Pavithra KR takes over Prashant Shetty's portfolio at JioStar in sales rejig

JioStar has realigned key responsibilities within its entertainment advertising sales team following the departure of senior executive Prashant Shetty, who recently joined Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL) to lead its broadcast and digital advertising revenue business, according to people familiar with the matter.

As part of the internal reshuffle, Pavithra KR, Executive Vice President, Entertainment Ad Sales – Hindi Movies, Kids, Niche and Youth Music Entertainment (YME), has been entrusted with Prashant Shetty's portfolio. Her expanded mandate will now also include Free-to-Air (FTA) General Entertainment Channel (GEC) sales, significantly broadening her responsibilities within JioStar's entertainment network.

In a parallel move, Seethalakshmi Iyer, Senior Vice President, Entertainment Ad Sales – Tamil and Malayalam, will assume Pavithra's previous portfolio comprising the Kids, Movies and MTV businesses, sources said.

The leadership changes come after Shetty exited JioStar to join Zee Entertainment Enterprises as Head – Advertisement Revenue, Broadcast & Digital, where he reports to Sandeep Mehrotra, Chief Operating Officer – Advertisement Revenue.

At ZEEL, Shetty has been tasked with driving advertising revenue across the company's linear television channels and streaming platform Zee5. The broadcaster said his mandate includes accelerating revenue growth, strengthening strategic client partnerships, expanding market share and building an integrated monetization strategy across broadcast and digital platforms as part of Zee's omni-channel approach.

Internal continuity at JioStar

Industry executives said the redistribution of portfolios indicates JioStar's preference for promoting experienced internal leaders rather than undertaking an external hiring process immediately after Shetty's departure.

Pavithra KR has been one of the key executives overseeing advertising sales across several entertainment genres, including Hindi movie channels, kids programming, niche entertainment and youth-focused music brands. By also adding FTA GEC sales to her portfolio, she will now oversee one of the broadcaster's most strategically significant advertising verticals, given the scale and reach of free-to-air entertainment channels across regional and Hindi-speaking markets.

FTA GECs continue to remain an important component of television advertising, particularly for FMCG, consumer durables, retail and government campaigns seeking mass-market reach beyond pay television households.

Meanwhile, Seethalakshmi Iyer's expanded responsibilities mark another significant elevation within the entertainment sales organization. Having led advertising sales for the Tamil and Malayalam markets, she will now additionally oversee monetization for the Kids, Movies and MTV portfolio, bringing together regional expertise with national entertainment brands.

Leadership transition after merger integration

The reshuffle comes as JioStar continues to streamline its commercial operations following the integration of the former Disney Star and Viacom18 businesses. Since the merger, the company has been consolidating sales structures, redefining reporting lines and aligning business units to create a unified advertising organization capable of serving clients across television, digital and sports properties.

The latest changes are aimed at ensuring continuity in advertiser relationships while maintaining momentum across entertainment ad sales following Shetty's exit, people aware of the developments said.

JioStar commands one of the country's largest television entertainment portfolios spanning Hindi general entertainment, regional channels, movies, kids programming, music, infotainment and sports. The network's scale makes leadership continuity within its advertising division critical, particularly ahead of key festive advertising cycles and marquee entertainment launches.

For Zee Entertainment, Shetty's appointment represents an important leadership addition as the broadcaster seeks to strengthen its monetization engine amid increasing convergence between television and digital advertising. The company has said his appointment is part of broader efforts to build a future-ready advertising revenue organization capable of unlocking newer monetization opportunities across platforms.

The movement of senior sales leaders between two of India's largest broadcasters also underscores the heightened competition for experienced advertising executives as media companies increasingly focus on integrated, cross-platform revenue strategies that combine linear television with digital streaming assets.

JioStar did not immediately respond to queries seeking comment on the internal leadership changes. ZEEL had earlier announced Shetty's appointment through an official statement.