GECs
Disney Star reshuffles top brass; Gaurav Banerjee’s role expanded
Mumbai: Disney Star has reorganised its leadership team by expanding Gaurav Banerjee’s role and implementing various organisational changes. This occurred over a two-month period following the resignation of Kevin Vaz as head of Network Entertainment Channels.
According to an internal email from K Madhavan (country manager and president, Disney Star), Banerjee will now be in charge of Star Bharat, the Hindi and English Movies cluster, Kids & Infotainment, and the regional portfolio (East), which includes Star Jalsha and Star Kiran, in addition to leading Content Studio for TV and Disney+ Hotstar. Banerjee will keep Madhavan informed about his development.
Krishnan Kutty will now serve as the business and content head for the entire South & Marathi regional portfolio, which includes Star Suvarna, Star Maa, Asianet, Star Vijay, Star Pravah, and D+ H Regional Specials for these markets. He shall report to Madhavan, too.
Sumanta Bose will continue to lead content for Star Plus, Star Jalsha, and Disney+ Hotstar Hindi Specials, reporting to Banerjee with an additional line of reporting to Sajith Sivanandan, who is the head of Disney+ Hotstar. He will also continue to serve as the business head for Star Plus and Star Utsav, reporting directly to Madhavan.
Alok Jain, who was in charge of Star Maa, Star Jalsha, Star Kiran, and Star Suvarna, has decided to call it a day.
Mani Rangarajan will also assume full responsibility for these tasks for the network in addition to managing technology and operations for the Disney cluster. As a result, Gajendra Tijare, who is the head of broadcast technology & operations, and Vivek Dhaimade, head of traffic & presentation, will report to him.
In addition to her current position as head of creative communications, Minakshi Achan will also be in charge of social listening. She will receive reports from Disney Star executive director Venke Sharma.
All alterations will be effective immediately.
GECs
Samsung TV Plus launches Kings of Comedy channel
New free FAST channel brings iconic Hindi comedy shows to millions of Samsung Smart TV owners.
MUMBAI: Samsung TV Plus has just turned up the laughter volume and it’s completely free. The leading free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service in India has launched Kings of Comedy, a premium comedy channel featuring some of the country’s most beloved primetime shows. Available exclusively on Samsung TV Plus, the channel delivers back-to-back hits including Comedy Nights with Kapil, Khatra Khatra Khatra, and Comedy Nights Bachao, with no login or subscription required.
The launch marks a milestone for free streaming in India, offering audiences a dedicated comedy destination directly from their Samsung TV home screen. It arrives as Samsung TV Plus India celebrates its 5th anniversary, during which the service has grown its monthly active users by 42 per cent and more than doubled its total viewing hours. The platform now offers over 180 free channels across 14 languages.
Samsung TV Plus India general manager and head of business development Kunal Mehta said, “Comedy is the heartbeat of Hindi entertainment, and Kings of Comedy brings together the shows Indians already love, completely free on their Samsung TV. Our focus remains the same take the content people know and make it effortless to access.”
Globally, Samsung TV Plus has surpassed 100 million monthly active users across more than 4,500 channels, solidifying its position as one of the world’s leading free streaming services.
Kings of Comedy is now available on all compatible Samsung Smart TVs. For viewers seeking non-stop laughter without any cost, this new channel delivers a royal treat proving that sometimes the best entertainment really does come with no strings (or subscriptions) attached.
