Manager - Distribution Strategy

JOB DESCRIPTION

Role Summary

The Manager - Distribution will own financial planning and analysis for the Distribution vertical, tracking subscriber movement across traditional and evolving digital ecosystems, and translating channel availability and market data into actionable insights for senior management. The role combines qualitative industry expertise with rigorous, data-driven analysis to influence strategic decisions, guide marketing spends, and drive audience growth. The incumbent will work closely with the Digital team, Operations, Marketing, Sales and Legal to ensure financial discipline, process efficiency and system automation across the distribution business.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Planning & Analysis

• Drive financial planning and business performance analysis.
• Build financial models and MIS to support decision-making on distribution investments, commercial understanding and partnerships.
• Track and report on cost control initiatives, measuring the outcomes and ROI of marketing and distribution activities.

Subscriber & Market Analytics

• Track subscriber movement and trends across both traditional (cable/DTH) and evolving digital ecosystems.
• Monitor channel availability, distribution reach and platform-wise performance and evaluate revenue impact
• Analyse industry macroeconomics, market trends and operators’ financial health to inform strategy.
• Convert data and market intelligence into clear, actionable insights and recommendations for senior management.

Marketing & Cost Management

• Partner with Marketing to plan, track and evaluate distribution-related marketing activities.
• Drive cost control across the vertical and rigorously assess the outcome/effectiveness of spend.

Process & Systems

• Drive system automation and identify opportunities to create process efficiencies within Distribution.
• Standardise reporting frameworks and dashboards for consistent, timely insight generation.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with the Hotstar team on digital subscriber trends and platform strategy.
• Work with Operations, Marketing, Sales and Legal to align distribution strategy with broader business objectives and ensure compliance.
• Support senior management with analysis and recommendations that influence strategic decisions and drive audience growth.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strong financial planning & analysis (FP&A) skills with the ability to build robust models and MIS.
• Sound understanding of the media/broadcast distribution ecosystem - both traditional (cable/DTH) and digital/OTT.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability; comfortable working with large data sets to derive insights.
• Good grasp of industry macroeconomics and operator financial health assessment.
• Excellent stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Process orientation with a track record of driving automation and efficiency.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence senior management.
• Proficiency in Excel/financial modelling tools; familiarity with BI/automation tools preferred.

Qualifications & Experience

• CA or equivalent qualification preferred.
• Relevant experience in FP&A, distribution, or any other industry analytics.
• Prior exposure to subscriber analytics, channel distribution or digital ecosystem tracking will be an advantage.