Sumantha Rathore
Media

Kunal Dasgupta calls it quits at Multi Screen Media

Dasgupta will be replaced by Man Jit Singh, who is currently chairman of the board of Multi Screen. This replacement is on an interim basis, and Singh will lead the search for a new CEO

Kunal Dasgupta, CEO, Multi Screen Media Private Limited (Sony Entertainment Television) has called it quits after 14 years.

Dasgupta will be replaced by Man Jit Singh, who is currently chairman of the board of Multi Screen. This replacement is on an interim basis, and Singh will lead the search for a new CEO.

Kunal Dasgupta calls it quits at Multi Screen Media
Dasgupta has been with the Sony Entertainment Television since its inception in 1995. In fact he was one of the first employees of the company. Prior to joining the company, he held executive positions at Mattel Toys and later, the DGP group, where he was a key member of the senior management.

The development was announced by SPTI’s president, international networks, Andy Kaplan.

In an official statement, Kaplan says, “Dasgupta leaves Multi Screen well positioned for further growth, with a stable management, strong programming schedules and the rights to the Indian Premier League, making it one of the most valuable properties in Indian television.”

Dasgupta certainly earns the credit for taking the company from a single channel Sony Entertainment Television to a host of channels such as Max, a Hindi movie and cricket channel; Pix, an English movie channel and the two general entertainment channels – Sony Entertainment Television and SAB.

For long Sony Entertainment Television enjoyed the position of being the clear No.2 channel in the Hindi GEC space, although the channel was on a declined after it was pushed to No. 3 and then to No.4 following the entry of newer players, and Zee getting back to reckoning.

Dasgupta has also played a key role in the formation of TheOneAlliance, a the distribution bouquet which is a joint venture between Multi Screen and Discovery Communications India that distributes 18 channels throughout the subcontinent.

An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata, Dasgupta is member of many industry boards which includes the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the Indian chapter of the International Advertising Association and the Confederation of Indian Industries. He is also a member of the Key Advisory Group to India’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting.

For the record, Multi Screen Media, backed by SPTI, is involved in the operation and distribution of television channels and advertising sales in India and other South Asian countries.

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