SPNI forays into South, elevates Rajaraman Sundaram as CCO

New Delhi: Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) is making its first entry into the southern markets, marking a major shift in its regional content strategy. To lead this expansion, SPNI has elevated Rajaraman Sundaram as Chief Content Officer, South. In this role, he will drive the network’s regional growth strategy, oversee content planning, and accelerate programming expansion across linear and digital platforms.

Sundaram, who joined SPNI last year as Head of Content Strategy, has been instrumental in shaping the company’s programming direction and long-term content roadmap. With extensive experience across content, strategy and regional leadership, Sundaram brings a strong understanding of India’s competitive entertainment landscape.

Before joining SPNI, he spent over a year at Disney Star as Head, Office of the Country Manager, India, where he worked closely on network-level strategy and operations. His professional journey also includes a notable stint at Viacom18, where he served as EVP and Business Head of Colors Tamil, leading the channel’s performance, content positioning and market expansion. Between 2019 and 2021, he was Business Head of Asianet, one of the leading general entertainment channels in the southern market.

Also read: Sony Pictures shifts to combined linear and digital model, rejigs leadership

South India is widely regarded as the largest and most influential entertainment market after Hindi, driven by its strong language-led viewing habits, loyal TV audiences, and fast-growing OTT consumption across Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. The region also commands premium advertising demand, making it a key revenue engine for broadcasters and streamers alike.

Notably, South Indian languages contributed to 33% of total viewership, underlining the region’s growing influence in India’s entertainment landscape. At the same time, South Indian films have emerged as key drivers of monetization, consistently leading box office revenues and strengthening the market’s appeal for broadcasters, streamers, and advertisers alike.

In this landscape, Jio and Zee already enjoy a strong foothold through deep distribution, established regional channels, and aggressive content investments that keep them highly competitive in the South. 

Also read: JioStar lines up Rs 12,000 crore South push, Rs 4,000 crore for Tamil Nadu content hub

In December, JioStar announced plans to invest Rs 12,000 crore across the four southern states over the next five years. Of this, Rs 4,000 crore has been earmarked for Tamil Nadu’s creative industry alone.