STAR's Ravish Kumar to head Viacom18's Hindi movie channel

The channel is expected to be launched in the last quarter of this calendar year.

Viacom18 Media has roped in Ravish Kumar as general manager and head for its Hindi movie channel, which is expected to be launched in the last quarter of this calendar year. Kumar will report to Raj Nayak, chief executive officer, Colors.

Kumar moves in from the STAR Network, where he was executive vice-president and general manager for regional channels. He was responsible for managing STAR Jalsha and STAR Pravah, the leading general entertainment channels (GECs) in the West Bengal and Maharashtra markets.

Announcing his appointment, Haresh Chawla, group chief executive officer, Viacom18, says in an official communiqué, "The launch of the Hindi movie channel is one of the most significant steps in Viacom18's expansion blueprint. Given Kumar's experience, we're confident that he will propel the channel towards leadership within the next 18-24 months."

Speaking on his new role, Kumar says, "Viacom18 has already proved in the Hindi GEC space that even a late entrant into an established market can become a market leader by leveraging superior consumer insight to create differentiated, disruptive and innovative content. I look forward to extending that experience to the Hindi movie space, where channels today have become commodities, and therefore, represent an exciting opportunity to create relevant and meaningful differentiation."

Kumar has more than 17 years of experience in sales and brand management, across companies in India, the US and the UK. He joined STAR from Reckitt Benckiser UK, where he was global category director.

Prior to Reckitt Benckiser, where he spent close to three-and-a-half years, Kumar worked as marketing director at McCormick & Co. Earlier, he was product manager, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and associate product manager at ConAgra Foods.

Kumar has post-graduate qualifications from the Kellogg School of Management, and the Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), Delhi.