Who is Akhil Mehra? The new head of commercial at Sony Pictures Networks India

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India has appointed Akhil Mehra as its new head of commercial, marking a strategic move to strengthen its revenue architecture across platforms and markets.

Based in Mumbai, Mehra will drive commercial initiatives spanning digital, linear television, technology, sports, marketing and content across Hindi and regional portfolios. His mandate is clear: build future-ready commercial models that match the pace of India’s evolving media landscape.

A commercial strategist with over two decades of experience, Mehra has quietly shaped some of the country’s most influential broadcast and streaming businesses. Before joining Sony, he spent nearly 19 years at Star TV Network and its digital arm Disney+ Hotstar, holding a series of senior leadership roles across commercial, procurement and compliance functions.

At Star, he rose through the ranks from senior manager to vice president, eventually serving as director, commercial and procurement at Jiostar India. He led media rights negotiations, content acquisition strategies and complex budgeting frameworks across Hindi and English channel portfolios. From managing Hindi cinema pipelines to pricing analytics and intellectual property strategy, Mehra’s career has been built at the intersection of content and commerce.

His stint as vice president and commercial head at Hotstar was particularly formative. He was instrumental in setting up commercial processes, building teams and negotiating content, technology and marketing contracts at a time when streaming in India was still finding its feet.

In 2025, Mehra briefly stepped into the creative arena as a freelance content creator and producer, collaborating on Hindi cinema and South Indian film projects with a focus on commercially viable storytelling. The move added a storyteller’s lens to his dealmaker’s toolkit.

Earlier in his career, he sharpened his commercial instincts in the insurance sector with roles at Tata AIG General Insurance Company Limited, Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Co. Ltd. and Iffco Tokio General Insurance Co. Ltd., where he worked across underwriting, retail strategy and corporate growth.

At Sony Pictures Networks India, Mehra now steps into a role that demands both numbers and nuance. With broadcast economics under pressure and digital monetisation evolving by the day, the network is betting on a leader who understands that content may be king, but commerce keeps the kingdom running.

For Mehra, it is less a new chapter and more a natural sequel. And this time, he is steering the business from the front row.