Mergers & Movements: Shifts that redefined the Indian M&E in 2024

The year 2024 will be remembered as a critical moment in the history of Indian media. From the collapse of the Zee-Sony merger to the completion of the Disney-Reliance merger, the year has been packed with momentous events changing the industry.

These huge corporate advancements have also had a substantial impact on the people within the sector. Key leaders moved across networks, with some stepping down and others rising to new heights. Here's a look at some of the most notable leadership changes in the media this year.

Reliance Industries' Rs 70,000 crore acquisition with Disney Star resulted in a huge resource restructuring in the media sector. K Madhavan, country manager and president of Disney Star and Disney+ Hotstar, and executive Vice President and CEO Sajith Sivanandan both left the company prior to the merger. Earlier this year, Anil Jayraj, CEO of Viacom18 Sports, left.

Kevin Vaz, Kiran Mani, and Sanjog Gupta form the new leadership team for the amalgamated firm. Vaz is the head of entertainment at JioStar, while Mani and Gupta are in charge of digital and sports.

Ajit Varghese oversees income for the consolidated entity's entertainment and overseas operations. Ishan Chatterjee is YouTube's head of business, sports revenue, SMB, and creators. Sushant Sreeram of Amazon oversees the joint venture's marketing efforts.  

Some high-profile departures from Disney Star this year were Devika Prabhu, the company's business head for kids and infotainment, and Gurjeev Singh Kapoor, the head of distribution.

Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI)

After 25 years at SPNI, NP Singh, MD and CEO, declared the end of his career to focus on social change and a transition from operational to advisory roles.

He assumed the job of non-executive chairman. In August, SPNI named Gaurav Banerjee, a former Disney executive, as its new managing director and CEO.

Neeraj Vyas, business head for Sony Entertainment Television, Sony SAB, PAL, and Sony MAX Movie Cluster, has also departed the company to pursue a new entrepreneurial venture.

Leena Lele Dutta, who has led the kids and animation portfolio from its inception in 2017, will step down as business head at the conclusion of this fiscal year. Ambesh Tiwari, who just joined Sony YAY! as business operations chief, will succeed her. Meanwhile, Nimisha Pandey, formerly Zee5's chief content officer, has joined Sony SAB as its programming head.

Zee Entertainment Enterprises

Turmoil at Zee continued when the media conglomerate's CEO, Punit Goeka, resigned as managing director, and shareholders rejected a request to reappoint Goenka as director. Furthermore, Zee5's Manish Kalra and Zee5 Global's Archana Anand have left the streaming platform. 

News Media

1. In June, Avinash Pandey, CEO of ABP Network, left the company after nearly two decades of service. In November, the network selected Sumanta Datta as its new CEO. Before joining ABP Network, Datta was the managing director of Oxford University Press. He has spent nearly three decades working for Logitech and Coca-Cola.

3. MK Anand, Managing Director and CEO of Times Network, also announced his resignation, ending his nearly three-decade career with the Times Group.

4. Varun Kohli joined the Times Network in June as Chief Operating Officer at News Broadcasting Business. His latest position was as Director and CEO of Bharat Express.

5. Abhay Ojha is no longer the CEO of Zee Media. In a May meeting, the Board of Directors approved and confirmed his departure from the organization, as well as his subsequent resignation as CEO.

6. In July, the company appointed Karan Abhishek Singh as its CEO. He was previously the CEO of Network18's Hindi Cluster. Mona Jain, Zee Media's chief revenue officer, also stepped down in August.

7. Bobby Pawar, a renowned adman and former chairman and chief creative officer of Havas Group, joined Network18's branded content unit, News18 Studio, as a creative consultant in May.