Kiran Mani is appointed by Viacom18 as the CEO of the Digital Division to lead JioCinema
According to people familiar with the situation, Viacom18 has appointed Google's Kiran Mani as the head of its digital division. In the Asia Pacific region, Mani presently serves as Google's General Manager and MD for Android and Google Play. Mani will be in charge of accelerating JioCinema's expansion as the president of the digital business. JioCinema has upended the video streaming industry with its free offering. JioCinema is making an effort to garner popularity by providing free streaming of popular media franchises like the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Bigg Boss. Additionally, it is expanding its expenditures on original OTT content.
In addition to the ad-supported offering, the platform has a subscription service that includes Hollywood content from providers such as HBO and NBCUniversal. Viacom18 has recently been on a hiring spree as Uday Shankar, the company's strategic direction, builds a new leadership team.
Kevin Vaz, former CEO of Disney Star's entertainment division, has joined the company as CEO of TV and digital (regional entertainment). Alok Jain, another former Disney Star executive, has joined Viacom18 as President and Head of Colours Hindi and Regional, with additional responsibilities for regional digital content rollout. Anil Jayaraj, the former ad sales head of Star Sports, is now the CEO of Viacom18's sports division. He began working for the company in 2021.
