MUMBAI: Network18 Group has appointed Ajay Chacko as chief operating officer.

This appointment is aligned with the group?s plan to strengthen its central management structure aimed at accelerating growth and furthering synergies between businesses.

Chacko has been with the group for over nine years and is presently president of A+E Networks | TV18, the JV between A+E Networks, US and TV18. He will currently continue to hold responsibility for the venture.

In his new role, Chacko will actively support management teams and leaders across functions in leveraging the network?s diverse strengths, be responsible for creation and management of network-wide properties and institutionalize processes and models that unleash value across the group and its ventures.

He is also mandated with strengthening the business planning and monitoring processes as well as other critical support and staff functions across the group. Additionally, he has been entrusted with the role of being the custodian of ?Brand Network18?.

Network18 founder and editor Raghav Bahl said, "The dynamic nature of the media landscape in India today has necessitated the need to continuously evolve our internal operating environment to align with these changes. We have now embarked on a path of bringing together our various business units in order to successfully ride the opportunity wave and stay focused on returns to shareholders. In Ajay, we entrust the responsibility of strengthening our continued efforts to emerge as ?one? strong network. He has our best wishes and whole-hearted support."

Network18 group CEO B Sai Kumar added, "We?ve invested in and built a great set of brands across multiple platforms over the last decade. This network today, straddles broadcast, e-commerce, digital content and niche print businesses. In the next phase of Network18, we intend to consolidate the strengths of each of these businesses across the network, extract value through unrelenting focus on internal assets and thereby better our offerings to external constituencies all around. Ajay has been key to the success of some of these businesses and in this new role, he will bring his expertise, foresight, operational and people skills to achieve what we?ve set out to accomplish."

Commenting on his new role Chacko added "We have been seen to be a diverse and talented set of people running some of the country?s most successful media brands. I hope to be able to supplement Sai?s efforts to help strengthen the collaboration between our various business units and functions with a view to improve financially as well operationally and emerge stronger as one network."

In his earlier roles at Network18, Chacko has led many of the group?s businesses such as CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz and Forbes India and has been instrumental in their ascendance as market leading media brands in the country. He has also led the group?s efforts in the business media domain as well as the successful launches of key digital properties of Network18.

He has been responsible for the functioning of the JV between A+E Networks & TV18, now a key player in the Indian factual entertainment space with HistoryTV18 emerging as a top tier brand in the genre. Prior to joining Network18, he worked in financial services and media for over a decade. His earlier stints were with IL&FS (Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services, India) and he has also been a part of the start-up team at Sharekhan. He started his career in the Indian Express Group where he worked in various capacities.

Mumbai: A+E Networks| TV18 has announced the promotion of Sangeetha Aiyer to vice president and head marketing.

Aiyer was earlier GM-marketing for History TV18. In her new role, she will continue to report into A+E Networks|TV18 president Ajay Chacko.

In her new role, Aiyer will oversee and supervise all the marketing verticals of the joint venture ? both consumer and trade in addition to providing strategic and marketing solutions for the channel History TV18.

Chacko said, "Sangeetha has consistently played the role of a key growth driver for HISTORY TV18. Her strong brand marketing acumen has ensured that HISTORY TV18 got the required traction and also contributes positively towards the factual entertainment genre growth. Her expertise is core for further strengthening and expansion of the A+E Networks| TV18 portfolio.?
A+E Networks | TV18 programming head Ritu Kapur said, ?Sangeetha?s out-of-the-box marketing strategies have helped position History TV 18 distinctly in the factual genre. From the power packed launch, to the innovations on social media and the online buzz with The Greatest Indian and the inventive campaign for Pawn Stars and Bollywood @100, Sangeetha has ensured that History TV 18 is always on a dynamic high.?

Speaking on her elevation Aiyer added, ?It?s a privilege to be part of the fabulous team at A+E Networks I TV18. Personally it has been a fascinating journey since the launch of the channel; History TV18. We all have given our best efforts in launching and sustaining the momentum of growth for History TV18. I?m happy about my new role and I believe that the coming times are going to be immensely challenging and exciting.?

