|
MUMBAI: Nine seems to have a great deal of significance in
Indrani and Peter Mukerjea's upcoming television network.
Nine people make up the core team that will be at the helm
of the broadcast venture and the number is integral to the
name of all the channels (with the exception of news) INX
plans to roll out.
The first three channels in the broadcast bouquet - Hindi
general entertainment, music and English news - have been
titled 9X, 9X Music and News X respectively and are targeting
a year-end launch.
The full bouquet of channels will also include various entertainment
channels in regional languages and city-specific channels,
all of which are to be rolled out over the next two years.
Speaking exclusively to Indiantelevision.com, INX Group promoter
and chairperson Indrani Mukerjea offers details on the executive
structure that is being put in place at the two companies
- INX Media Pvt Ltd and INX News Pvt Ltd - through which the
television network will be launched.
The top rung in the leadership matrix includes Ms Mukerjea
herself, former editor of Hindustan Times Vir Sanghvi as CEO
of INX News and editorial head of the news channel, former
Star India CFO Shankar Narayan as group director finance,
former Star India EVP distribution Arun Mohan as group director
distribution, former Star News operations director and Tata
Sky project consultant Vynsley Fernandes as group director
network operations and ad filmmaker Dilip Ghosh as director
content.
As to the three remaining portfolios of CEO, COO and legal
counsel, Ms Mukerjea would only say that she was not at liberty
to disclose any more than what she had provided at this stage.
A conspicuous absentee from the list is of course husband
Peter Mukerjea, which is clearly due to the legal limitations
imposed by the non-compete clause he has with his former employer
Star that runs till 30 June. Assuming that he would ultimately
handle the CEO's portfolio, that essentially leaves only the
other two positions remaining to be announced.
As regards the next rung of leadership, among the positions
filled include former Hindustan Times, Mumbai, resident
editor and Mid-Day group editor Avirook Sen as news
room head. There is also former Sahara One programming head
Kumud Chaudhuri, who joins 2 April as controller programming.
Radio City programming head Vikas Varma comes on board as
head music entertainment channel on 12 April, while Panchali
Chakraverty, former head of acquisitions and syndication for
Sahara One Motion Pictures and currently with Reliance Entertainment,
who has been inducted as head of movie acquisitions, joins
INX Media on 15 April.
Queried on the kind of challenges that existing players are
already confronting of clutter and issues of content quality,
Ms Mukerjea is at pains to assert that the plans that have
been charted for the network will assuredly have a salience
in the market.
One huge advantage that INX has going for it of course is
that with $ 300 million in funding commitments from the likes
of Temasek Holdings (via Dunearn Investments), New Silk Route,
New Vernon, Kotak and SREI Group, the network will not lack
for resources to translate vision into reality.
Also Read:
Peter
Mukerjea's broadcast venture INX Media officially launched
| 
