Sunday, 17th February 2019
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Subscribe
  • Login
  • News+
    • News+ Home
    • News
      • News Sub Home
      • Search
      • Top Stories
      • Press Releases
    • Calendar
      • Calendar Sub Home
      • Search
      • Conferences
    • Directory
      • Directory Sub Home
      • Organisation
      • News
    • Insight
      • Insight Sub Home
      • Interview
      • Features
      • Opinion
      • Supplements
      • Magazine
      • Media
      • Sponsorship
      • Events
  • Media
    • Media Home
    • Standard
      • Standard Sub Home
      • Rights
      • Landscape
      • Directory
      • Property
      • Competition
      • News
      • Insight
    • Advanced
      • Advanced Sub Home
      • Revenue Dashboard
      • Market Dashboard
      • Rights
      • Landscape
      • Directory
      • Property
      • Competition
      • News
      • Insight
  • Sponsorship
    • Sponsorship Home
    • Deals
    • Brands
    • Property
    • Competition
    • Athlete
    • Venue
    • News
    • Insight
  • Events / GSI
    • Events / GSI Home
    • Events
      • Events Sub Home
      • Event Analysis
      • Events Insight
      • News
      • Bidding Opportunities
      • Bidding Announcements
      • Bids Awarded
    • GSI
      • GSI Sub Home
      • About Project
      • Annual GSI Report
      • GSI Event Studies
      • Indexes
        • Nations Index
        • Cities Index
        • Events Index
      • Experts / Partners
        • Experts
        • Partners
  • Reports
  • News
  • Search
  • Facebook underlines Indian ambitions in recruiting Hotstar chief

Facebook underlines Indian ambitions in recruiting Hotstar chief

Business - 25 Sep 2018
Author: Simon Ward

Facebook India, an increasingly important regional arm of the social media giant, has appointed Ajit Mohan from Hotstar, the video streaming platform of broadcaster Star India, to be its new managing director.

In the new role, which comes with a vice-president position, Mohan will direct Facebook’s strategy in India, its largest market in terms of number of users, and oversee a senior leadership team focused on strengthening relationships with people, businesses and government bodies in India.

He is due to start at the company early next year.

Mohan has been chief executive of Hotstar since April 2016, directing a service which complements Star’s popular entertainment and sports television channels. His previous employers include management and consulting firm McKinsey & Company in New York.

Star, which is owned by 21st Century Fox, drew 700 million individual viewers across all platforms for its coverage of the Indian Premier League, the high-profile Twenty20 cricket competition this year, with Hotstar attracting 200 million alone.

Facebook has been stepping up its involvement in sport, notably in India, last month concluding a three-year deal with Spanish soccer’s LaLiga to stream matches across the subcontinent.

Although worth less than €20 million ($23.5 million), that agreement demonstrated Facebook’s continued ambitions in India after it missed out on the domestic digital rights to the IPL in a money-spinning auction last year.

Facebook was the next highest bidder behind Star’s catch-all bid for IPL rights of Rs163.5 billion ($2.5 billion) over five years, with the social media site offering Rs39 billion.

In a statement, David Fischer, Facebook’s vice-president of business and marketing partnerships, said: “India is one of the largest and most strategically important countries for Facebook. As we think about what it will take to achieve our mission of bringing people together and building community, we know that investment in India is critical. Ajit’s depth of experience will help us to continue to have a positive impact in India across communities, organisations, businesses and with policy makers.”

Mohan added: “I am delighted to take on the mantle of shaping Facebook’s charter in India. It is a unique opportunity to shape the agenda of a company that has brought the world closer together in one of the most exciting markets in the world. I look forward to championing India in Facebook and working with stakeholders across the spectrum to help build deep and meaningful communities across the country.”

Earlier this year, Facebook appointed Peter Hutton, who has considerable experience of the Indian sports media market, from Eurosport, to be its head of global live sports programming, as part of a recruitment drive as it targeted more rights internationally.

In addition to landing the LaLiga rights in India, it recently concluded a three-year deal to become the exclusive free-to-air home in Spanish-speaking Latin America of European soccer’s Uefa Champions League.

Facebook has also bought a package of Thursday evening Copa Libertadores rights in Brazil from 2019 onwards and Premier League rights in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam (from 2019-20 to 2021-22).

Sportcal

Related Organisations
Organisation
Facebook
Hotstar

Want to Read More ?

To view this article you need to subscribe to Sportcal News.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber?

Log in

Top Stories
Sky to show all four majors again as it returns to US PGA Championship
Golf - 15 Feb 2019
CVC in talks about investing in three or four more rugby properties, including Pro14
Rugby union - 15 Feb 2019
BeIN, NBA and USTA lead calls for US government to act on Saudi pirate network
Business - 15 Feb 2019
Tebas: OTT service won't close despite Spanish Sports Law draft
Various - 14 Feb 2019
Eurosport deals with IMG to retain Premier League rights in Romania
Soccer - 14 Feb 2019
Latest News
  • Tech-savvy NBA nets game recaps deal with Facebook
    Basketball 15 Feb 2019 Internet
  • Lexus joins Davis Cup sponsors as Piqué defends revamped competition
    Tennis 15 Feb 2019 Sponsorship
  • Premier League offers 28 more games in UK audio rights tender
    Soccer 15 Feb 2019 Radio
  • CBS expects to keep NFL as deal comes up for renewal
    American football 15 Feb 2019 Media rights
  • ITTF enters the property market for new 'Home of Table Tennis'
    Table tennis 15 Feb 2019 Federations & NOCs

Related Articles

Internet
Facebook's Hutton takes on extra responsibilities as Reed gets promotion
Business - 04 Jan 2019 - Internet
DSport on board for Bangladesh Premier League
04 Jan 2019
Media rights
FIGC to live stream four national team matches on YouTube and Facebook
Soccer - 15 Jan 2019 - Media rights
Media rights
ESL events to remain on Facebook but no longer exclusively
eSports - 13 Feb 2019 - Media rights

Contact Info

  • John Carpenter House, 7 Carmelite Street, London EC4Y 0BS, United Kingdom
  • +44 (0) 20 8944 8786
  • +44 (0) 20 8944 8740
  • clientservices@sportcal.com

© Sportcal 2019 and Database Right 1997-2019 / Sportcal Global Communications Ltd.
All Rights Reserved. Pictures supplied by ©Getty Images.
AdvertiseAbout usContact usTerms & ConditionsPrivacy Policy
Company Registration No. 02592321

Latest Tweets

Twitter Timeline...