Ahead of its India launch, the much-awaited HBO Max is taking the first steps towards building a power-packed team in India. HBO Max has snared SonyLIV’s Saugata Mukherjee as Head Of Content for its Indian operations. Saugata Mukherjee was the Head of Original Content for Digital Business at Sony Pictures India, which effectively means he was the Head of Content at SonyLIV.
Saugata Mukherjee brings on board his vast experience at managing the digital and content businesses at a host of platforms and networks. He was earlier with Hotstar as the Head of Development and Creative Editor for Hotstar Specials, from where he moved to SonyLIV in February 2020.
Before that, he was with Star TV since 2013 as Vice President, Head of Commissioning, where he was responsible for conceiving and creating new shows for Star TV’s broadcast network. From there, he moved to Hotstar in 2018 where he was leading the content strategy and production for the platform.
By snaring Saugata Mukherjee for its Head of Content in India, HBO Max has got on board one of the best minds in the Indian digital content industry. The move lays bare HBO Max’s intent and aggressiveness in getting its India launch right. HBO Max is slated to launch in India some time next year, most likely in May 2022.
Saugata Mukherjee will report to Amit Malhotra, HBO Max Managing Director in Southeast Asia and India, whom HBO Max had snared from Disney Plus Hotstar in a similar move earlier this year.