Update: The Walt Disney Company, India, has officially confirmed the restructuring of the company’s digital business. The new division – DisneyUTV Digital, will combine the businesses and talent from Disney, UTV and Indiagames. All content and brands from Disney, Marvel, UTV, bindass, as well as original content and games, will now be developed and managed by DisneyUTV Digital. Vishal Gondal and Samir Bangara, will both serve as Managing Directors, taking charge of the division.
As per the company, DisneyUTV Digital team will manage all mobile, video, audio, broadband, ITV, games and virtual world’s initiatives. MediaNama had exclusively reported the company’s restructuring plans, in June.
The structuring within the digital division will be as follows:
- Cyril Ferry – Executive Director – Mobile
- Sameer Pitalwalla – Director – Video and Celebrity
- Lavina Tauro – Director – Audio and Music
- Deepak Ail – Director – Mobile
- Hrishi Oberoi – Director – Games Publishing
- Saishree Ashwin – Manager – Virtual Worlds
- Tejraj Parab – Business Head – Games on Demand
- Dushyant Saraswat – Director – Broadband & 4G initiatives
- Sachin Janghel – Director – ITV
- Aji Joseph – Director – Ad Sales
7th June 2012: Post the amalgamation of UTV and Disney, the UTV portfolio of digital businesses – Gaming, Audio and Mobile – is set to be a majority part of Disney India’s Digital portfolio: the operations of UTV Interactive, UTV’s gaming businesses including Indiagames and Disney Interactive are being combined under the Disney Interactive Media Group (DIMG), with Vishal Gondal at the helm, as the Managing Director, MediaNama has learned from reliable sources.
Disney/UTV representatives, when approached by MediaNama for a confirmation or denial, declined to comment. Nitin Chawla, who was heading before the UTV acquisition, will heading Business Development and M&A for Disney India, we’ve heard.
(also read: Disney’s acquisition of UTV)
Apart from combining of the digital operations under one head, it appears that the business heads at UTV are going hold key positions at the Disney-UTV combine. Siddharth Roy Kapur is heading Disney Studios (Movies) as MD and MK Anand is the MD of Disney Media Networks (Broadcast). Only Roshni Bakshi will continue to head Disney Consumer Products. All of them will report to Ronnie Screwvala, who is MD of Disney India. Note that UTV did not have a consumer products division. Prior to the UTV acquisition, Natasha Malhotra used to head Disney’s TV business.
We’re not quite certain of the structuring of the interactive division: from what we’ve heard, Sameer Bangara is heading the operator business for Disney India. Sameer Pitalwalla will look at the video business.
