MUMBAI: From co-founding a tier-2 India gaming platform to curating spiritual live events with Bachchan, Shyam Tallamraju has made career pivots look easy. Now, he has stepped into his latest—and arguably most dynamic—role as JioHotstar vice president – fan loyalty & live experiences, marking a major milestone in the OTT giant’s audience engagement evolution.
Tallamraju announced the move via LinkedIn, reflecting on a whirlwind two-month sprint where he already led the platform’s non-sporting live experiences for Mahashivratri and Ram Navami. Both events featured Hindi cinema legend Amitabh Bachchan and signalled a shift in JioHotstar’s content curation playbook—one that stretches beyond just cricket and cinema.
“It’s always Day One at JioStar”, Tallamraju wrote, hinting at the long runway ahead in crafting moments that go beyond screen time to forge fan bonds. His appointment signals a clear commitment by the platform to build deeper, more interactive viewer journeys across festivals, fandom, and everything in between.
Prior to this role, Tallamraju co-founded Hi Hello, a multilingual social gaming app that clocked over two million downloads and $100,000 in revenue. Despite its eventual closure, the three-year journey gave him a front-row seat to India’s tier two digital pulse.
“Running a startup is a crash course in life”, he admitted, acknowledging the grind and lessons that shaped his vision for building meaningful fan ecosystems. His earlier stints include leadership roles at Gupshup, OZiva, Bookmyshow, and Radio Mirchi—adding to a portfolio that blends media strategy with brand insight and digital storytelling.
With over two decades of experience and a knack for turning everyday moments into fan rituals, Tallamraju’s new chapter is poised to push the boundaries of experiential entertainment at one of India’s biggest OTT platforms.
As the streaming race heats up, JioHotstar’s next big wins might not just lie in what’s on-screen, but in how deeply it can embed itself into the lives—and emotions—of its viewers. And Tallamraju seems all set to lead that charge.
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