- K Madhavan who was MD South, Star India will replace Sanjay Gupta as the new country manager, Star, and Disney India.
- Star India made him the South MD in 2016. Madhavan was one of the stakeholders in Star India’s acquired Kerala-headquartered Asianet Network. Star India acquired the controlling stake in the network in 2008 by buying a stake of 51 percent and owning 100 percent in Asianet by 2014.
- In four southern states, Madhavan currently oversees Star’s business ventures and a portfolio of regional channels in Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu
Uday Shankar, President, The Walt Disney Company APAC and Chairman, Disney, and Star India announced in an internal e-mail sent to all Star and Disney India employees that K Madhavan, MD South, Star India will replace Sanjay Gupta as the new country manager, Star, and Disney India.
Gupta moved from the network to join Google as Sales and Operations Country Head and VP-India.
In four southern states, Madhavan currently oversees Star’s business ventures and a portfolio of regional channels in Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu.
Star India made him the South MD in 2016. Madhavan was one of the stakeholders in Star India’s acquired Kerala-headquartered Asianet Network. Star India acquired the controlling stake in the network in 2008 by buying a stake of 51 percent and owning 100 percent in Asianet by 2014.
Following the acquisition, Madhavan continued his stint and will now become Star and Disney India’s country manager. All the vertical heads are now going to report to Madhavan.
Recently, Gupta joined Google from Star and Disney India, where he was the managing director, with a career spanning almost three decades. He played a pivotal role during that period in Star becoming India’s largest media agency.
He played a key role in spreading their traditional TV content via Hotstar to online audiences. He is also widely credited with the purchase of cricketing assets and the release of kabaddi and football leagues: the Pro Kabaddi League and the Indian Super League to develop their sports business.