As the Group CEO of IndiaCast, a joint venture between TV18 and Viacom, Anuj Gandhi’s lack of pretentiousness belies his power, for Anuj’s record and reach is awe-inspiring. Residing in Mumbai, he leads the India’s only Content Monetisation Company and is touted as the (gentle) big beast of the media world.
His portfolio requires him to expand the bouquet of channels of the Network across territories and distribution arenas. To do this, Anuj leads a team of ace professionals working across traditional and new media platforms. Currently Anuj is also working with Reliance Jio Infocom and playing a crucial role in content acquisition for them.
Formerly, as the CEO at Den Networks Ltd, Anuj’s responsibilities included building India’s largest Cable TV Company and setting up a joint venture with the Murdoch- owned Star India, Star Den Media services (a cable operator). Prior to that, he was the President of Set Discovery Pvt. Ltd, a joint venture between Sony Entertainment and Discovery Communication.
Awarded the title of the Best Distribution Head in 2005 and Best Distribution Executive in 2002, Anuj Gandhi has also been an active member of the Digitisation Committee set up by the Indian Government/Regulator.
Formative years
Born in Delhi, Anuj exuded sparks of an entrepreneur from an early age. After having been educated at Sardar Patel School and graduating from Delhi University, he soon clinched his MBA degree from Mumbai’s SP Jain Institute of Management in Management Studies. After a stint in finance, he joined the Hinduja group and found his foothold and calling in the media industry soon after.
Trajectory
So what got Anuj Gandhi to his current position? He attributes his growth to experimentation, experience and having a keen interest in being a part of the start-up industry.
“Chartering unknown areas, wanting to learn and not going for the obvious,” was a driver, he told us in a sit down interview.
“People were just starting to talk about the media when I started. People did not know where it would lead, if it would grow or just go back to public broadcasting; Doordarshan. People would look at you and say ‘what are you doing? Why are you not with more established companies, like Unilever?”
To make matters more confusing for the naysayers, Anuj started dabbling with the Distribution Business. “‘Mom and pop operators’ as it appeared; people said, ‘why are you dealing with mafia?’”
But joining the Discovery Channel thereafter brought credibility. “People looked at me differently with a brand like Discovery in my resume.”
Achievements
Anuj takes immense pride in IndiaCasts’ growth in the International markets. “It’s grown four times in less than five years,” he asserts.
He further added, “Our international business was in its infancy when I started. I’ve hand-held it. It’s now worth $60-65 million. I’ve overlooked the business from all aspects, adapted to newer mediums, new-age technology and got on-board a task force who have taken the venture from strength to strength. We know the pulse of the viewers and we know where to make money from.”
Laying high emphasis on New Media, Anuj says, “It’s a combination of You Tube and also the individual networks that are coming up. We have our own ‘Over the Top’ platforms like You Tube, Sky Go, in India where we’re going to monetise our content. You’re basically riding the internet.”
Biggest Challenge
“For me the biggest challenge is the adoption of technology. The way in which the media industry is changing at a fast pace, we need to be on our toes all the time and constantly evolve. For example, this mobile is the screen I look at when I first get up in the morning and the last thing I see when I sleep, this screen will probably be the largest and biggest screen where people will watch content going forward. So the biggest challenge is to stay ahead of what’s happening. The next few years will be the challenge that we’ll all be facing in the industry,” declares this media mogul.
So what is Anuj’s solution for this test?
“Read a lot, be aware of what’s happening around you. There is no other solution because it’s not something that’s in your control. For example, if the Netflixes and the Amazons of the world are going to be doing high grade production and putting it on the net, you have to deal with it. At some point in time they will start eating into your revenue. So either you compete with them, or you say ‘they are there, and I will do something different.”
Anuj says it is important to keep abreast of what’s happening in the rest of the world, “so that when it comes to India, or when something comes out of India, you know how to deal with it.”
He has a simple solution to any perceived threats posed by Amazon and Netflix.
“Do it yourself, do originals yourself. So when it comes to India, you’re already doing it.”
The Indiacast CEO is now looking forward to September 29th 2016, when the first Hindi movie channel from Viacom18’s stable, Rishtey Cineplex will launch in the UK, to sit alongside already popular channels, Colors TV and Rishtey.
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“You either compete, or you say, ‘I will do something different’” Anuj Gandhi.
