The Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India has named Gaurav Banerjee, managing director and chief executive officer of Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN), as its new chairman.
Banerjee succeeds Shashi Sinha, whose two-year tenure was marked by an aggressive push into digital measurement and a sharp rise in installed meters.
Banerjee was earlier a member of the BARC India technical committee in 2022, when he was with Disney Star.
Banerjee assumes leadership as the television and streaming landscape converges, demanding sharper, more transparent cross-platform metrics. Industry observers expect his appointment to inject fresh momentum into BARC’s roadmap after Sinha’s modernisation drive, which broadened coverage of premium homes and deepened data granularity across India’s sprawling media market.
Banerjee brings more two decades of experience in the media and entertainment industry. At SPN, he oversees strategic direction, operations, and innovation. He also serves as a director on the boards of MSM-Worldwide Factual Media Pvt. Ltd. and Bangla Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. (BEPL).
Previously, Banerjee was head of Content at Disney+ Hotstar and played a key role in its subscriber growth and content strategy. He also held senior leadership roles at Star India, where he led the Hindi entertainment cluster and oversaw the launch of regional channels.
