Videocon d2h Establishes Executive Ad Sales Team

MUMBAI: Indian DTH service Videocon d2h has formed a new executive advertising team that will be led by Indian media sales experts in an effort to add new targeted opportunities for its platform.

The advertising initiative, which will target inventory opps on the Videocon d2h platform, follows positive feedback from a number of advertisers, including Volkswagen, Honda, Disney, Sony TV, Zee Group and Star Sports. For the first time, Videocon d2h will offer targeted advertising across its portfolio of regional language and proprietary channels as well as other upcoming channels. Media buyers will also have the chance to advertise on the platform's home channel and Info bar when changing channels.

The new ad sales team will be led by Tanmay Srivastava, who previously served as head of advertising sales for MSM Network, which reps Sony Entertainment Television, Sony MAX streaming online TV, India's SAB TV comedy channel and MIX. Earlier in his career, Srivastava worked at the International Business of Indian Television Network and for such leading media companies as Star TV, National Geographic Channel, NDTV and Zee Network. Videocon d2h also hired two other senior execs who will report directly to Rohit Jain, the platform's deputy CEO.

Anil Khera, CEO of Videocon d2h, said: "Today's announcement reconfirms our commitment to continuously identify growth opportunities for our shareholders. With the goal of generating new revenue through an expansive, targeted ad sales platform, we have assembled a solid team that is more than capable of moving this initiative forward for us. We look forward to being a part of their success in tapping Videocon d2h's reach of 65 million consumers with exciting, new options, and we anticipate the advertising program to expand even further as we launch our own branded channels in the future."

U.S. investor Harry Sloan added: "During the recent NASDAQ listing process, we focused on advertising sales as one of the important high-margin growth opportunities. As we look to roll out a bouquet of new branded channels, we will be able to use the extensive reach of our platform to turn ad sales into bottom-line dollars. This is a program that will benefit our growing consumer base, as well as those advertisers seeking their stake in the lucrative Indian TV market. Given the exciting growth in overall Indian advertising and the television ad market in India, we are very pleased to see the development of an effective advertising sales force implemented quickly and effectively."

Videocon d2h first started offering advertising on its platform in 2014. It earned around $1.5 million in fiscal 2015 and is now expecting to significantly increase its revenue gains in fiscal 2016.