Google's Sajith Sivanandan to Lead Disney+ Hotstar in India

Google Executive Sajith Sivanandan has been tapped to run Disney+ Hotstar in India, joining as executive VP in October, according to Variety.

What’s Happening:

Sajith Sivanandan, current business head at Google Pay and Next Billion User Initiatives, Asia Pacific, is reportedly joining the Walt Disney Company as the new Executive VP and head of Disney+ Hotstar India in October.
There, he will oversee the overall business operations of Disney+ Hotstar in India and will be responsible for the strategic business growth of the streaming service in that market, and will also work with the Disney+ team in the United States to drive the overall growth of the Disney+ service.
Sivanandan will report to Rebecca Campbell, chair of Disney’s international content and operations group, as well as K. Madhavan, president, Disney Star.
Disney+ Hotstar is currently the leader in the Indian Streaming market, with a lot of that success credited to Indian Premier League Cricket tournament, which the streaming platform has the rights to for the last five years, though the rights were passed for the next five years to Viacom18, after the Walt Disney Company lost the bidding war, though they retained broadcasting rights.

What They’re Saying:

Rebecca Campbell: “I am delighted to have Sajith join our executive team and lead the innovative team at Disney+ Hotstar. His deep experience in the region, combined with his strong leadership and business management skills will greatly benefit Disney+ Hotstar as the platform embarks on its next phase of growth.”
K. Madhavan: “After witnessing rapid growth in recent years, the OTT [streaming] market in India has entered a transformational phase which calls for an ingenious approach to the manner in which we innovate for growth. Sajith’s wealth of experience that he has gained over the years makes him the best person to lead Disney+ Hotstar on this journey.”
Sajith Sivanandan: “Disney and Star are brands with an incredibly rich history of innovation, user focus and storytelling, and Disney+ Hotstar brings those attributes together flawlessly. The opportunity to come back home to where I started my career and to work alongside a very talented team to serve Disney+ Hotstar users in India and in emerging countries is one that is both a privilege and an honor.”