Hindustan Times appoints Tariq Malik to lead OTTplay business

Hindustan Times has taken a strategic step in the world of OTT content by appointing industry expert Tariq Malik to head their OTT platform, OTTplay. Tariq Malik, previously the Vice President at DEN Cable, is scheduled to join the team in early December 2023. His impressive academic background, featuring an MBA in Marketing and a General Management degree from IIM Ahmedabad, perfectly suits his new role.

During his tenure at DEN Cable, Tariq Malik oversaw a wide array of responsibilities, including the management of the OTT, Broadband, and Value-Added Service Business Unit. This encompassed areas like Business Development, Sales Management, Profit and Loss (P&L) Management, and leading a team. His experience in this field makes him the ideal choice to lead the business at OTTplay.

Hindustan Times has recently introduced a new service called OTTplay Premium through its OTT platform. This innovative service consolidates content from 12 OTT platforms, such as Sony LIV, ZEE5, Lionsgate Play, and others, all within a single billing system. This strategic move aims to simplify the user experience and enhance the platform's attractiveness.

Avinash Mudaliar, CEO and Co-Founder of HT Labs, has set an ambitious goal for OTTplay Premium: to gain up to 5 million subscribers by 2023. This objective aligns with the increasing significance of OTT platforms in the media and entertainment industry.

Notably, OTTplay initially began as a personalized content recommendation engine for content from over 55 OTT platforms. The platform already boasts over 5 million unique visitors, highlighting its growth potential and the importance of content discovery in the highly competitive OTT market.

Hindustan Times' strategic hiring and content aggregation approach with OTTplay Premium position them to have a substantial impact in the evolving OTT industry. The upcoming months will be a critical period to monitor their progress and efforts to acquire subscribers.