Manisha Sharma quits Viacom18 in first of possible exits

Manisha Sharma, chief content officer, Hindi mass entertainment, Viacom18 Media Pvt Ltd, has quit the company. This could be the first of multiple exits at the media and entertainment firm with Alok Jain having joined as president and head of Colors Hindi and regional, and many senior executives being made to report to him.

“After more than a decade of helping build Colors as a powerhouse of Hindi General Entertainment, Manisha Sharma will be moving on from Viacom18 to pursue her individual goals. We wish her all the best in her future endeavours,” a Viacom18 spokesperson said.

At Viacom18, Sharma has been associated with properties such as 24, Comedy Nights with Kapil, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, Bigg Boss, Khatron Ke Khiladi, Rising Star, Shakti…Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki, Udaan, Chakravartin Samrat Ashoka, Karmphaldata Shani, Mahakaali, Naagin and others.

Prior to joining Colors, Sharma has worked with Sony Entertainment Television as non-fiction programming head and was responsible for the channel’s content strategy and conceptualization. During her tenure she launched shows like Kaun Banega Crorepati, Dus Ka Dum, Comedy Circus, Crime Patrol and fiction properties like Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi and Kkusum. She has also worked with brands like Channel V and UTV and been associated with Miditech’s drama series - Saara Aakash as creative director.

Jain joined Viacom18 this July after a nearly seven-year stint at Disney Star where he was handling P&L (profit & loss) for the company’s Telugu, Bengali, Oriya, and Kannada cluster of TV channels and Disney+ Hotstar business. This April, Kevin Vaz, the head of network entertainment channels at Disney Star, also quit the company after a 26-year stint to join Viacom18 as head of TV business and digital for regional networks.