NAB Announces ‘India Entertainment' Super Session

India's leading media and entertainment executives will discuss their country's rapid growth in the entertainment industry on Wednesday, April 16 during the NAB Show in Las Vegas. The super session, titled "Tune-in to India's Entertainment Economy - From Emerging to Surging," will be led by Farokh Balsara, the National President of the Indo-America Chamber of Commerce (IACC) and industry veteran.

The session will focus on the state of India's entertainment economy, including a discussion of the issues, challenges and opportunities in India in TV, radio, film and new media. A report on the Indian entertainment industry, prepared by Ernst & Young, will also be released during the session.

As session leader, Balsara will provide an update on the business opportunities available in India as a result of economic growth and technological expansion. Balsara is currently the National President of the IACC, which links the business communities of India and the United States, and a partner with Ernst & Young in India where he leads the firm's Media & Entertainment practice. Balsara's work at the IACC has led to closer communication between U.S. and Indian businesses and has helped strengthen the connection between Hollywood and Bollywood.

Other panelists include:

Dr. Prannoy Roy, chairman and co-owner of New Delhi Television (NDTV). His company operates three 24-hour nationwide news channels and recently started a Hindi language entertainment channel, "NDTV Imagine," as well as "NDTV Good Times," a lifestyle channel. Dr. Roy also anchors life events and the 9:00 news.

A.P. Parigi, managing director and CEO of Entertainment Network (India) Limited (ENTIL). Parigi's role at ENTIL, owned by Time's Group, helped the company expand their FM radio broadcasting, out-of-home advertising and filmed entertainment. Under his leadership, ENTIL-owned Radio Mirchi emerged as India's largest private FM radio network.

Jagdish Kumar, COO of STAR TV, the leading media and entertainment company in Asia. As part of the senior executive management team, Kumar helped STAR TV expand into filmed entertainment, television production, and wireless and digital services. STAR currently broadcasts more than 61 television services to more than 300 million viewers.

Sunil Lulla, Group CEO, Alva Brothers Limited. Alva Brothers is the holding company for Miditech, the second largest TV Production House in India, as well as TV Entertainment Network, through a separate partnership with Turner Broadcasting. A veteran of the media industry, Lulla's contributions include the introduction of MTV to India and the turnaround of India's premiere music label, Sa Re Ga Ma.

Anurag Batra, promoter & CEO, exchange4media. An entrepreneur, media expert and journalist, Batra serves as the managing director of exchange4media group, owner of PITCH and IMPACT magazines. Both publications are focused on the media, entertainment and advertising sectors of India. Batra is also on the Executive Committee of the Association of Indian Magazines (AIM), and serves as chairman of the advisory board at Furturistic Media Communications Center, India's leading media and communication school.