Who are the contenders for NP Singh's role at Sony Pictures Networks India?
NP Singh's decision to move on from his role at SPNI has fuelled the rumour mill around who will succeed him.
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On May 24, NP Singh, who served as the managing director and chief executive officer at Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI), announced his decision to move on from his position after 25 years with the media company. He will transition to an advisory role, and will focus on social change while ensuring SPNI's continued success. A structured succession process is underway to find his successor,
Singh's decision to move on from his role at SPNI has fuelled the rumour mill around who will succeed him. Two contenders have emerged. Ravi Ahuja, chairman of Global Television Studios and president & chief operating officer of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), name has come up in the chatter around succession. Though it seems he's only likely to take on the role temporarily or oversee the market until a successor is in place. While it's still unclear whether Sony will promote from within or seek a leader outside, another candidate whose name is in the fray according to industry sources is Danish Khan, who is currently the EVP and business head - Sony LIV and StudioNext at Sony Pictures Networks India. Here's more about Ahuja and Khan.
Ravi Ahuja
Ravi Ahuja is the chairman of Global Television Studios and president & chief operating officer of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE). Ahuja looks into all production businesses for Sony Pictures Television (SPT), including U.S. and international productions, SPT – Nonfiction, SPT – Kids, Game Shows, and the studio’s India business. He also manages day-to-day operations of SPE along with SPE Chairman and CEO, Tony Vinciquerra.
Since joining Sony Pictures, Ahuja has led many M&A transactions for the studio, including the acquisitions of award-winning nonfiction entertainment company Industrial Media, leading UK production company Bad Wolf and VFX company, Pixomondo, as well as the sale of GSN Mobile Games to Scopely.
Prior to joining Sony in March 2021, Ahuja was President of Business Operations and CFO of Walt Disney Television, which included the ABC Network, ABC News, ABC Owned Stations, Disney Channel, Disney Television Studios, Freeform, FX, Hulu Originals and National Geographic. He played a central role in merging Disney/ABC Television and Fox Networks following Disney’s acquisition of Fox in early 2019.
Read More: Zee-Sony merger failure: Impact of NP Singh’s decision to move on from his position at SPNI
Prior to his time at Disney, he served as CFO of the Fox Networks Group, where he oversaw finance, strategy and business development for all its business units: Twentieth Century Fox Television, Fox Broadcasting, Fox Cable Networks, Fox Sports, National Geographic and Fox Networks Europe and Africa, Latin America and Asia.
In his 12 years at Fox, Ahuja formulated and executed on the company’s growth initiatives, including those in streaming and new technology. He helped to guide the company’s Hulu joint venture for over a decade and spearheaded investments in Roku, Draft Kings and many others. Additionally, Ahuja led the acquisitions of National Geographic Partners, Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network and Sports Time Ohio. Ahuja is currently on the Board of Directors of Roku, Inc.
Before joining Fox in 2007, Ahuja served as CFO for Virgin Entertainment Group, Inc. Prior to that, he worked at McKinsey & Company and in investment banking.
He has undergraduate and MBA degrees from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and recently joined the Wharton Undergraduate Executive Board.
Danish Khan
Danish Khan is currently the EVP and business head - Sony LIV and StudioNext at Sony Pictures Networks India. He began his career at Mediacom India as a senior manager and then his innings began at Sony Entertainment Television as senior vice president and head of marketing.
Later he joined Star India as the programming head, and then re-entered Sony Entertainment Television as the executive vice president and business head in 2015. He is currently leading all of the company's digital offerings. During a strategic leadership change in May 2023, ahead of the proposed Zee-Sony merger (which collapsed in January 2024) Khan was given a bigger mandate under a new structure, reporting to the MD and CEO NP Singh, as SPNI had doubled-down on its focus on digital and DTC (direct-to-consumer) services. Khan has been credited with the success in the digital business, following the launch of Sony LIV 2.0. Under his leadership, the top line grew by more than 300 percent, and the monthly active users increased significantly. Khan's mandate and aim was to expand the digital business in domestic and international markets, ensuring sustainable growth for the network.
Khan holds a masters in business administration from Institute of Management Development and Research, Pune, and an executive programme in digital strategy from Harvard University.
