance deal, and changing dynamics in entertainment and news sectors
sheetal
The year 2024 marked a pivotal transformation in Indian media, defined by major mergers, leadership changes, and strategic shifts that reshaped the industry’s future.
Mergers Redefining Media
The much-anticipated Disney-Reliance merger culminated in the creation of JioStar, sparking extensive leadership changes. High-profile exits included K Madhavan (Disney Star) and Sajith Sivanandan (Disney+ Hotstar). Key appointments included:
- Kevin Vaz: Head of Entertainment
- Kiran Mani: Digital Head
- Sanjog Gupta: Sports Head
- Ajit Varghese: Revenue Head for Entertainment and International
- Ishan Chatterjee: Business Head for Sports Revenue, SMB & Creators
- Sushant Sreeram: Marketing Head
At Disney Star, prominent exits included Devika Prabhu (Kids & Infotainment) and Gurjeev Singh Kapoor(Distribution).
The Zee-Sony merger cancellation brought turbulence to Zee Entertainment, with Punit Goenka resigning as CEO. Meanwhile, Sony Pictures Network India saw the appointment of Gaurav Banerjee as MD and CEO, succeeding NP Singh, who moved to a non-executive chairman role.
Leadership Movements Across Platforms
Sony Pictures Network India (SPNI)
- Neeraj Vyas: Departed to pursue entrepreneurship.
- Leena Lele Dutta: To exit as Kids & Animation Business Head; succeeded by Ambesh Tiwari.
- Nimisha Pandey: Joined as Programming Head at Sony SAB.
Zee Media
- Manish Kalra and Archana Anand left Zee5.
- Karan Abhishek Singh became CEO, succeeding Abhay Ojha.
- Mona Jain, Chief Revenue Officer, stepped down in August.
News Media
- Avinash Pandey (CEO, ABP Network): Resigned after two decades; succeeded by Sumanta Datta.
- MK Anand (CEO, Times Network): Retired, succeeded by Varun Kohli as COO.
- Bobby Pawar: Joined News18 Studio as a creative consultant in May.
Key Highlights
- JioStar emerges post Disney-Reliance merger, restructuring leadership with strategic hires from YouTube and Amazon.
- Sony Pictures sees new leadership as NP Singh transitions to an advisory role.
- Zee Entertainment grapples with leadership challenges amid merger fallout.
- News media houses like ABP Network and Times Network undergo significant leadership overhauls.
