The Indian division of international media company Discovery has promoted Vijay Rajput to head its pay-television broadcaster, DSport.
Rajput will take on his new role after serving as senior vice-president – affiliate sales and product distribution, with the additional responsibility of heading the company’s sports business in South Asia.
Prior to joining Discovery, he was chief operating officer at pan-Asian broadcaster ESPN Star Sports.
Megha Tata, managing director of Discovery for South Asia, said: “We are yet to actualise the full potential of our sports business in India. This year, Vijay will lead efforts to ensure that DSport channel gets its rightful due in the sports broadcast arena.”
In November, DSport agreed a three-season deal to become the new domestic broadcaster of Indian club football competition the I-League. The exclusive broadcast and digital rights agreement, which spans the 2019-20 to 2021-22 period, was agreed between the All India Football Federation and Lex Sportel Vision.
However, Discovery will now end its relationship with service provider Lex Sportel Vision, bringing all services in-house from February 14. With this in mind, Discovery is seeking to expand its sports team.
Rajput added: “We are reviewing DSport’s content strategy at the moment, as we aim to make it a more holistic multi-sport offering which will connect with passionate fan communities in a more engaging manner.”