Mumbai: Vice Media is preparing to open its first official base in India with Chanpreet Arora at its helm of affairs. The development comes Five months after the launch of its Asia-Pacific hub in Singapore.
Arora, a veteran of Indian media giants such as Times Television and Zee Network, will be based in Delhi and will spearhead the operation’s official launch in April.
Meanwhile, Samira Kanwar, the former editorial head at Indian media company Only Much Louder has been handed the role of Vice content head.
The editorial operation will operate from Mumbai and will include film, news and culture content from India for television, plus OTT and digital platforms.
The OTT service will stem from Vice’s existing partnership with the Japanese telco Docomo to bring Vice+, which will be extended to audiences in India, plus Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand.
The youth-centric media brand has previously covered the Indian beat via other editorial offices, with the support of foreign crews and local freelancers.
On the commercial side, Vice India has also been appointed by PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew to produce content showing Arjun Vajpai – the third-youngest Indian to scale Mount Everest – as he attempts to climb Mt. Kangchenjunga in Nepal.
Arora said, “We are committed to building a company that speaks to a generation that is defining today’s cultural conversation in India and that is based on values of empathy, equality and inclusion. All our decisions, including choice of partners, must reflect this core belief.”