Aiyer has over 14 years of experience in Brand Management, Content Planning and Activations. Prior to joining Network18 group, she was associated with brands like Times Television Network, Arvind Mills, Star India Pvt and Reliance Media Network.

MUMBAI: A+E Networks|TV18 has elevated Sudheer K G to the post of vice president and head programming of its factual entertainment channel History TV18 with immediate effect. Till now he was vice president - programming for History TV18.

In his new role, Sudheer will oversee and drive the programming strategy for the channel and will endeavour to create a superlative advantage for History TV18 in the competitive factual genre television space.

He will report in to A+E Networks|TV18 programming head Ritu Kapur.

A+E Networks|TV18 president Ajay Chacko said, "With a career spanning over 15 years, Sudheer, with his vast experience in programming, scheduling, acquisitions and production has taken History TV18 to new heights. He is key role to the channel delivering the best viewing experience to its audiences."

Kapur added, "Sudheer has demonstrated immense skill and ability to constantly gauge shifting and fragmented audience tastes to create a programming lineup that is both attractive and appealing to our target audience. I am positive of his growth trajectory going forward. His keen and astute sense of the programming domain makes him a valuable asset to the team."

 Sudheer said, "I?ve had a great journey so far with exciting milestones and the opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds in the industry. Today?s constantly evolving media universe and consumption habits are going to be quite challenging and interesting. I am eagerly looking forward to my new role and responsibilities."

During his earlier tenure at Discovery Networks India Sudheer was instrumental in the programming and language initiatives of Discovery, Animal Planet and TLC.

MUMBAI: Factual entertainment channel History TV18 has announced the launch of its Gujarati feed.

History TV18 is the first international channel to launch in Gujarati. With this launch, it is also the only factual entertainment channel to be available in an unprecedented seven languages ? Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Hindi and English.

All the programmes and the fixed programme chart (FPC) schedule will remain identical in all the language feeds.

Viewers using digital platforms will be able to choose their preferred language through the remote control.

A+E Networks TV18 president Ajay Chacko said, ?Our objective is to grow the genre and make it a relatively main stream alternative for viewers in the near future. With this objective in mind, we intend to make the channel available in every Indian language possible and entertain audiences all across India.?

A+E Networks | TV18 JV VP. programming Sudheer KG said, ?As Indian audiences mature and seek out more international content in their own languages, there is no better a time than now to launch our Gujarati feed. The incredible level of aspirations of people speaking that language and a large youth population make it all the more appealing and lucrative. We have taken care to ensure that the translation retains a certain local flavor, making the channel more accessible and relatable."

Gujarat is an important market for factual entertainment after Mumbai and Delhi contributing as much as seven per cent to the genre in 1 Mn+ towns, according to estimates.

History TV18 said it has been a strong player here with the highest viewership in 0.1-1Mn market cluster and also highest time spent per viewer in 1Mn+ market cluster. Through this initiative, the channel hopes to strengthen its position.

MUMBAI: Innovating with its outreach programme, television channel History announced collaboration with the CBSE board in an effort to converse and spread awareness about the monuments of India.

The channel and the board conducted the Heritage Quiz 2011 where over 1000 schools affiliated to it participated. The selection process included a written test followed by three rounds of quizzing ending in a grand finale today at New Delhi. UNESCO also played a part in formulating the questions for the quiz.

Apart from the Heritage Quiz 2011, the channel has also organised events like heritage walks, poster making and short film competitions among other conservation efforts.

A+E Networks | TV 18 president Ajay Chacko said, "Our association with CBSE is two-fold viz. promoting education and conservation of historical monuments. The objective is to promote these two broader concepts through various activities involving students as an integral part of the entire process."

CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi said, "We hope that this association between CBSE and History will provide a wider platform to the CBSE to reach out to more and more schools and boost its drive to promote educational innovations, in general, and preserve and protect heritage monuments in the country in particular."