Anuj Gandhi joins Network18 as group director

Gandhi takes charge as group director, distribution and new business development at Network18. He left DEN Networks as CEO in September, 2010.

Network18 has hired Anuj Gandhi as group director, distribution and new business development. He will report to B Sai Kumar, group CEO, Network18.

In an official communiqué, Kumar says, "Broadcast digitisation and growth in new media will cause paradigm shifts in how media brands create value in the future. Our bouquet of channels is uniquely placed to make the most of this opportunity and we are delighted to have Anuj on board to drive it. His experience and understanding of broadcasting and distribution in India and his leadership record is impeccable, positioning him well for this task."

Network18 has a bouquet of channels including genres from news and entertainment to kids, music and factual entertainment across national and regional spaces. Gandhi will look after the distribution of the channels through linear and non-linear networks.

Gandhi says, "Network18 is a benchmark player in the broadcast and new media space in India and it is now at a very exciting stage in its journey. I look forward to being part of it at such a momentous time and hope to work closely with the team to unlock value for our brands in an increasingly digitised environment."

Before his stint as second in command in the SET Discovery joint venture, Gandhi was head of the distribution function at Discovery Communications India.

Although Gandhi began his career at Ranbaxy, he entered the media industry in 1994 in IndusInd Media & Communications, a national MSO operated by the Hinduja Group.

After three years, he joined Discovery Communications India as head of distribution and network development for India and the South Asian region. In 2002, he shifted to SET Discovery as president. SET Discovery (now MSM Discovery) was the joint venture between Sony Entertainment and Discovery Communications. Subsequently, he joined DEN Networks in 2007 as CEO. He left DEN in 2010 and then worked as an independent consultant for one year.

As a veteran in the distribution space, Gandhi has also played a leading role in industry and regulatory initiatives. He was a member of TRAI's digitisation committee and also a part of the task force formed for implementation of CAS.

For the record, the Network18 Group operates a television bouquet comprising of 13 national and regional channels, including news and entertainment services such as CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz, CNN-IBN, IBN7, IBN-Lokmat, Colors, MTV, Nick, Vh1, Sonic, Comedy Central, HistoryTV18 and HomeShop18.