Viacom18 appoints Ferzad Palia as head of Youth and English Entertainment

He will take over MTV and Pepsi MTV Indies. This is in addition to his existing duties as head of English entertainment at Viacom18, which includes Vh1, Comedy Central and Colors Infinity.

Viacom18 has appointed Ferzad Palia as the head of youth entertainment with immediate effect. In his new role, he will be heading the youth brand MTV and the Indie platform MTV Indies. This will be in addition to his existing duties as head of English entertainment at Viacom18 which includes brands such as Vh1, Comedy Central and the recently launched Colors Infinity.

Speaking about Palia's appointment, Sudhanshu Vats, group CEO, Viacom18, says, "To appoint Ferzad as the head of youth entertainment, is not only a logical move for us, considering his extensive experience in broadcast, it is also a strategic one as we drive further synergies between youth entertainment and English entertainment. Palia has been instrumental in transforming the English entertainment landscape in India with Vh1, Comedy Central and Colors Infinity and I'm sure he will take both MTV and Pepsi MTV Indies to new heights of success."

Pleased with his new appointment, Palia says, "MTV is an iconic brand and it's my pleasure to have been appointed to take it further on its journey to success. Pepsi MTV Indies with its pulse on the Indie subculture in India has been a key driver of change and I'm really looking forward to work closely with the team on it. It's a new and exciting role for me and I look forward to create interesting brand customisations for the youth demographic while driving growth for both, youth and English entertainment brands at Viacom18."

Viacom 18 Media is a 50:50 joint venture operation in India between Viacom Inc. and the Network18 Group. The company includes the youth brand MTV, MTV Indies, the kids cluster Nick, Nick Jr, Teen Nick & Sonic, Vh1, Comedy Central, Colors Infinity, Viacom18 Motion Pictures, Colors, and the Hindi GEC. Viacom18 also runs Viacom18's consumer products business in India and also a brand solutions offering Integrated Network Solutions (INS). Viacom18 recently launched Viacom18 Digital Ventures to build consumer facing digital businesses for the company.