Amit Chopra to join STAR India

Chopra, CEO, HMVL will handle the sports telecast business for STAR India.

Amit Chopra, CEO of Hindustan Media Ventures, will join STAR India in early January, 2013. Though his exact designation is not yet clear, it is learnt that he will look after the network's sports telecast business.

Chopra was handling Hindustan, the Hindi daily of Hindustan Media Venture (HMVL) as chief executive officer. He has been in the organisation for seven years; he joined HMVL in 2005 as marketing manager, Hindustan Times.

His move to STAR comes close after News Corp's acquisition of the remaining 50 per cent stake from Disney in ESPN-STAR Sports (ESS). ESS was an equal joint venture between News Corp and Disney.

At STAR, Chopra will report to Sanjay Gupta, chief operating officer, from early January, 2013.

For more than seven years, Chopra has brilliantly steered brand Hindustan on a path of growth and expansion. During his leadership, the Hindi daily launched its operations in several new cities and towns such as Aligarh, Moradabad, Bihar and other areas. The newspaper also increased focus on youth by launching a supplement titled Yuva. With more than 12 million readers, Hindustan ranked third in the Indian Readership Survey 2012, Q2.

A mechanical engineer from IIT Kharagpur who did his MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, Chopra began his career in 1993 with Hindustan Unilever. Four years later, in 1997, he was made brand manager, culinary at HUL, and after another three years, he was promoted as regional sales manager, food and took care of food sales in the northern region.

He left HUL as marketing manager, beverages and was responsible for the Brook Bond Tea portfolio.

Subsequently, after a year-long stint at EXL as vice-president, resourcing, he moved on to HMVL as marketing manager of Hindustan Times in 2005. In 2007, he was made CEO of the organisation.