MUMBAI: Big CBS Networks has appointed Anand Chakravarthy as its business head.

This will be Chakravarthy?s additional responsibility. He continues to be chief marketing officer of Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd (RBNL). Big CBS is an equal joint venture of RBNL and US-based CBS Studios International.

Chakravarthy replaces Vishal Rally who recently quit the company to start something of his own.

Chakravarthy, who has been associated with RBNL right since its launch, will take on the mandate of the overall profit and loss and brand development for the joint venture?s English Channel portfolio -- Big CBS Prime, Big CBS Love and Big CBS Spark.

Chakravarthy will report to RBNL CEO Tarun Katial.

Katial said, "Anand is one of our finest and most committed senior management associates. As the business takes a new leap with some amazing content - America?s Got Talent, American Idol, X Factor, Dexter and more, along with the impending digitization which will catapult these channels into another level, no one is better equipped than Anand to lead this initiative and focus on great content and communication, subscription revenue, and building greater value for advertisers."
 
"CBS is thrilled to have an executive of Anand?s caliber guide our channels to their next level of success. Anand was very involved with the initial launch phase of our business in India, and we look forward to working with him in this expanded role," CBS Studios International executive vice president- International Channels Reed Manville added.

Chakravarthy said, "Reliance Broadcast is a dynamic company and I?m proud of what we have achieved in a short span of time. The Big CBS Network which launched with a promise to change the way English entertainment was served to Indian audiences stands today as the No.1 English Entertainment Network, and I look forward to working with the young and vibrant team to growing it further while building value for consumer and customers alike."

Chakravarthy has over 15 years of experience across research, advertising and marketing. He had joined RBNL in 2006. Prior to joining RBNL, he was at Lowe India and has handled clients like Unilever stable, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, ICICI Bank, Tata Mutual Fund, IL&FS Investsmart and HSBC.

MUMBAI: Beginning with Sri Lanka, Big CBS Networks, a joint venture (JV) of Reliance Broadcast Network Limited and CBS Studios International, plans to expand its reach into the SAARC region.

The company has put on offer three of its channels -- Big CBS Prime, Big CBS Love and Big CBS Spark -- in Sri Lanka. The network will also evaluate the possibility of dubbing the content in local languages in the future.

Initially, the channels will be distributed with the biggest cable operator, Lanka Broadband Network. Later, the Network has plans to launch across the entire SAARC region comprising Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Pakistan and Afghanistan across all platforms.

According to Big CBS, the channels are being launched on a fixed licensee fee model and will ensure regular and streamlined revenue from the market, which will add to the bottom line of the JV.

With limited English entertainment options, the Big CBS channels have been designed to target Sri Lanka?s fast-growing, upwardly mobile population. Targeting the 15+ English speaking audiences, the channels will be available in Sri Lanka across cable platforms and key hotels.

The CBS content to be offered by the channels include hits such as Hawaii Five-0, America?s Next Top Model, NCIS, Survivor, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, 90210, Frasier, Everybody Loves Raymond, The Oprah Winfrey Show and Entertainment Tonight.

Big CBS Networks business head Vishal Rally said, ?This is a natural extension to make accessible the superlative content library of BIG CBS to audiences in the international markets."