CNN-News18 has appointed senior journalist Muralidharan Kasiviswanathan as News Director (Converged Output), strengthening its editorial leadership at a time when the newsroom is sharpening its focus on multi-platform journalism.
In his new role, Kasiviswanathan will oversee news output across platforms, with responsibility for editorial judgment, story framing, presentation, and seamless execution across time bands.
The appointment was announced through a LinkedIn post by Rahul Shivshankar, Editorial Affairs Director, CNN-News18. The post outlined Kasiviswanathan’s expanded remit, which goes well beyond linear television and reflects the channel’s evolving newsroom priorities in a digital-first environment.
As News Director (Converged Output), Kasiviswanathan will play a key leadership role across platforms, particularly Connected TV (CTV) and YouTube. He will be tasked with driving coherence, speed and impact in how CNN-News18’s journalism reaches audiences, while ensuring strong editorial standards across formats. Given CNN-News18’s position as a key testing ground for CTV innovation within the Network18 group, Kasiviswanathan will also continue to be involved in shaping Connected TV strategy across the network.
Commenting on the appointment, Rahul Shivshankar said Kasiviswanathan brings rich editorial experience, a strong command over live news operations, and a clear understanding of the demands of an integrated, multi-platform newsroom. He added that Kasiviswanathan’s return strengthens the leadership bench at a time when integration across formats is critical to the network’s growth and relevance.
Alongside this announcement, Shivshankar also confirmed the appointment of Anasuya Kumar as the off-platforms lead, reporting into Kasiviswanathan. Kumar, described as an experienced and creative leader, has played a key role in streamlining original content and CRUX, and will now work closely with the converged output leadership to strengthen CNN-News18’s digital presence.
The leadership changes underline CNN-News18’s strategic push towards convergence, as the network continues to align television, Connected TV and digital platforms to deliver faster, sharper and more impactful journalism to audiences across screens.
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