2024: A Transformative Year in Indian Media Leadership

The year 2024 has been monumental for Indian media, witnessing seismic shifts from major mergers to leadership reshuffles that have redefined the industry’s landscape. Key transitions have set the stage for a new era, with dynamic changes in leadership and strategy shaping the future of Indian media.

Major Mergers and Their Ripple Effects
The year kicked off with two landmark events: the cancellation of the Zee-Sony merger and the finalization of the Disney-Reliance merger. The latter, valued at ₹70,000 crore, led to a significant resource reshuffle, signaling the emergence of JioStar as a powerful entity in entertainment, digital, and sports.

Leadership Realignment at JioStar
K Madhavan, country manager and president of Disney Star, and Sajith Sivanandan, head of Disney+ Hotstar, exited ahead of the merger.
Kevin Vaz (entertainment), Kiran Mani (digital), and Sanjog Gupta (sports) assumed leadership roles in the newly formed entity.
Ajit Varghese oversees revenue for entertainment and international divisions, while Ishan Chatterjee (formerly YouTube) and Sushant Sreeram (formerly Amazon) now lead business, sports revenue, and marketing.
Notable Exits Across the Industry
The merger-driven reshuffles triggered several high-profile exits:

Devika Prabhu, business head for kids and infotainment at Disney Star.
Gurjeev Singh Kapoor, head of distribution at Disney Star.
NP Singh, MD and CEO of SPNI, transitioned to non-executive chairman after 25 years.
Neeraj Vyas, Sony Entertainment Television’s business head, left to pursue entrepreneurship.
Leena Lele Dutta, head of Sony YAY!’s kids and animation portfolio, announced her resignation, with Ambesh Tiwari succeeding her.
Nimisha Pandey, former chief content officer at Zee5, joined Sony SAB as programming head.
Zee Entertainment Turmoil
Zee faced a tumultuous year with leadership changes and strategic realignments:

Punit Goenka resigned as managing director after shareholders rejected his reappointment.
Manish Kalra and Archana Anand stepped down from Zee5.
Abhay Ojha, Zee Media CEO, exited in May, with Karan Abhishek Singh assuming the role in July.
Mona Jain, chief revenue officer of Zee Media, resigned in August.
SPNI and Times Network Transitions
SPNI appointed Gaurav Banerjee as MD and CEO, leveraging his experience at Disney, while Times Network saw the retirement of MK Anand, its MD and CEO, after three decades with the Times Group. Varun Kohli joined as COO for News Broadcasting, having previously served as Director & CEO of Bharat Express.

ABP Network and Beyond
Avinash Pandey, CEO of ABP Network, ended a two-decade-long tenure, succeeded by Sumanta Datta, former MD of Oxford University Press.
Bobby Pawar, ex-chairman of Havas Group, joined News18 Studio as a creative consultant.
Broader Implications
These leadership movements underline the industry’s evolution, with a focus on adapting to digital transformations and increasing competition from streaming and omnichannel platforms. The departure of veterans and the rise of new leaders have injected fresh perspectives into the sector.

Looking Ahead
The culmination of these changes has laid the groundwork for a redefined media industry in 2025, driven by innovation, strategic mergers, and transformative leadership.

Author: Sania Khan