Longest-serving media CEO Kunal Dasgupta quits Sony

Kishore Sharma - Televisionpoint.com | Mumbai
Kunal Dasgupta, chief executive officer, Multi Screen Media (MSM) India, the television networks business of Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) in India, has called it quits. He was the longest-serving CEO in the history of any media or entertainment company in India.

The announcement was made by Andy Kaplan, president, international networks, SPTI. Dasgupta will be replaced by Man Jit Singh, who is currently chairman of the board of MSM India. This replacement is on an interim basis, and Singh will lead the search for a new CEO.

Dasgupta's resignation comes at a time when the controversy between Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and MSM India is at its peak. BCCI has asked MSM to compensate the Rs 137 crore loss the board has suffered on account of its on-ground deal with Reliance ADAG owned Big TV being called off.

Earlier this week, BCCI has asked MSM India to convert Bharti Airtel's exclusive on-air Rs 30 crore deal as a presenting sponsor to a consolidated ground and on-air deal. Sony officials were under pressure to either ensure Airtel also comes on board as IPL's on-ground sponsor or pay IPL Rs 137 crore for the damage that IPL has suffered.

Sony had earlier inked an exclusive Rs 30 crore on-air deal with Bharti Airtel as a presenting sponsor for DTH broadcasts. Big TV, which had picked up ground rights sponsorship, had objected to the Sony-Bharti deal and later terminated the deal. Big TV wanted to be the presenting sponsor for DTH broadcasts as well.

BCCI has blamed Sony for this turn of events. The board has told Sony that it may terminate the broadcaster's IPL rights if the money is not paid up. This is because BCCI feels that it was after Sony's deal with Airtel that Reliance-ADAG walked out of the IPL deal.

Dasgupta is a master, who used to run an master piece broadcasting network in India. He is credited with growing SPTI's television networks business in India from one channel in 1995, Sony Entertainment Television (SET), to Multi Screen, a host of channels that now includes not only SET, but also Max, Sab TV and Pix. 

Kunal Dasgupta

Besides the overall management of all of MSM India's channels, Dasgupta also played a key role in the formation of a distribution bouquet, The One Alliance, a joint venture between MSM and Discovery Communications India that distributes 18 channels throughout the subcontinent.

Dasgupta's leadership has brought in the SET Singapore as a part of the restructuring process in 2006. SET Singapore broadcasts and unlinks Sony channels, SET India, on the other hand, is the advertising and sales agent of the Singapore broadcaster.

"Kunal was one of the first people to join what was then our only channel in India, SET, and has played an instrumental role in growing our channels business to what it is today," says Kaplan in an prepared statement.

"Kunal has amazing relationships with India's top directors, producers and actors, plus close ties to the cricket world. While Kunal's experience and leadership will be greatly missed, we are fortunate that MSM has strong existing management and the business is strategically focused." Kaplan continues.

Dasgupta was heading SET all through from 1995. Of these, the last three have been particularly nerve jangling. Everything that could go wrong did. Ratings and revenues plummeted and Dasgupta's team, the one that made Sony one of the country's largest broadcasters, broke up.

At one point in 2001, Dasgupta is rumoured to have almost lost his job. Miraculously, he hung on. What's more, in arguably the biggest gamble of his career, he convinced his board to bid an estimated $ 250 million or roughly Rs 1,150 crore for the satellite telecast rights to two cricket World Cups, three International Cricket Council tournaments and the under-19 World Cup.

At that time, it was a crazy price considering that ESPN made just $ 24 million on the last World Cup on a price of $ 12 million. Sony's teetering top line couldn't take it, reckoned rivals.

The buzz throughout 2002 was that Dasgupta, would definitely lose his job with this decision of his. He did not. With providence and Mandira Bedi on his side, Dasgupta's gamble worked. Channel share and ratings have risen, so have revenues.

Dasgupta joined SET before its launch in July 1995 and was one of the first employees. 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.

He is a member of numerous industry boards, including the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Indian chapter of the International Advertising Association, the Confederation of Indian Industry, and several others. He is also a member of the Key Advisory Group to Information and Broadcasting Ministry and is a fellow of the IIM, Calcutta.