Aanchal Maheshwari, a media professional with more than 18 years of experience across media, technology and telecom, has joined JioStar as Head of English Content and Programming, after spending around six and a half years with Amazon Prime Video.

Maheshwari announced the move on LinkedIn, saying she is excited to be part of building and scaling an ambitious English and international content business and bringing together stories and content that connect with Indian audiences. “There’s so much to do, and I can’t wait to get started!” she said.

Her new role comes at a time when Indian audiences have access to a wide range of international storytelling across streaming platforms, with content curation and partnerships playing an important role in the business. Maheshwari brings experience across content acquisition, partnerships, licensing, programming, marketing and business development.

At Amazon, where she spent six years and five months, Maheshwari most recently served as Head of Content Partnerships for Prime Video Channels and TVOD from May 2024 until September 2026. Prior to that, she led partnerships for Amazon Prime Video Channels from January 2022 to May 2024 and handled content acquisition for Hindi movies at Amazon Prime Video from May 2020 to December 2021.

In her farewell note, Maheshwari thanked the leaders who trusted her, her colleagues, the friends she made and the partners she worked with while building and shaping the marketplace business across add-on subscriptions and TVOD. She said the experience would always remain close to her heart.

Before Amazon, Maheshwari spent six years with The Walt Disney Company. From October 2019 to April 2020, she served as Head of Fashion and Consumer Products Commercialisation. Earlier, from December 2017 to September 2019, she was Associate Director, Content Sales, Direct to Consumer and International (DTCI), where she led a team responsible for the content and music licensing business for the Indian subcontinent.

In that role, she handled revenue generation through the distribution and licensing of Disney’s global and local content across television and digital platforms.

She earlier served as Senior Manager, Syndication and Disney Media Distribution, from December 2015 to November 2017, and as Manager, Syndication and Disney Media Distribution, Studios, from May 2014 to November 2015. Between March 2012 and March 2014, she was Manager, Marketing and Strategic Planning, Studios, at Disney UTV.

At Disney UTV, Maheshwari was involved in developing the overall marketing strategy for the India theatrical release of films, covering market scanning, consumer insights, competitive benchmarking, campaign monitoring, management of marketing spends and post-release analysis. She also handled marketing for products from the gaming and Disney Interactive verticals.

Maheshwari also has a strong background in telecom, having spent one year and nine months with Bharti Airtel. She joined the company through the Bharti Airtel Young Leaders Program (BYLP), an accelerated career track for talent hired from business schools.

As a Young Leader from June 2010 to February 2012, she took on cross-functional assignments across the telemedia business unit covering broadband, fixed line and IPTV for South India. Her projects included a CSR stint at Satya Bharti School in Madhpur, Punjab, aimed at addressing low enrolment and high dropout rates; efforts to reduce the fault rate for internet leased lines to limit churn among high-value customers; initiatives to tackle first-bill and second-bill broadband churn; account mapping of the shipping and logistics industry to increase ISD usage and revenue; and a Green Belt project to reduce billing-related calls at the call centre.

She also served as Channel Manager, Telemedia, South, from February to April 2011; Voice Account Manager, Enterprise Business, Mobility, Mumbai, from May to December 2011; and Manager, U&R, Postpaid, for Mumbai, Maharashtra and Goa, from December 2011 to February 2012. In the latter role, she worked on driving revenues from the postpaid mobile and retail broadband base, launching tariff plans and schemes, and containing churn.

The foundations of her career were laid in technology. Maheshwari spent two years and nine months at National Instruments in Bangalore, where she worked as Technical Consultant from July 2006 to September 2007. She managed sales for the company’s largest territory, covering Karnataka, Kerala and Goa, as part of a three-member team.

She then became Specialist, Customer Education and Services, from October 2007 to March 2009. In this role, she established and led NI India’s Services Strategic Business Unit and developed its business goals as well as sales, marketing and operations practices for pan-India functioning.

Alongside her corporate career, Maheshwari has also had a creative association with radio. From July 2003 to December 2007, she worked part-time as a radio jockey at WorldSpace, where she conceptualised and hosted a four-hour daily show and later a special weekend show on Radio Jhankaar, a contemporary Hindi music station. She is also a Kathak dancer.

Maheshwari holds a post-graduate degree in management with dual specialisation in marketing and strategy and leadership from the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, which she completed between April 2009 and April 2010. During her time at ISB, she received the ISB Torchbearer Award for leadership attributes, commitment, energetic participation in student activities and overall contribution to the ISB brand. She also served as president of the radio club.

Her professional profile spans business development, marketing, sales, product management, data analysis, go-to-market strategies, strategic planning and budgeting, along with client and agency relationship management. She also brings experience in content and consumer products licensing, complex negotiations and relationship management.

At JioStar, Maheshwari will lead English content and programming, building on her experience across content partnerships, acquisition, licensing and media businesses.