President Named for Network18-AETN JV

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NEW YORK/MUMBAI: Network 18 and A&E Television Networks (AETN) have appointed Ajay Chacko as president of AETN18 Media, the companies’ recently announced joint venture.

Chacko will be based in Mumbai and will handle all day-to-day operational, strategic and financial management of the JV and its suite of channels and services. AETN18 plans to launch HISTORY, BIO, Crime & Investigation and other AETN entertainment channels for the Indian market. Chacko has spent the past 7 years at Network18.

B. Saikumar, group COO at Network18, said “The entertainment space in India is ripe for a new phase of growth and I believe that Ajay will play a significant role in making AETN18 a leader of that trend. I am confident of his ability to seed media brands, establish them and create leadership. This, coupled with his intimate understanding of the broadcast space will help AETN18 achieve the objective of creating India’s leading factual entertainment network and in the process, expand the genre.”

“Ajay brings a very successful track record as a leader and a wealth of knowledge about the Indian market to the venture,” added Sean Cohan, the senior VP of AETN International. “With him at the ‘helm’, we are well-positioned to realize our shared vision of strong and vibrant entertainment services in India.”

Chacko commented, “I believe that the Indian factual entertainment opportunity is truly compelling, with the twin forces of evolving viewer tastes and digitization driving demand for such content to an inflection point. At AETN18, our focus will be to unleash the power of globally acclaimed brands such as History, BIO, Crime & Investigation Network with programming that resonates with Indian viewers. I’m looking forward to working with the business and content team in our journey to create India’s leading factual entertainment group.”