Nachiket Pantvaidya appointed CEO at Balaji's Telefilms' ALT Digital

The appointment comes at a time when the company is gearing up to launch its services in 2016.

Balaji Telefilms has appointed Nachiket Pantvaidya as the chief executive officer of ALT Digital Media Entertainment (Alt Digital), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Balaji Telefilms. ALT Digital was announced earlier this year as part of the Group's strategic intent to extend Balaji's creative expertise to the digital domain by developing on-demand, original and contemporary content for digital audiences.

At ALT Digital, Pantvaidya will have the responsibility of the company's operations spanning content, marketing, distribution and revenues as the company gears up to launch its services in 2016.

In his earlier assignment, Pantvaidya was business head of Sony Entertainment Television. Prior to that, he was also business head, Star Plus, and held several roles within the Star TV network, including those as the head of Star Pravah and managing director of Fox Television Studios. An IIM-Ahmedabad alumnus, he has also held key management roles at BBC and Disney.

Commenting on his appointment, Ekta Kapoor, joint managing director, Balaji Telefilms, says, "We are pleased to welcome Pantvaidya to the Balaji family. These are exciting times as Balaji takes a leap onto the digital landscape with ALT Digital, a significant milestone in our growth story. Pantvaidya brings along not only a rich expanse of industry experience, but also new energy and dynamic execution skills to lead our new venture and build a strong and valuable B2C brand."

Sameer Nair, group chief executive officer, Balaji Telefilms, shares the same opinion. "Pantvaidya shares our passion for entertainment, has extensive operational experience, and brings with him an excellent understanding of the entertainment ecosystem as well as the transformation it is rapidly undergoing," he says. "ALT Digital is on course towards creating its own differentiated position as a leading digital entertainment content creator and distributor in India for global audiences. We look forward to work together, and bring our individual and collective strengths and expertise to the business to create greater value for our shareholders," adds Nair.

Commenting on his appointment, Pantvaidya says that it is great to lead ALT Digital at a time when a tremendous mobile, video and e-commerce revolution is underway and media consumption across the globe is increasingly taking place in digital formats. "The opportunity to leverage Balaji Telefilms' creative sensibilities to exploit the new digital arena is most exciting. We will move from a conventional 'one size fits all' approach to a more evolved and targeted one towards marketing, and create unique and differentiated content."