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Disney rejigs Indian digital interests

The Walt Disney Company has shaken-up its digital assets in India following its multimillion-dollar takeover of Mumbai’s UTV Software Communications.

The Mouse House has combined UTV’s digital units with its own local assets to create DisneyUTV Digital, with UTV new media chiefs Vishal Gondal and Samir Bangara becoming joint MDs.

The pair were CEO and chief operating officer, respectively, of Mumbai-based games developer Indiagames, which Disney acquired for around US$100m a year ago. UTV already had a stake in Indiagames, meaning the deal saw Disney acquire the shares it didn’t already own.

The new digital unit will encompass all Disney, Marvel and UTV brands, working across mobile, video, audio, broadband, web-connected TV, games and virtual worlds, such as Club Penguin, which is India’s leading property in the genre. Indiagames will also sit within it.

In February, Disney completed the acquisition of a controlling stake in UTV, which is one of India’s largest media groups with assets in TV, digital and production. Financial details were not disclosed but Disney had offered US$454m for complete control of the firm last July.

UTV’s Ronnie Screwvala is now MD of Disney India, although Zarina Mehta, who co-founded UTV with him, left the merged group last month.

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