TURNER BROADCASTING SYSTEM ASIA PACIFIC TO REALIGN STRUCTURE AND EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT ROLES
Hong Kong, November 24, 2011: More than two decades after launching with pan-regional CNN and Cartoon Network services, and having grown its business to 23 channels and 29 websites in nine languages, Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific (TBSAP) is to realign its structure to reflect its considerable business outside of Hong Kong.
The large, geographically-diverse Asia-Pacific region has over the years become a combination of distinct sub-regions, each with its own characteristics, business imperatives and growth challenges. In order to pursue the network’s ambitious new goals in an increasingly dynamic and fragmented Asia-Pacific region, TBSAP is to rebalance its resources to better seize the exciting opportunities in these territories of North Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia/Pacific, each of which will come under a new management structure.
Steve Marcopoto, President and MD TBSAP, commented: “The driving principle behind our new set-up is to provide ownership and accountability to each Asia-Pacific sub-region in pursuit of growth. To better align us to meet the challenges and opportunities of these distinct markets in the years ahead, business will be run out of each sub-region with Hong Kong oversight and support.”
Individual roles of the TBSAP executive team are to be realigned as follows:
Sunny Saha becomes SVP & MD Entertainment Networks, TBSAP, and takes on expanded responsibilities on strategic planning across the company, while continuing to oversee the functions in Hong Kong that support TBSAP’s new sub-regional operations. Sunny will also directly manage the company’s entertainment networks in Southeast Asia/Pacific, with the support of Robi Stanton who assumes the role of GM, Networks Australia and New Zealand. Sunny will remain as TBSAP’s lead executive for all activities on global properties such as Cartoon Network.
Anshuman Misra will become SVP & MD of Networks and Content Distribution (NCD) Asia-Pacific, taking on full responsibility for Turner’s content sales business across the region. He will also assume responsibility for syndication sales.
The North Asia region will be managed by Yew Ming Lau who will assume the new role of SVP & MD, North Asia.
Siddharth Jain will assume management of South Asia as SVP & MD while Monica Tata, as VP & GM Networks, will now manage all of Turner’s India networks with the assistance of dedicated business heads reporting to her.
In light of the increasing priority of CNN International News Source, Ringo Chan will devote his major focus to this pursuit as SVP, CNN Broadcast Sales & Affiliate Relations, while maintaining his responsibilities for NCD in Greater China as well as the important liaison work he conducts for TBSAP with the PRC.
Jeremy Carr will assume important additional responsibility for growing TBSAP’s digital entertainment properties as VP Entertainment, Digital & Adsales.
Finally, Phil Nelson will assume full regional responsibility for Business Development as VP of Business Development, Asia Pacific.
These new operating arrangements will take effect immediately.
“We have the best management team in the business and our new approach will focus each of our executive resources more deeply on specific areas, rather than across the entirety of the substantial and complex region of Asia-Pacific”, Marcopoto added. “This is a positive, forward-looking, strategic and long term initiative to continue to grow Turner Asia and deliver optimum performance to better seize exciting opportunities in the years ahead”.
Contacts:
Turner Corporate Communications Asia Pacific:
chris.dwyer@turner.com +852 3128 3536
Turner Corporate Communications India:
sheena.chopra@turner.com +91 11 4169 9122
About Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Inc.
Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Inc. (TBSAP) creates and programmes award-winning branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the Asia Pacific region and beyond. A leader in the Asia-Pacific television business, TBSAP’s entertainment and news brands include CNN International, CNNj (Japan), HLN, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Pogo, truTV and Turner Classic Movies. In addition the company has continued to pioneer groundbreaking new channels and partnerships including Imagine TV; MONDO TV, QTV, Tabi and WB. The TBSAP brands are also available in interactive, non-linear formats, reflecting the company’s innovative and industry-leading approach to delivering content wherever consumers wish to access it. TBSAP is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS), a Time Warner company.