As Danish Khan celebrates his birthday today, exchange4media looks back at a career spanning more than two decades across media planning, marketing, programming and entertainment leadership.
His professional journey reflects the changing shape of India’s entertainment industry—from the reach of appointment television to the growing influence of streaming. Across these shifts, Khan has held roles that connect audience understanding with content and business decisions.
Khan’s early experience included a stint as Senior Manager, Strategic Media Planning, at Mediacom India between 2000 and 2002. He moved to Sony Entertainment Television in September 2002, beginning an association that would span two substantial chapters of his career.
During his first decade at Sony, he served as Senior Vice President and Head of Marketing. The role placed him at the intersection of programming, positioning and audience engagement, building experience in how entertainment brands compete for viewers’ attention.
In December 2012, Khan joined Star India as Programming Head, broadening his responsibilities from marketing to content. He returned to Sony in September 2015 as Executive Vice President and Business Head, beginning a leadership stint that would extend across television, production and digital entertainment.
At Sony Entertainment Television, his tenure encompassed shows including The Kapil Sharma Show, Kaun Banega Crorepati, Super Dancer and Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai. His responsibilities subsequently expanded to SonyLIV and Studio NEXT, bringing together distinct parts of the entertainment business. He oversaw SonyLIV’s relaunch and expansion and helped establish Studio NEXT, whose work included Shark Tank and Freedom at Midnight.
From October 2019, Khan served as EVP and Business Head of Sony Entertainment Television, SonyLIV and Studio NEXT. In May 2023, his remit shifted to SonyLIV and Studio NEXT, a role he held until March 2026.
The breadth of that journey is its defining feature. Media planning offered a grounding in reaching audiences; marketing brought experience in building brands; programming added responsibility for what viewers watched. His later leadership roles brought those perspectives together across platforms.
For an industry where viewing habits, distribution models and commercial expectations continue to evolve, Khan’s career offers a valuable example of moving with change while building on earlier experience.
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