Magine Appoints New Chairman Ahead of International Expansion

STOCKHOLM: Magine, the cloud-based TV service, has appointed Kamal Bherwani as its new chairman just as the company readies itself for more international expansion.

Bherwani has been a Magine board member since September of last year. The service launched commercially in Sweden last March. He previously worked as the chief digital officer and the chief technology officer at Spanish-language media company PRISA, where he led the company’s transformation from a traditional to a global digital media entity. Bherwani replaces Michael Werner, who will remain a member of Magine’s board.

“In his role as chairman, Kamal will help drive and fulfill our founding vision of establishing Magine as the leading international cloud-based TV service, and will contribute significantly to our preparation for future international rollout and expansion,” said Mattias Hjelmstedt, Magine’s CEO and founder.

The service is fully launched in Sweden, and is in beta form in Spain and Germany. Earlier this year, the company partnered with Germany’s ProSiebenSat.1, the first time a third-party deal had been reached to distribute the commercial broadcaster’s channels through an OTT service.