WarnerMedia Adds Amit Malhotra As Managing Director For HBO Max In Southeast Asia And India
Amit Malhotra will join WarnerMedia later this month as managing director for HBO Max in Southeast Asia and India.
He will report to Johannes Larcher, head of HBO Max International, and will be responsible for the rollout and management of WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer platform in Southeast Asia. He will immediately assume responsibility for the management of HBO GO, WarnerMedia’s existing OTT streaming service, available in eight territories across Southeast Asia.
In the future, he will spearhead the introduction of HBO Max in these territories and will lead WarnerMedia’s exploration of future opportunities to launch the streaming platform in additional markets, as well as a potential future launch in India.
Malhotra most recently served as regional lead for Disney+ in Southeast Asia, where he was responsible for overseeing the launch and operations of Disney’s streaming services in the region, including Disney+, Disney+ Hotstar, and Hotstar. He also led the content sales and distribution division as part of The Walt Disney Company’s direct-to consumer & international (DTCI) business in South APAC and Middle East. He was key in pivoting Disney’s linear business in the region to streaming by working closely with local telcos and MVPDs, creating localized payment strategies, and developing deep content studio relationships throughout Southeast Asia.
“With our upcoming launch across Latin America on June 29 and our plans for Europe on the horizon, we turn our sights toward Asia, where we have an incredible opportunity to bring HBO Max to millions of new fans who are just as excited about streaming as our audiences in the U.S.,” said Johannes Larcher. “Amit’s experience launching streaming services in both mature and emerging markets across Southeast Asia and the surrounding region make him the ideal leader to plan and oversee the rollout of HBO Max and its expanded content offering and platform experience.”
David Simonsen will continue to contribute to WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer efforts in the region, and will work closely with Malhotra as part of his executive leadership team.
HBO Max has launched in May of last year, adding 11.1M HBO/HBO Max subscribers in the US as of the end of Q1 2021. The platform will roll out in 39 territories across Latin America and the Caribbean on June 29, and HBO’s existing OTT services in Europe are scheduled to be upgraded to HBO Max later this year. By the end of 2021, HBO Max is expected to be available in 61 global markets.
Under Malhotra’s leadership, WarnerMedia expects to launch HBO Max in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam in the future.
“I am delighted to be part of the incredible team at WarnerMedia in Asia as we look at bringing HBO Max to this region,” said Malhotra. “WarnerMedia’s brands including DC Universe, HBO and Cartoon Network are extremely popular with passionate fans and audiences across this region. With a focus on consumers our goal will be to bring all of these brands and content together in an exciting new world class streaming experience as we move into the future with HBO Max.”
via Deadline Hollywood
