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New Delhi,June 12, 2026 — Digital entertainment trailblazer The Viral Fever (TVF) has announced a significant milestone in its corporate evolution by appointing industry veteran Pooja Maitra as its new Head of Branded Content and Brand Solutions. With an illustrious career spanning nearly two decades across broadcasting, media, and brand strategy, Maitra’s inclusion marks a decisive moment for TVF as it sharpens its focus on brand integration and institutional partnerships.
Maitra announced her transition to the content powerhouse through a reflective social media post. “For 20 years, I have been building brands into stories. The Viral Fever has been building stories into culture. This crossover finally has a release date,” she shared, capturing the synergy between her personal background and the studio’s legacy.
A Strategic Leader with a Rich Legacy
Pooja Maitra brings a wealth of multi-sector experience to TVF. Prior to stepping into this new role, she served as Chief Manager of Brand Solutions (Branded Content) at MY FM, the radio division of D.B. Corp. Her career portfolio includes pivotal corporate and media assignments, such as her tenure as Deputy General Manager of Content and Communication at the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). Furthermore, she spent nearly three years leading brand marketing and network intellectual properties (IPs) at the prominent Times Network.
Throughout her career, Maitra has specialized in converting complex brand briefs into deeply engaging consumer narratives. Her onboarding is viewed by industry experts as a move to build highly structured business frameworks. This capability is essential as digital media spaces transition away from basic sponsored content and move toward long-format, culturally rooted brand storytelling.
Contextualizing TVF’s Broader Structural Overhaul
Maitra’s appointment is not an isolated hire but a crucial component of a broader, high-level corporate and creative restructuring at TVF. The storytelling studio has concurrently announced a wave of top-tier talent acquisitions designed to diversify its content offerings and reinforce its market position.
This management expansion arrives alongside a notable transition on the creative front: the exit of Shreyansh Pandey, the long-time Head of TVF Originals. Over his 11-year tenure, Pandey acted as a foundational creative pillar for the studio, steering globally recognized streaming franchises such as Panchayat, Gullak, Aspirants, Cubicles, and Kota Factory. Pandey is moving on to establish his own entrepreneurial venture within the digital content landscape, prompting TVF to scale up its corporate and structural capabilities.
As part of this transition, the studio has onboarded several industry heavyweights alongside Maitra:
- Nikhil Sachan has been appointed as Assistant Vice President of Content Programming and a primary Showrunner. An alumnus of both IIT and IIM, Sachan corporate-hopped from a Vice President role at Kotak Securities to follow his creative roots. He is the author of best-selling Hindi literature and a celebrated screenwriter behind titles like Yeh Meri Family, UP65, and Home Shanti.
- Vaibhav Suman has joined the company’s core creative stable, taking over responsibilities as Head Writer to steer upcoming original narratives.
- Mookherjee, another senior industry executive with over 20 years of experience across GroupM, Sony Pictures Networks India, and True North Private Equity, has also integrated into the studio’s leadership team to reinforce private equity communication and cross-border creator ecosystem management.
The Evolution of Branded Content in OTT
The timing of Maitra’s onboarding coincides with an overarching paradigm shift within India’s streaming and digital marketing ecosystems. Historically, digital video platforms treated branded solutions as brief product placements or isolated promotional sketches. However, modern consumer fatigue toward traditional advertising has forced brands to look for deeper integrations.
Under the guidance of founder Arunabh Kumar and network President Vijay Koshy, TVF pioneered the art of web-video storytelling that incorporates brands natively into the plot line. Iconic properties like Permanent Roommates and Pitchers successfully proved that corporate backing does not have to dilute narrative quality if executed seamlessly.
Maitra’s primary mandate will involve taking this ethos forward, designing highly specialized content architectures that allow corporate brands to co-exist with TVF’s signature slice-of-life storytelling. Her depth of experience in handling corporate communications at the NSDC and commercial IP frameworks at Times Network provides her with a dual understanding of corporate governance and creative freedom. This balance is critical when pitching complex content pipelines to traditional enterprise clients and global streaming platforms alike.
Vision for the Next Chapter
Arunabh Kumar, founder of The Viral Fever, noted that establishing a robust, specialized leadership team remains the central objective as the company broadens into distinct business verticals. The inclusion of seasoned leaders like Maitra introduces a refined strategic perspective required to successfully guide the studio into its next chapter of expansion.
Echoing this sentiment, network President Vijay Koshy pointed out that these strategic additions are vital as the studio navigates its transition from a digital video pioneer into a highly diversified storytelling ecosystem. As OTT budgets rise and production scales rival main-stage theatrical cinema, digital studios must build rigid corporate architectures to seamlessly negotiate with international streaming conglomerates while managing institutional brand investments.
With Pooja Maitra driving the Branded Content and Brand Solutions front, TVF is well-positioned to maintain its creative autonomy while offering national and global brands an authentic, deeply resonant bridge to the Indian consumer.
For context on the regional media landscapes and media executives driving the Indian entertainment ecosystem, you can watch this Interview with Media and Creative Personalities which highlights regional content growth strategies and independent creator dynamics.