Japan’s Sony has appointed Gaurav Banerjee, a former executive at Walt Disney, as its new India chief executive. Banerjee will lead Sony’s television and other media businesses in India, according to sources.
Banerjee recently resigned from Disney’s India unit, where he was head of content for its streaming service, Hotstar, and oversaw business operations for the company’s TV channels in Hindi-speaking markets, as confirmed by one source. Another source mentioned that Banerjee is expected to join Sony in about two months.
Neither Disney nor Sony, nor Banerjee, responded immediately to requests for comments.
Last week, Sony announced it was searching for a successor to its current India chief executive, N.P. Singh, who had decided to step down. Sony operates 26 channels in India, covering general entertainment, sports, and movies, along with a streaming service.
Earlier this year, the company scrapped a planned merger with India’s Zee Entertainment, which would have created a $10 billion enterprise.
Banerjee’s departure from Disney coincides with the US company’s efforts to gain approval from Indian regulators for a merger of its Indian media assets with those of Reliance, owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani. This merger aims to form India’s largest entertainment company.
