Press Play to listen to Ajit Thakur of aha on MVP The Master’s Voice Podcast
In this, the 85th episode of our award-winning MVP – The Master’s Voice Podcast from MediaBrief.com, I am delighted to welcome a feisty Media & Entertainment leader who is as much of a content-expert as he is business leadership-adept — Ajit Thakur, Co-Founder, Director, and CEO of aha.
Sixteen of the most recent years from Ajit’s 26 years’ work experience have been in the media industry, working with companies like UTV (where he started in 2007) Sony Entertainment Television, Star India, and Eros. Ajit was instrumental in taking Sony Entertainment Television to new heights without relying on soap operas. He also launched Life OK.
Ajit founded aha and has been serving as its CEO. Within a year of its launch, Aha became a leading platform in the country, thanks to its sharp targeting and positioning. Very recently, Ajit was elevated to the Board of Directors. Under his leadership, Aha has captured the hearts of the Telugu-speaking audience and extended its presence into the Tamil market.
In this episode, Ajit shares his excitement about the ongoing transformation of the entertainment industry because of his belief that the traditional ways of doing things will be challenged and eventually become irrelevant.
Ajit and Arha Media, best known for its Aha brand, hope to play a role in shaping the future of the industry over and above their focus on entertainment, as a responsible global citizen contributing to making a positive impact on people and the planet.
Ajit narrates the Aha story from concept to exploration to the final strategic pivot he saw as the biggest opportunity for the future of their OTT business after having traveled across AP/Telangana to feel the pulse of content consumers. Aha’s success is underlined by the power of the local language, why and how it raced to become Number One in its language-market and medium, why it has always remained fixed on no bundling despite great offers, and more. Throughout, the power of local content, and the value of the big initial pivot from opening with four to focusing on only one regional language paid off well, shine through.
Ajit Thakur on the leaders and mentors who shaped his thinking
-
At Coke, I was hired by Sanjeev Gupta and Vikram Sakhuja, and I have continued to stay in touch with them. They had a great early influence on my career.
- In my Levers (Unilever) days, one of the bosses who had a big impact on how I thought was the lady I was working with in New York for – Dr. Sylvia Magneto. She’s a Brazilian and I learned so much about marketing and marketing — without selling a product — from her.
- I came back to India because I was really impressed and intrigued by what UTV was doing. I saw Rang De Basanti and decided to leave Unilever and London to come back to Mumbai and UTV. So obviously I absolutely learned a lot from Ronnie Screwvala, and my entire entrepreneurial journey actually started from there. From Ronnie, I learned to make every dollar count. You know, it’s about how to be a great entrepreneur, where do you invest… and Ronnie was taking all these big punts. And he still continues to take them. But at the end of it, he used to think about ROI every time.
-
And then at Star, I ended up meeting with Uday Shankar and Sanjay Gupta, who shaped the aggressive, ‘we-have-to-win-every-battle-we-go-to’… you know, that mindset of a leader. It was was amazing to work at Star. There was just so much empowerment and so much risk-appetite!
-
At Arha Media for aha, I’ve learnt a great deal from Mr Alu Aravind and Mr Rama Rao. Mr Alu Aravind is one of the youngest old men that I know; I learned about just the passion to create content that I see in him, and you know, he tells me that I should never retire.
-
I have been really blessed to have learnt and worked with some of the greatest leaders, both in India and abroad. Also, although I had a very brief stint with her, I think just the madness and the brilliance that comes into creativity… I continue to learn a lot from Ekta Kapoor as well!
Ajit also shares how, within and due to the wars that have just started out, consolidation is inevitable. He focuses on the importance of technology and data and believes that the sum of locals can be bigger than national, given the phenomenon that is the south.
Ajit also thinks back on his professional journey, from Unilever to UTV, to Star and Sony and Balaji, and harks back on the leaders, including and from Sanjeev Mehta to Ronnie Screwvala to Uday Shankar and Sanjay Gupta to Ekta Kapoor and Allu Arvind, who most shaped his thinking and beliefs as an M&E leader.
So, listen in to Ajit Thakur Co-Founder, Director and CEO of aha, on this, the 84th episode of MVP – The Master’s Voice podcast from Mediabrief.com. I hope you find the conversation engaging, insightful and beneficial. That, always, is the effort that drives the creation of every episode. Thank you for your time.
The Master’s Voice Podcast (MVP) is on top global podcast directories
Here are some great watering holes for podcast lovers across India and the world, that list us: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify, JioSaavn Podcasts, Gaana, Amazon Prime Music, Tune In Alexa, Stitcher iHeart Radio Overcast PocketCast Castro and Castbox. Just click on any of the directories, and you will be taken to MVP – The Master’s Voice Podcast there for expert conversations with MVPs.