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Devika Prabhu joins Sony Pictures Networks India as business head – Hindi movies
Former Disney Star executive returns to SPNI to steer the network’s Hindi movie business
MUMBAI: Devika Prabhu is heading back to familiar turf. The veteran media executive has joined Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) as business head – Hindi movies, marking a return to the broadcaster where she began her early leadership journey.
Prabhu announced the move on LinkedIn, calling it both a new beginning and a homecoming. Earlier in her career, she spent several years at SPNI—then Multi Screen Media—working on strategic planning for Sony Entertainment Television.
The appointment brings to SPNI a media strategist with more than 25 years of experience across content, programming, brand strategy and platform growth. Most recently, Prabhu served at Disney Star as vice-president and business head – kids, youth and infotainment TV, where she led the Disney Kids and National Geographic portfolios following the Disney–Fox merger.
During her tenure, she oversaw a Rs 400-crore P&L while pushing digital expansion, partnerships and operational efficiencies. Earlier roles at Disney Star included leadership across programming, acquisitions, marketing and product strategy for multiple networks, including the UTV movie channels and youth brands.
Prabhu’s career has also spanned building cross-platform intellectual property, developing kids and family content ecosystems, and forging international format partnerships. She was closely involved in bringing global formats and franchises to Indian audiences and is widely credited with helping shape India’s anime fandom into a mainstream youth phenomenon.
At SPNI, she will now lead the Hindi movies business at a time when film channels are rethinking their role in a fragmented viewing landscape. With audiences discovering cinema across television, streaming and digital platforms, the challenge is not just programming films but reimagining how they reach viewers.
Prabhu believes movies still hold a unique cultural power, sparking conversations and creating shared moments long after the credits roll.
Now back where part of her journey began, she is set to write the next act, this time from the business seat of Hindi movie television. Lights, camera, strategy.
People
BBC appoints Matt Brittin as 18th Director-General
Former Google EMEA president to lead broadcaster from May amid global change
LONDON: The BBC has named Matt Brittin as its 18th Director-General, placing a seasoned technology and media leader at the helm of one of the world’s most influential public broadcasters. He will formally assume the role on 18 May.
Brittin steps into the position after a brief “gap year”, as he described it, returning to the spotlight with a job that, in his own words, was “probably not one either you or I were expecting”. The appointment signals a strategic tilt towards digital expertise at a time when traditional broadcasting continues to evolve at pace.
The new Director-General brings more than 18 years of experience from Google, where he held several senior roles, including President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. During his tenure, he played a central role in expanding the company’s footprint across Europe and shaping its regional strategy.
More recently, Brittin served as Senior Independent Director at The Guardian, adding boardroom insight from one of Britain’s leading news organisations. His career also spans roles at McKinsey, Trinity Mirror and Sainsbury’s, giving him a broad perspective across media, retail and strategy.
The Director-General position carries dual responsibility as chief executive officer and editor-in-chief, overseeing the BBC’s creative, editorial and operational direction both in the UK and globally. It is a role that demands not just leadership, but a steady editorial compass in an increasingly complex media landscape.
“Now, more than ever, we need a thriving BBC that works for everyone in a complex, uncertain and fast changing world,” Brittin said. He added that the broadcaster remains “an extraordinary, uniquely British asset” with a legacy of innovation in storytelling and technology.
His appointment comes at a moment when public service broadcasters are under pressure to balance tradition with transformation, navigating shifting audience habits, digital disruption and funding debates. Brittin’s blend of Silicon Valley scale and British media sensibility may prove timely.
With “big challenges and big opportunities” ahead, Brittin appears ready to get started. The real test begins in May, when he moves from anticipation to action at Broadcasting House.
