MUMBAI: Antoine Villeneuve has been named senior vice president and managing director, Walt Disney Television India.

Villeneuve will oversee Disney Channel, Toon Disney/Jetix and the newly acquired Hungama kids’ television channels in India. Villeneuve, who will relocate to Mumbai and assume his new role on 1 June 2007, will have a dual report to Disney Channel worldwide president Rich Ross, and to the managing director for The Walt Disney Company in India.

Villeneuve will be responsible for overseeing Disney’s large and growing television channel operations across all platforms in India: three distinct channels making up the core of the company’s India television business.

For the past three years, Villeneuve has been vice president and managing director for Jetix France, part of Jetix Europe which is majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company. He oversaw all aspects of the channel and its online and consumer products divisions. During his tenure, he presided over a period of significant development and growth including a major reorganization of the company and the launch of the Jetix branded platform which led to a doubling of audience within a year.

Previously, Villeneuve spent over 14 years with the Canal+ Group which he joined in 1989, where he was primarily involved in the international development of the Canal+ Group, was named Director of Canal+ International Services in 1992 and rose to the position of Managing Director of Canal + Nordic.

His position at Jetix France will be filled by Thierry Nicolas, the current CFO, and Dominique Ducass, the current Deputy Managing Director, of Jetix operations in France.