Viacom18 announces new appointments to bolster its Regional TV Network

Viacom18 today announced a series of senior level hires for its Regional TV cluster, bolstering its creative and content capabilities ahead of its plans to fortify its position across markets. To further fuel growth in the non-Hindi speaking markets, the organization is assembling best leaders and creative talent who bring in diverse and rich experiences across their respected fields.

Speaking about the new appointments, Ravish Kumar, Head - Regional TV Network, Viacom18, observed, “Regional is a big growth driver for Viacom18 as a network. The challenge, as well as the opportunity, lies in the diversity that regional as a space demands. While the different businesses of the organization synergize to produce great content, each region and role require talented and committed people who understand the nuances typical to their regions. Each of the leaders who have joined our Regional Entertainment space, is a stalwart in his/her space and role. I am excited that together, we can further strengthen our offering to our discerning viewers.”

Deepak Rajyadhakshya has been appointed as Head, COLORS Marathi. A true-blue content creator and collaborator at heart, Deepak has 18+ years of prolific experience in broadcast and entertainment, ranging across creative and business roles. Deepak joins Viacom18 from the Zee Network where he headed the business for Zee Marathi before moving internally to spearhead the mainline Hindi GEC Zee TV. In his current capacity Deepak will report to Nikhil Sane – Business Head, Marathi Entertainment, Viacom18.

COLORS Tamil has two pivotal roles filled up with the inclusion of Raj Kannan as Head, Programming and Radha Ramamurthy as Head, Ideation. Raj is an astute professional and a highly eloquent writer and speaker with 27 years of media experience in multi-channel content strategizing and content creation. Prior to joining Viacom18, he was working with the Vikatan Media Group as their Brands & Themes Editor-in-Chief where he played a distinctive part in handling the entire gamut of business in print and visual mediums. Radha Ramamurthy has 11 years of professional expertise in ideating and executing televised shows and events, brand building, marketing strategy and communications across diversified industries – Media, FMCG & Retail. She helps businesses connect with clients and consumers in novel and productive ways by bringing about mutually profitable interactions between these intersectional groups. Prior to joining Viacom18 she was working with Vikatan Media Group as their Head of Events & Brand Connect. She has also worked with Zee Tamil, Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd and Spencer’s Retail in the past. At Viacom18 both will be reporting into Anup Chandrasekharan, Business Head - COLORS Tamil.

Aratrika Bhaumik has been appointed as Head, Ideation – COLORS Bangla. With 13 years of experience, Aratrika has worked for more than a decade at Star India at the national as well as regional bases. Jayanta Bhattacharya has come onboard as Head, OAP - COLORS Bangla. With 16 years of experience, Jayanta moves in from Zee Bangla where he oversaw promo ideation.  At COLORS Bangla, Aratrika and Jayanta will be in charge of scaling up the channel’s offerings under the guidance of Suvonkar Banerjee, Head - Creative & Content, COLORS Bangla and COLORS Odia.

Previously working as the marketing head at the ABP group, Biswarup Das has joined Viacom18 as Head, Marketing - COLORS Bangla and COLORS Odia. With 17 years of work experience under his belt, Biswarup will spearhead the brand marketing and strategy for the channels and will work towards enhancing the strategic brand framework, brand architecture, and experience in the field. He will report to Rahul Chakravarti, Business Head – Bangla and Odia Entertainment, Viacom18.

In the Kannada Entertainment space, Abhaya Simha has been appointed as Head – Digital, Kannada Entertainment. Abhaya is a film director and a screenwriter. An alumnus of FTII – Pune, Abhaya’s debut venture, Gubbachchigalu, won the National Award for the best children's film in 2008. Abhaya has also worked with Star Suvarna and Prajavani and is a visiting faculty at many prestigious colleges across South India. At Viacom18, Abhaya will be responsible for incubating original concepts and shows in the Kannada language for VOOT. In his current capacity he will report to Parameshwar Bhat, Business Head - Kannada Entertainment, Viacom18.

Dr. Darshil Bhatt has joined as the Programming Head for Gujarati Entertainment. Darshil has 11 years of experience in the Media industry. In his last stint with 94.3 MY FM as Programming Head he was responsible for leading and managing Music, Content, Client Solutions, Brand Marketing, Programming, Digital and Production for 3 major stations. At Viacom18 Darshil will be responsible for increasing the visibility and perception of the Gujarati entertainment vertical of the network. He will report into Ravish Kumar, Head - Regional TV Network, Viacom18.