Indiantelevision.com's Digital Edge: Sunil Khanna quits ADAG's Bluemagic

Indiantelevision.com's Digital Edge

Sunil Khanna quits ADAG's Bluemagic

Indiantelevision.com Team

(28 June 2007 11:30 pm)

MUMBAI: Even as the Reliance-Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) is preparing to launch its direct-to-home (DTH) venture this fiscal, it has lost its key executive.

Sunil Khanna, who was roped in last year from Zee's DTH venture Dish TV to head Reliance's Bluemagic, has resigned.

Though Reliance executives were not willing to comment, a source close to the company confirmed that Khanna had put in his papers. "He is serving a notice period," the source added. Khanna was the CEO of Dish TV before he decided to move to Reliance.

With the entrepreneurial frenzy catching on in the media sector, Khanna is set to start a venture with former ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd head of new media business Sricharan Iyengar.

"Both of them are planning to launch niche channels," the source said. Iyengar, who was also handling ESPN Star Sports' distribution business, has recently left the company.

ADAG is launching its DTH venture under Bluemagic and is awaiting Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) to provide a satellite with Ku-band transponders.