MUMBAI: As it gears up to launch its Over-The-Top (OTT) video streaming service in the country, Vuclip has roped in former Yahoo! India director Vishal Maheshwari as country manager in India.

Maheshwari’s core responsibilities will include driving consumer adoption, engagement and monetisation for the video on demand (VOD) service in India through strategic partnerships, service innovation and consumer insights. 

The appointment also reflects the company's strategic intent to expand market share in a hyper competitive VOD market like India post the entry of international players like Netflix and HOOQ.

What's more, Vuclip is also looking at transitioning from a B2B to a consumer facing company.

Maheshwari joins Vuclip with over 15 years of experience in the telecom and mobile internet space with organisations such as Yahoo! India and BPL Mobile, and 10 years of product and brand management experience at Parle, Warner Lambert and SBI Cards.

Vuclip COO Arun Prakash said, “We are excited for Indian consumers in 2016 to experience a whole new way of entertainment on the go and pleased to have Vishal come on-board to lead our OTT service in India. With India in digital overdrive, creative thinking, fleet-footedness and focused execution are required to win over consumers’ hearts, minds and devices. Vishal’s leadership, consumer centric thought process, passion for product and brand, and value creation for partners will lead Vuclip and this entire industry in India.”

“The ever evolving video space in India offers the thrill of a challenge. It is my endeavor to make 2016 a year of delight for the Indian audience in the entertainment and OTT space. I believe Vuclip is best positioned to make that happen,” added Maheshwari.

Vuclip has a free user base of 20 million and a paying subscriber base in excess of five million people in India. The company's OTT service in India will see tough competition from existing players like Netflix, Hotstar, HOOQ, Sony Liv, Ditto TV and ErosNow amongst others.