New Delhi: For the December episode of its CEO Series, Imarticus Learning, India’s front running professional education firm will be featuring Mr. Gautam Thakkar, the former President and CEO of The Star Sports Network and The Walt Disney Company India, who was with the group up until the closure of recently concluded edition of IPL in UAE. The hour-long thought leadership episode will have Mr. Thakar discussing the fascinating aspects of how the Star Sports Network created a massive market for itself through tech-driven Mass Media, Sports Content, and Content Marketing. The CEO Series features engaging business conversations with industry stalwarts who will offer insights into a myriad of topics. The 3rd episode is slated to go live on 4th December 2020 at 2:00 PM.
The deep-dive session will see Mr. Thakar sharing his unique views on how Star Sports leveraged an over-leveraged property like IPL when they bought over the rights in 2018, the current state of media and content consumption in India, the future and the skills needed to be in the ultra-competitive live sporting content space. The industry expert will also discuss how to maximize the impact of Content Marketing, the herculean efforts behind making the Indian Premier League (IPL), the resounding commercial success it is today, and much more.
The episode will cover key milestones of Mr. Thakar’s professional journey, the smart use of technology in the distribution of content, the emergence of OTT platforms in the world of Live Sporting Content, the future of Live Sporting Content in a fragmented world consuming personalized individual content, the role of AI and ML in OTT-based content consumption, how Advertisers can leverage the power of OTT for granular audience targeting, and the technical skills that will be crucial in the era of OTT.
Speaking on the upcoming episode of the Series, Mr. Nikhil Barshikar, Founder of Imarticus Learning said, “The media and content consumption landscape has evolved drastically over the years thanks to cutting-edge technology. This episode of our CEO Series will delve into insightful discussions on growing markets through sporting content such as Badminton, Football, Racing, Tennis and even Kabbadi in a cricket crazy country like India. We are delighted to have Mr. GautamThakar, widely regarded as an industry stalwart and one of the most forward-thinking, distinguished personalities in the media industry as a guest on our show. His valuable perceptions will offer an engaging and unique take for professionals in the industry.”
During his stint at Star Sports, the undisputed Sports Broadcaster in the Indian Subcontinent, Mr. Thakar was the driving force behind the network’s success, a large chunk of which can be attributed to its content/media distribution and marketing strategies. A trailblazer throughout his extensive career, Mr.Thakar has cemented his legacy as a modern-day Advertising and Marketing visionary. Until November 2020, he served as the President and CEO of the Walt Disney-owned Star Sports Network, a role in which Mr. Thakar’s professional knowledge and wisdom have taken the multinational conglomerate from strength to strength. Before joining The Star Sports Network, Mr. Thakar served as a Top-Level Decision Maker at e-commerce giant eBay for a prolonged spell.
The episode will drive immense value for CXOs of Content Creation platforms or Advertising Agencies, Corporate L&D Managers/Heads, new-age Content Marketing entrepreneurs, CMOs, Content Marketing and Digital Marketing enthusiasts/experienced professionals, and the Imarticus Community – Alumni, and present and future students.
