Sajith Sivanandan to head Disney+ Hotstar

Google veteran Sajith Sivanandan has been appointed as the Executive Vice President and Head of Disney+ Hotstar, India’s leading streaming service.

Sivanandan will oversee Disney+ Hotstar’s overall business operations in India with direct responsibility for defining the streaming service’s strategic business priorities and charting a product roadmap for Disney+ Hotstar’s growth in the years ahead. He will also work closely with local leadership in international markets as well as with the Disney+ team in the US to drive Disney+ Hotstar’s continuous growth.

Sivanandan has spent over 14 years across various roles at Google, most recently serving as Managing Director and Business Head of Google Pay and Next Billion User Initiatives for its Asia- Pacific region. He began his professional career with Star TV in India in 1996, where he managed the north India market for Channel V.

Rebecca Campbell, Chairman, International content and operations, the Walt Disney Company said, “I am delighted to have Sajith join our executive team and lead the innovative team at Disney+ Hotstar. His deep experience in the region, combined with his strong leadership and business management skills will greatly benefit Disney+ Hotstar as the platform embarks on its next phase of growth.”

Sivanandan said, “The opportunity to come back home to where I started my career and to work alongside a very talented team to serve Disney+ Hotstar users in India and in emerging countries is one that is both a privilege and an honour.” He also added that Disney and Star are brands with a history of innovation, user focus and storytelling, and Disney+ Hotstar brings those attributes together.