Sameer Nair

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Sameer Nair
Sameer Nair
Chief Executive Officer of STAR India Network
Former
In office
2000–2007
Chief Executive Officer of NDTV Imagine
Former
In office
2009–2011
Chief Executive Officer of Balaji Telefilms Limited
Former
In office
2013–2017
Chief Executive Officer of Applause Entertainment Limited
Present
In office
2017–Incumbent
Personal details
Born (1965-12-03) 3 December 1965 (age 59)
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
SpouseSawari Alagh
RelativesSunil Alagh (father-in-law)
Maya Alagh (mother-in-law)
Anjori Alagh (sister-in-law)
OccupationBusiness executive, political activist

Sameer Nair (born 1965) is an Indian media executive and CEO of Applause Entertainment Limited,[1] a content studio owned by the Aditya Birla Group.[2] He helped revamp the Star India, Star One, Star Utsav, Star Gold, Star Vijay, and Channel V television networks and participated in the launch of the Kaun Banega Crorepati, and Balaji Telefilms' soap operas on Star Plus.[3][4]

Early life and education

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Nair received his Higher Secondary Certificate from Wilson High School in Mumbai.[5] From 1982 to 1984, he studied physics at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. He later earned his bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Madras via correspondence courses while studying hotel management at the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology, and Applied Nutrition, Mumbai.[5][6] Alongside these fields, he studied Indian history and politics. These interests lead him to join the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) [7]

Career

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Early career

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Nair began his career in advertising and television marketing before joining Star India in the mid-1990s.[8] He spent two years in Yellow Pages in Mumbai and four years in advertising and filmmaking with Goldwire in Chennai.

Star India

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Nair entered the nascent television industry in the early 1990s with STAR India Network taking charge of Star Movies, the only English movie channel in India. Over a 12-year career at STAR India Network, he worked in acquisitions, networking, and promotions, he was also the programming head of Star Plus,Executive Vice President, and the Chief Operating Officer (overseeing Content, Communication, Advertising Sales, and Distribution) in 2002, and Chief Executive Officer in 2006.[3] He played a central role in the launch of Kaun Banega Crorepati in 2000, hosted by Amitabh Bachchan.

Under his leadership, Star India also expanded its Hindi general entertainment portfolio, investing in long-running serials and large-scale events that consolidated its dominance in the early 2000s.[9]

NDTV Imagine

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In 2007, Nair began working with NBC Universal to establish NDTV Imagine Ltd. This corporation sought to introduce mythology and historical programming into daily primetime schedules.[10] The channel launched with high-profile programming including a remake of Ramayan and several reality shows.[11]While initially generating attention, the channel struggled to maintain ratings. In 2012, Turner Broadcasting announced the closure of NDTV Imagine due to financial losses.[12]

Turner and Balaji Telefilms

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Nair subsequently worked with Turner General Entertainment and later with Balaji Telefilms, where he oversaw broadcast and content strategy.[13]

Applause Entertainment

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In August 2017, Nair has served as CEO of Applause Entertainment, a content and IP creation studio backed by the Aditya Birla Group and its chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla.[14][15][16] Under his leadership, Applause has produced a wide range of digital streaming series including Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story (2020), Criminal Justice (2019–), and Avrodh (2020).[17] Scam 1992 in particular received widespread critical acclaim, with The Indian Express describing it as "a watershed moment for Hindi streaming content that set new benchmarks for writing and performances."[18]

References

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  1. ^ "Former Star India CEO Sameer Nair heads to Balaji". Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  2. ^ ...
  3. ^ a b Flegg, Michael (10 September 2001). "India's Star TV Leaps to Top Spot Due to Game Shows, Soap Operas". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 19 September 2001.
  4. ^ Mehta, Nalin (2008). India on Television: How Satellite News Channels Have Changed the Way We Think and Act. HarperCollins. p. 146.
  5. ^ a b Wanvari, Anil (21 July 2001). "Into The Mind Of Sameer Nair - Part II". IndianTelevision.com. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
  6. ^ "The Star debonair". The Financial Express. 8 April 2006. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
  7. ^ "Former Star TV CEO Sameer Nair joins AAP, Kejriwal". Hindustan Times. 18 October 2013. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  8. ^ ...
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  10. ^ "Sameer Nair and the new NDTV family - Hindustan Times". Archived from the original on 4 April 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  11. ^ ...
  12. ^ Business Standard. "Turner to shut NDTV Imagine channel." 12 April 2012.
  13. ^ ...
  14. ^ Mandavia, Megha; Kalesh, Baiju (17 August 2017). "KM Birla hires Sameer Nair of Balaji Telefilms; to make 'binge-worthy' shows for Amazon, Netflix, Hotstar". The Economic Times. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  15. ^ "Human Attention is the New Oil, Media Veteran Sameer Nair Says". 15 March 2018.
  16. ^ ...
  17. ^ ...
  18. ^ The Indian Express. "Scam 1992 review: A captivating slow-burn series." 10 October 2020.
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