Disney India appoints Raju Venkataraman as Vice President

The Walt Disney Company in India has appointed Raju Venkataraman,as vice president and general manager, of the newly named Disney Media Distribution. Disney Media Distribution (DMD) is the new business name for Disney-ABC International Television ' the integrated media distribution arm of the Walt Disney Company.

In his new role, Raju will report to Mahesh Samat, managing director, The Walt Disney Company India Pvt. Ltd. Together with his team, he will be responsible for the licensing of branded and non-branded content to all platforms including free-to-air, cable and satellite broadcasters, mobile, broadband and VOD platforms.

In addition, Raju will also continue in his capacity as vice president of channel distribution for Disney Media Distribution, Asia Pacific and continue to report to Rob Gilby, managing director, Disney Media Distribution Asia Pacific.

"Raju has been a key contributor in building the reach and relevance of the Disney brand in India. His strengths in critical functions such as finance, sales and business operations across the breadth of our business will help drive synergies between program and channel distribution to further enhance the reach of our popular international and local content across multiple platforms," said Mahesh Samat.

Raju has played a crucial role in building the Disney's network of channels ' Disney Channel, Disney XD and Hungama TV - as a preferred entertainment destination among kids and families in India. He was part of the core team that delivered a multi-year agreement with Sun Distribution Services for the distribution of Disney Channel, Disney XD and Hungama TV across multiple platforms in India in March 2010.

Raju will oversee the team in India comprised of Manju Nair, associate director, program distribution and Venkat Ramana, director, channel distribution, India and South Asia, for Disney Media Distribution. Manju will be responsible for strategically developing and managing the content distribution business in India whereas, Venkat will be in charge of increasing the reach and revenue of Disney network of channels through distribution on multiple platforms across India and South Asia.