Network18 has announced the appointment of Anurag Iyer as the chief executive officer of Creator18, marking a strategic move to accelerate its ambitions in the fast-evolving creator economy.

The announcement, shared internally, highlights Network18’s focus on building a creator-led new media organisation as the industry undergoes rapid disruption driven by influencers and digital-first content formats. Creator18, which has grown steadily over the past year, is positioned as a key pillar in this transformation, with a mandate to develop scalable content formats, nurture emerging creators, and build long-term intellectual property across platforms.

Anurag Iyer brings over 15 years of experience across media, technology and marketing, with a strong track record in building monetisation engines around content and creators. He has previously held leadership roles at Collective Artists Network, InMobi, TikTok, BloombergQuint and Network18.

Prior to this role, he served as CEO of BigBangSocial, where he focused on building scalable systems that convert cultural relevance into sustainable revenue streams, moving beyond short-term campaigns to long-term business models.

At Creator18, Iyer is expected to operate at the intersection of storytelling, technology and monetisation, shaping how creators and content scale in India’s increasingly competitive digital ecosystem. Based in Mumbai, he will report to Puneet Singhvi and work closely with the Network18 leadership team to drive the next phase of growth for the business.

The appointment comes at a time when traditional media companies are increasingly pivoting towards creator-driven strategies, aiming to capture audience attention across platforms while building durable, monetisable content ecosystems.