MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India or Culver Max Entertainment has hired veteran television executive Rajaraman Sundaram as head content strategy. One wonders what one should read into this hire by CEO Gaurav Banerjee.

Rajaraman has had deep exposure to the southern markets having worked at Vijay Television for almost 11 years in two phases January 2011-March 2006 and April 2009-January 2015. On both occasions, he was in the finance department.

He was  given charge  of Asianet between December 2017 and September 2021 first as executive vice-president strategy (south) and then as business head. He was given the responsibility of Colors (Tamil) between September 2021 and July 2023.

Rajaraman was then lured back to Disney Star India to work in the country manager India’s office between August 2023 and November 2024.  In between, the qualified chartered accountant worked with NDTV Imagine for two years (May 2007-April 2009) as vice-president finance. Then he had a stint at Hathway Cable & Datacom as chief operating officer -video business between April 2015 and December 2017.

A question that needs answering is: in his new role, has Rajaraman been hired  to take Sony into the southern regional language market? Or is he being brought in to help Gaurav Banerjee  build the fictional slate of Sony Entertainment Television?  

Gaurav Banerjee  and his core management team know it. And he is not telling. As yet.