Viren Popli to head Mahindra & Mahindra's foray into TV

Viren Popli (pictured) who quit in March as senior VP and head of STAR India's mobile entertainment business, will now lead auto major Mahindra & Mahindra's foray into television.

Popli has joined as head of TV and digital initiatives at Mumbai Mantra, the division M&M set up last year to make an entry into content production. He is reporting to Andrey Purushottam, who heads the division.

Till now, Mumbai Mantra has primarily been into film production, and is developing a slate of films that will release over the next one year.

Speaking to Campaign India, Popli said, "We're currently evaluating opportunities in launching television channels, investing in content production, distribution, aggregation and new media. We're open to acquisitions. There's no rush to pump in money and make a quick buck. Opportunities continue to exist, and there are niches waiting to be tapped. It's a question of finding the right distribution mechanism that takes that content to its desired audience."

Popli was with STAR for nine years, where he worked across various capacities that included business development, programming, sales and distribution, syndication and licensing. Later, he also supervised STAR's UK operations. Prior to STAR, he was with Ranbaxy Laboratories as country manager.