English Entertainment
Discovery APAC appoints Nikhil Madhok; strengthens corporate team with other hiring
MUMBAI: Discovery has announced key appointments in its APAC central corporate leadership team. Former Life OK GM and business head Nikhil Madhok has joined the channel as the senior vice-president (SVP) head of products.
Madhok will spearhead the re-development of the company’s product suite and champion a strong maker culture in the organisation. He will formally join in January 2017, and will closely partner with the innovation team on future digital offerings.
Operating leadership remains with the company’s five market clusters announced earlier in year. The move adds innovative, world-class capabilities and resources to accelerate the company’s stated ambition to evolve from a traditional linear Pay-TV to a true convergent media and entertainment business across market clusters in Asia.
“We are laser focused on re-inventing our existing space and growing our business beyond linear across Asia. The new leadership team members bring with them strong entrepreneurial drive and a disruptive mindset. I am thrilled to welcome them on board as we step up our efforts to redefine our product and business portfolio in the region,” said Discovery Networks APAC president and MD Arthur Bastings.
Other executives who have joined are — Rebecca Kent as the vice-president (VP) business transformation. Kent will oversee change management, and lead business process and operational optimisation. She joined in September from Discovery’s global business operations team in London.
Darrell Chan joined as the vice-president (VP) regional counsel. He will manage the legal dossier, drive strong governance around Discovery’s growing portfolio of equity stakes in new businesses and coordinate external affairs. Chan will joined on 1 February 2017, from Expedia. He will partner with Dinkim Sailo, who manages Discovery’s external and government affairs brief.
Dinkim recently joined from SOS International.
Karun Arya will now be the director, head of corporate communications, and will represent the company’s voice as it implements its ambitious transformation and investment plans. He came in from Uber.
Discovery’s new executives joined the chief financial officer and SVP corporate operations Nilesh Zaveri, the SVP Innovation Winradit Kasidit Kolasastraseni, the VP corporate development Jonathan Mills, the VP strategy Karan Paul and the VP HR Jin Tan in the APAC HQ team.
English Entertainment
ZEE5 UK partners Narrative Entertainment to add UK channels
Six FAST channels added as platform sharpens hybrid play in Britain
LONDON: ZEE5 UK struck a first-of-its-kind deal with Narrative Entertainment, bringing mainstream UK television channels onto an Indian streaming platform as it pushes to deepen its footprint in a crowded, mature market.
The partnership adds six of Narrative’s FAST channels to the service, including Great! Movies, Great! Romance, Great! Mystery and kids brands POP, Tiny Pop and POP UP, widening ZEE5 UK’s appeal across genres and age groups.
The move reflects a clear shift in strategy. ZEE5 UK is betting on a hybrid model that blends on-demand content with curated, always-on channels to drive discovery and increase time spent on the platform.
“This partnership represents a meaningful evolution in how we serve audiences in mature markets like the UK, where viewers are defined by habits, convenience and choice rather than geography or language alone,” said Parul Goel, territory head, Europe, Zee Entertainment. “By bringing trusted mainstream UK channels together with our premium originals, movies and kids’ content, we are building a more consumer-centric platform that simplifies viewing while increasing depth and relevance.”
Fateha Begum, commercial director, Narrative Entertainment, said the tie-up would fuel growth for both sides. “Our portfolio of quality programming, with such wide and enduring appeal, is a perfect complement to ZEE5 UK. This is a strong partnership that will support growth for both parties, and we share Zee Entertainment’s vision of an increasingly partnership-led future for the industry.”
ZEE5’s global library spans over 4,000 films and more than 500 originals, with over 130 new titles added annually. The addition of Narrative’s channels strengthens its kids offering and introduces genre-led linear experiences alongside its on-demand catalogue.
The deal also gives Narrative access to ZEE5 UK’s fast-growing user base, extending reach without diluting brand identity, while reinforcing ZEE5 UK’s network of more than 40 live channels.
As streaming wars intensify, ZEE5 UK is widening its playbook, blending content, convenience and partnerships in a bid to win screen time in one of the world’s toughest markets.
