Sameer Kapoor joins NDTV India as CEO

Sameer Kapoor has joined NDTV India as chief executive officer. NDTV India is a round the clock Hindi news channel from the NDTV Group. Earlier, Kapoor was president, Metro Now, which is a 50:50 joint venture between The Times of India and HT Media Ltd. Kapoor had been with Metro Now since its inception in September 2006.

The position of CEO has been created for Kapoor to give the channel a much needed boost. As per TAM Media Research for Weeks 21 and 22 (C&S, HSM, Male 15+), NDTV India held sixth position, with a channel share of 7.33 and 8.28 per cent, respectively. Earlier records also show that the channel’s share in the segment has been stagnant for a long time. Through the new appointment, NDTV India aims to increase its share in the Hindi news genre.

On his plan of action to change the fortunes of the channel, he says, “I’ve just joined the company – let’s see how it works out.”

Although he is one of the founding members of the team that launched Metro Now, Kapoor has no regrets about his move. “I had a longstanding desire to work with the NDTV Group and, moreover, today, the electronic media is growing at a great pace,” he says.

According to the industry buzz, Sidhant Khosla, director, corporate group, Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd, will replace Kapoor at Metropolitan Media (the company that brings out Metro Now).

Kapoor was managing director, The Scholastic Corporation (an American book publishing company), since 2004. He has also worked in various marketing and sales positions with consumer durable companies such as Ray-Ban, Whirlpool and Carrier.