Gaurav Banerjee, has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India Gaurav Banerjee BARC India. His elevation to this key industry position comes as BARC continues to navigate the rapidly evolving media and entertainment landscape.
With over 20 years of experience in the sector, Banerjee brings a powerful combination of creative insight and strategic business leadership. At SPNI, he leads the company’s strategic direction, operational performance, and innovation agenda. He also serves as Director on the boards of MSM-Worldwide Factual Media Pvt. Ltd. and Bangla Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. (BEPL).
Banerjee’s elevation to Chairman follows a series of transformative roles in the industry. Prior to SPNI, he served as Head of Content at Disney+ Hotstar, where his content strategy played a critical role in the platform’s rise to prominence. He was also instrumental in scaling regional and Hindi-language originals, which significantly boosted viewership and subscriber growth.
Earlier in his career, Banerjee led the Hindi entertainment cluster at Star India, guiding channels like Star Plus and Star Gold to leadership positions. He also oversaw the successful launch of regional channels such as Star Jalsha and Star Pravah. A former journalist, Banerjee holds a master’s degree in Filmmaking and TV Production from Jamia Millia Islamia and a history degree from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi.
He succeeds Shashi Sinha, who served as BARC Chairman since March 2022 and was credited with driving digital measurement initiatives, expanding meter installations, and strengthening data reliability.
Banerjee’s appointment comes at a time when audience measurement is undergoing significant transformation. His leadership is expected to infuse BARC with strategic agility and a renewed focus on relevance, innovation, and cross-platform measurement in a converged media ecosystem.