MUMBAI: With the announcement that NP Singh has decided to hang up his boots at SPNI, an era is coming to an end. One of the few senior executives to have seen it all, from traditional pay TV broadcasting to the streaming revolution followed by its fizzling out, NP (as he is called) is leaving behind extremely large boots to be filled. 

A hard-nose finance professional and one of the few Sikhs to lead a media company in India, he stepped into the effervescent Kunal Dasgupta’s shoes, from his CFO’s position in the previous decade. He led SPNI well: making it one of the most profitable broadcasters in India – and even Asia – by focusing on the bottom line, taking hard decisions like not overbidding for IPL rights and even dropping a property that Sony had spent more than a decade developing.  

He was one of the key executives - apart from those in Los Angeles - who worked on the now-aborted merger of SPNI (Culver Max) with Zee Entertainment. 

Known to be reticent and  almost media shy despite running a M&E major, NP never let the glamour and glitz of the broadcasting business get to him. So it’s no surprise that  the note he sent out to his team, is subtle and subdued in its messaging.  Read on for details of the message: 

Today, I have a significant update to share. After nearly 44 years in my career, including a rewarding 25-year tenure at SPNI, I have decided to move on from my role as MD and CEO. Having reached many significant milestones with our team, I am now ready to focus on social change and shift from operational roles to advisory ones. 

However, my commitment to SPNI and its success remains strong. During my time here, we have established industry benchmarks, expanded our reach, and achieved many noteworthy accomplishments. I am dedicated to ensuring our legacy of success continues and grows under the new leadership.

I will continue to lead SPNI until we find the right person to take over. We have begun a structured succession planning process for my successor and hope to have exciting news to share in the near future. Finding the right fit is our top priority.

I understand there may be speculation during this time, so I urge everyone to rely on our official updates. We are committed to sharing timely and transparent information through our established channels and will communicate any definitive updates directly.

 Thank you for your trust and support. Your commitment and patience are vital as we navigate this transition and continue our path of growth and innovation.