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SPNI announces major leadership reshuffle for growth phase
Rohit Sinha expands to oversee Pay Movies & Infotainment, Anubhav Gogla and Mrityunjay Singh gain broader clusters on 24 February 2026.
MUMBAI: SPNI just reshuffled the deck and the new hands look ready to play a stronger game in India’s crowded TV race. Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) has rolled out a sweeping leadership realignment to sharpen focus on evolving business models and unlock fresh growth opportunities. The changes, announced on 24 February 2026, aim to build a more agile organisation while giving seasoned leaders expanded mandates across clusters.
Key moves include:
Rohit Sinha, already driving the Sports Cluster, Channel YAY! and Agency Relationships, now adds Pay Movies & Infotainment to his portfolio. He continues reporting directly to head of linear ad sales Akshay Agrawal as Cluster Head – Sports, Kids, Pay Movies & Infotainment and Agency Relationships.
Vijay Chabbria takes national responsibility for Pay Movies & Infotainment as National Head, reporting to Rohit Sinha. Shashank Krishnan (West), Sanchit Kapur (North) and Amit Kumar Prasad (South, plus Channel YAY!) now report to Chabbria.
Anubhav Gogla scales up to Cluster Head – SET & SAB (North, South & East) & Aath and Government Business, overseeing those branches and Channel Aath while reporting to head of linear ad sales Akshay Agrawal.
Mrityunjay Singh broadens his West Hindi GEC leadership to include Channel Marathi, Upcountry and Travel & Tourism as Cluster Head – SET & SAB (West) & Marathi, also reporting to head of linear ad sales Akshay Agrawal.
Vivek Mathur remains National Head – FTA, with Karishma Chabria (West), Nakul Anand (North) and Sanjeeva Kulkarni (South) reporting to him as Regional Heads.
Other senior leaders Arpit Shah (Strategic Planning & Insights and Brand Solutions), Geeta Prakash Rao (Operations & Receivables Management), Ruchi Vidhani (South Hindi GEC), Swati Gosain and Anant Nigam (North Hindi GEC), and the East team retain their portfolios with existing reporting lines.
The rejig comes as SPNI navigates rapid shifts in viewership habits, OTT competition, and regional content demands. By giving proven performers wider remits, the network is betting on internal talent to steer through the next growth curve because when the channels are realigning, sometimes the best way forward is to hand the playbook to those who’ve already mastered the game.
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Devika Prabhu joins Sony Pictures Networks India as business head – Hindi movies
Former Disney Star executive returns to SPNI to steer the network’s Hindi movie business
MUMBAI: Devika Prabhu is heading back to familiar turf. The veteran media executive has joined Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) as business head – Hindi movies, marking a return to the broadcaster where she began her early leadership journey.
Prabhu announced the move on LinkedIn, calling it both a new beginning and a homecoming. Earlier in her career, she spent several years at SPNI—then Multi Screen Media—working on strategic planning for Sony Entertainment Television.
The appointment brings to SPNI a media strategist with more than 25 years of experience across content, programming, brand strategy and platform growth. Most recently, Prabhu served at Disney Star as vice-president and business head – kids, youth and infotainment TV, where she led the Disney Kids and National Geographic portfolios following the Disney–Fox merger.
During her tenure, she oversaw a Rs 400-crore P&L while pushing digital expansion, partnerships and operational efficiencies. Earlier roles at Disney Star included leadership across programming, acquisitions, marketing and product strategy for multiple networks, including the UTV movie channels and youth brands.
Prabhu’s career has also spanned building cross-platform intellectual property, developing kids and family content ecosystems, and forging international format partnerships. She was closely involved in bringing global formats and franchises to Indian audiences and is widely credited with helping shape India’s anime fandom into a mainstream youth phenomenon.
At SPNI, she will now lead the Hindi movies business at a time when film channels are rethinking their role in a fragmented viewing landscape. With audiences discovering cinema across television, streaming and digital platforms, the challenge is not just programming films but reimagining how they reach viewers.
Prabhu believes movies still hold a unique cultural power, sparking conversations and creating shared moments long after the credits roll.
Now back where part of her journey began, she is set to write the next act, this time from the business seat of Hindi movie television. Lights, camera, strategy.
