Brands
Rediffusion appoints Suraj Nagappa as digital lead for south
New Delhi: Rediffusion SmartMedia has appointed Suraj Nagappa as the senior vice president. He will now take over as the agency’s digital lead in the south. Nagappa will be based out of Bangalore, and will also oversee the Chennai market, the agency said on Monday.
With over two decades of experience in digital media strategy and planning, Nagappa has previously worked with Dentsu International, Dentsu Media, Ogilvy India, Omnicom Group, IPG Media Brands and Mediaturf Worldwide. He was last working with Isobar, a Dentsu agency which he joined in October, 2017. As head of South, he was responsible for generating insights as well as recommendations for different channels (display, SEM, email campaigns) based on data extracted from Google Analytics.
On his new role, Nagappa said, “Rediffusion is readying a completely new team of domain experts in this space and together we hope to move the needle substantially for brands. There are so many opportunities today to more cost-effectively and cost-efficiently target consumers, which can benefit brands through the right use of tools and digital techniques.”
Rediffusion joint president, Navonil Chatterjee said, “Suraj has many years of good digital experience. Being based in the hub of India’s Silicon Valley – Bangalore – he is ideally located to access and service all the new age brands coming out from Bangalore.”
Brands
JioHotstar EVP, head subscriptions (SVOD) and media Piyush Kothari exits
Streaming executive signs off after 6.5-year run across DisneyStar and JioStar
MUMBAI: Piyush Kothari, EVP and head subscriptions (SVOD) and media at JioHotstar, has stepped down from his role, bringing the curtain down on a 6.5-year stint spanning the DisneyStar and JioStar eras.
Kothari shared the update in a note reflecting on what he called a “transformative” phase for the media industry and a personal journey through the fast-evolving world of streaming and sports entertainment.
“The last few years have been transformative for the media industry and experiencing this journey up close over the past 6.5 years with DisneyStar and now JioStar has been a thriller,” he wrote, thanking colleagues and collaborators who shaped his time in the business.
Kothari joined JioHotstar in November 2024 as EVP, head subscriptions (svod) and media, where he oversaw subscription revenues and subscriber growth for the platform’s svod business.
Before that, he spent over five years at The Walt Disney Company in a series of leadership roles. His last position there was head of product, growth, partnerships and international expansion for Disney+ Hotstar, where he led efforts to scale subscription revenues across direct to consumer and partnership channels. The role also involved overseeing the service’s standalone businesses in markets such as Singapore, Canada and the UK.
Earlier, he served as lead, corporate office and strategic projects, working across the company’s entertainment, sports and streaming businesses. He also headed business operations at Mashal Sports, the entity behind the Pro Kabaddi League, where he helped steer the league through key commercial milestones including a five year broadcast and streaming media rights deal.
Alongside his operational roles, Kothari also served as nominee director on the board of Mashal Sports and was a director on the board of Novi Digital, the company that operates Hotstar.
Before entering the media and entertainment space, Kothari held senior roles across consulting, fintech and conglomerates. He worked with Welspun Group as head, group executive office, with Aditya Birla Group as joint president and business head, digital, analytics and strategy at Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank, and earlier served as vice president in the chairman’s office at the group.
His career also includes stints at Accenture as principal, Accenture Strategy, and earlier at Shell in channel development and sales.
Reflecting on his time in the media sector, Kothari said he leaves with a lasting belief in India’s subscription economy. He also joked about picking up a new affection along the way.
“Carrying with me love for kabaddi, a deep belief in the potential of the subscriptions business in India, and fond memories and friendships,” he wrote, adding that he is now “onward to the next chapter”.
