Streaming service from AT&T’s Warner Media, HBO Max, has taken initial steps towards an India launch by starting to advertise for staff hiring after poaching Saugata Mukherjee from SonyLIV to be its local head of content.
“Check out this job at Warner Media: Senior Manager, Content, HBO Max,” Mukherjee said in a recent LinkedIn post. The post, while attracting 24 applications till yesterday, also saw a few funny comments.
“This position will be the driver behind our continued growth and success. With our commitment to innovation, it’s the person on this position who (would) seek out, develop, and help implement strategic initiatives for improved efficiency and productivity. The candidate will be responsible for analytics behind content initiatives and help monitor and optimize programs, and communication to drive strategic and tactical decision making,” the job description for senior manager-content at HBO Max stated.
Interestingly, one of the job requisites for a content manager’s post is that the applicant could also be the holder of a Masters degree in Business Administration from a reputed institute.
“We’re currently searching for an experienced candidate to help guide our organization into the future. From researching progressive systems solutions to evaluating their impact, our ideal candidate is a detailed planner, expert communicator, and top-notch analyst. They should be wholly committed to the discovery and development of innovative solutions in an ever-changing digital landscape,” the job description further explained.
One presumes that some other staff backing like legal expertise would come from the existing employees at WarnerMedia India. The media company does not presently have any India head as such because the Indian market is overseen by the regional head office in Singapore.
Meanwhile, as Head of Content-India, HBO Max, Mukherjee will report to HBO Max MD for India & Southeast Asia, Amit Malhotra. While Mukherjee comes from SonyLIV, Malhotra came to HBO Max from Disney where he, according to Marketing magazine, most recently served as regional lead for Disney+ in Southeast Asia, responsible for overseeing the launch and operations of Disney’s streaming services in the region, including Disney+, Disney+ Hotstar and Hotstar.
While HBO Max was recently launched in Europe and some Asian markets, India is still a work in progress. Mukherjee will be responsible for creating content initiatives across multiple platforms and formats to increase user engagement and fuel growth.
Before joining HBO Max, Mukherjee was with SonyLIV for a shade less than two years looking after content commissioning, developing, producing and curating premium content for the platform. Before that he did a fruitful stint at Disney+Hotstar.