NDTV has appointed Gaurav Gala as Executive Editor – Sports, as the network builds a broader and more distinctive sports offering across platforms.
With close to 25 years of experience in sports media, Gaurav brings a wide range of experience across editorial leadership, live and non-live sports broadcasting, studio programming, content strategy, production, anchoring, live commentary, fan engagement, sponsorship integration, and team leadership. His career has spanned football, cricket, the Olympics and major global sporting events, giving him a deep understanding of both live sport and the storytelling that surrounds it.
Throughout his career, Gaurav has held senior editorial and programming roles across some of India’s leading television networks and sports platforms.
At Star Sports, he served as Associate Creative Director – Head of Football Programming, he led the network’s football programming, overseeing content produced in India and developing extensive live and non-live programming around major football properties.
His association with sports journalism goes back much further. From 2007 to 2013, Gaurav served as Sports Editor and Senior Anchor at India Today/Headlines Today, leading sports coverage for the English news channel while also working across general news. He was one of the channel’s leading sports anchors during this period and covered some of the biggest stories and events in Indian and international sport.
Earlier, he worked with Zee Sports as Senior Producer and Senior Anchor, leading a team working across cricket shows, football shows and daily sports news programming, while also anchoring these shows himself. He had previously worked as a Producer and Anchor with Headlines Today and began his television career as an Assistant Producer at CNBC-TV18/CNBC India in 2002.
Gaurav’s work extends well beyond live broadcasting. He is the author of Awakening the Blue Tigers – India’s Quest for Football’s Holy Grail, reflecting his long association with and understanding of Indian football.
He has also served as Creative Director on FIFA+ documentary projects, including a series on Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri, as well as Maitanam, a FIFA+ documentary exploring the story and culture of football in Kerala.
Across these roles, Gaurav has worked at the intersection of sports storytelling, editorial leadership, live-event programming, broadcast production, fan engagement and multi-platform content strategy. His experience also spans sponsorship and branded-content integration, as well as production management and team leadership.
His appointment comes at a time when NDTV is looking to give sport a larger and more distinctive place within its content universe – moving beyond scores and results to the personalities, rivalries, ideas, culture and human stories that make sport such a compelling part of public life.
Rahul Kanwal, CEO & Editor-in-Chief, NDTV, said: “Sports is an important part of NDTV’s larger content ambition. Audiences today want much more than what happened in a game. They want context, analysis, access, personalities and stories that bring them closer to the action. Gaurav brings an exceptional range of experience across journalism, live sports, programming and storytelling. He understands both the complexity of producing major sporting events and the emotion that makes audiences care. We are delighted to have him at NDTV as we build a sharper, more distinctive and more ambitious sports offering across platforms.”
On his appointment, Gaurav Gala said: “Sport has been at the centre of my professional journey for almost 25 years, and what has always fascinated me is everything that exists beyond the final score. Sport is about ambition, preparation, pressure, rivalry, resilience, identity and extraordinary human stories. I am excited to join NDTV and to bring together the different parts of my experience – journalism, live broadcasting, programming and storytelling – to build a sports offering that is contemporary, engaging and deeply connected with fans.”
In his new role, Gaurav will lead the editorial direction of NDTV Sports, working across sports news, live coverage, analysis, original formats and multi-platform storytelling. His mandate will also include building new content properties and audience experiences around major sporting events, athletes and the larger conversations shaping sport.
Gaurav studied Broadcast Journalism at the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune, after studying at Hindu College, University of Delhi.