GECs
Danish Khan to move on from SPNI after shaping its tv and streaming playbook
MUMBAI: Danish Khan is calling time on a long, influential run at Sony Pictures Networks India, marking the end of a decade that helped redraw the map of Indian television and streaming.
Khan, currently business head of Sony LIV and studio next, will stay on until March 31 to ensure continuity, the company said. His exit closes a chapter that blended creative ambition with commercial discipline across broadcast, studios and digital.
At Sony LIV, where he took charge in 2019, Khan led a full-scale reboot—Sony LIV 2.0-and turned the platform into a serious contender in India’s crowded streaming race. Over five years, the service clocked more than five-fold topline growth and a four-times jump in monthly active users, contributing nearly 25 per cent of SPNI’s overall revenue, while keeping profitability firmly on the agenda. The run delivered a slate of cultural and commercial winners, including Scam, Maharani, Rocket Boys, Tabbar, Freedom at Midnight and Shark Tank.
Earlier, as business head of sony entertainment television, Khan oversaw some of Indian TV’s biggest franchises, from The Kapil Sharma Show and Kaun Banega Crorepati to Super Dancer and Superstar Singer, alongside successful fiction titles such as Beyhadh and Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai. He also set up studio next as a pipeline for scalable formats and original IP.
Gaurav Banerjee, managing director and chief executive officer of SPNI, said Khan played a key role in building the network’s television, studio and digital businesses, leaving behind a strong foundation.
Khan described SPNI as central to his professional journey, crediting teams, trust and shared ambition for what the group achieved together.
The company will announce succession plans in due course. Khan departs having proved that in Indian media, scale still matters—but storytelling and strategy matter more.
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… connection because this time, the game isn’t just about winning, it’s about who’s with you. Sony Pictures Networks India is gearing up to launch a new reality game show, Tum Ho Naa, expanding its unscripted slate with a format that promises both emotion and engagement.
The show will premiere soon on Sony Entertainment Television and stream on Sony LIV, with Rajeev Khandelwal stepping in as host. Known for his measured screen presence and selective choices, Khandelwal’s return to television adds a layer of familiarity and credibility to the upcoming format.
While specific details of the gameplay remain under wraps, the positioning suggests a reality format that leans as much on emotional resonance as it does on competition, an increasingly popular blend in Indian television, where audiences are gravitating towards content that offers both stakes and storytelling.
Khandelwal, reflecting on his return, noted that his choices have often been guided by instinct rather than convention, describing Tum Ho Naa as a project that feels “close to the heart”. His association also signals Sony’s continued focus on anchoring new formats with recognisable faces who bring both relatability and depth.
The launch comes at a time when broadcasters are doubling down on original non-fiction formats to drive appointment viewing, even as digital platforms expand parallel reach. By placing the show across both linear television and OTT, Sony appears to be aiming for a dual-audience strategy capturing traditional viewers while engaging digital-first consumers.
As the countdown to premiere begins, Tum Ho Naa positions itself not just as another game show, but as a reminder that sometimes, the biggest prize on screen isn’t the jackpot, it’s the journey shared along the way.
