Ashok Narayanan Namboodiri, Chief Business Officer at Asia Today Limited (Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited)
As a valuable member of the Leadership team at ZEE Entertainment, he brings extensive expertise in managing international businesses across Africa, MENA, APAC, Europe and Amercias. Based in Dubai, he holds the responsibility of overseeing all of ZEE’s international operations.
In his current role, he manages a diverse portfolio of 36 channels that reach across 170 countries on five continents, covering both linear and digital businesses. He is accountable for effectively managing the profit and loss (P&L) of these ventures and providing strategic direction for their success. The business operations also include an exciting new stream of original productions, content licensing as well as digital innovations.
Before joining ZEE, he played a pivotal role in the regional sports business at Star Sports India. During his three-year tenure, he developed a strategic roadmap for localizing Star Sports in India, resulting in the successful launch of a regional portfolio of channels. This involved introducing five sports channels across regional markets.
Leveraging his deep understanding of regional markets, he crafted unique narratives for each channel brand and successfully recruited over 200 talented professionals, including producers, marketers, and commentary experts. This dynamic team played a crucial role in driving the growth and profitability of these channels. Notably, his contributions led to exceptional results in three Indian Premier League seasons and one ICC Cricket World Cup season, along with various other live and non-live sporting events.
