About this episode
The episode explores Ronnie Screwvala's journey from selling toothbrushes to building a media empire in India.
Ronnie Screwvala changed the viewing habits of the world’s most populous country, India - but he started out selling toothbrushes. BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng chart his journey, from knocking on apartment doors in 1980s Mumbai selling cable TV, to building a media empire that would transform Indian entertainment. Ronnie Screwvala launched the first Indian daily soap opera, the country’s most popular children’s channel, and a Hollywood-style film studio in Bollywood. He rode India’s economic liberalisation to reshape how a nation watched television and movies. Along the way he made big deals with Rupert Murdoch and Disney. And his most recent business move into ed-tech made Ronnie Screwvala a billionaire. Good Bad Billionaire is the podcast that explores the lives of the super-rich and famous, tracking their wealth, philanthropy, business ethics, and success. There are leaders who made their money in Silicon Valley, on Wall Street and in high street fashion. From iconic celebrities and CEOs to titans of technology, the podcast unravels tales of fortune, power, economics, ambition and moral responsibility. Simon and Zing put their subjects to the test…
People in this episode
Hosts: Simon Jack, Zing Tsjeng
Guest: Ronnie Screwvala
Topics covered
- media empire
- Indian entertainment
- economic liberalisation
- television
- billionaire journey
Keywords
- Ronnie Screwvala
- media empire
- Indian entertainment
- cable TV
- billionaire
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: BBC, Disney, Rupert Murdoch
Books & works: Indian daily soap opera, children’s channel, Hollywood-style film studio
Places: India, Mumbai
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