Network18 has announced a major leadership transition, with a new generation of executives stepping into key roles as veteran media executive Avinash Kaul moves on after a 12-year stint with the company. His departure marks the end of an important chapter for the broadcast business.

Kaul, who joined Network18 during a crucial phase in 2014, played a significant role in scaling the company’s television business through strategic planning and a strong understanding of the news media landscape. The development was confirmed in an internal company note, which also acknowledged his contribution and wished him well for his future endeavours.

The company emphasised that its “young and restless” leadership team has already taken charge over the past few months and demonstrated resilience in challenging conditions. This transition is being seen as a shift towards a more agile and digitally focused leadership structure, aimed at driving growth across social, digital, connected TV (CTV) and linear platforms.

As part of the restructuring, senior  including Smriti Mehra, S Shivakumar, and Mitul Sangani will now work directly with the leadership, taking on expanded responsibilities. Meanwhile, Ganesh Iyer and Abhinay Chauhan will continue in their existing roles, contributing to the company’s integrated growth strategy.

The reorganisation also realigns multiple verticals across the business. Revenue, marketing, and product functions within Forbes and AETN-18 will now report into Smriti Mehra, while special projects and non-linear content initiatives will also fall under her purview. In parallel, the Hindi and regional language cluster will see a renewed push under Mitul Sangani, with a focus on expanding reach in tier-II and tier-III markets.

Further consolidation is underway in the content and branded solutions space, with the branded content arm of Moneycontrol being integrated into News18 Studio. This move is expected to streamline content monetisation and enhance cross-platform synergies.