By Aditya Kalra

NEW DELHI, May 28 (Reuters) - Japan's Sony ( SONY ) has

appointed a Walt Disney ( DIS ) executive, Gaurav Banerjee, as

its new India chief executive to lead its television and other

media businesses, two people familiar with the matter told

Reuters on Tuesday.

Banerjee has resigned from Disney's ( DIS ) India unit where he was

the head of content for its streaming service, Hotstar, and head

of business for the company's TV channels in Hindi-speaking

markets, one source said.

A second source said Banerjee would join Sony ( SONY ) in about two

months.

Disney ( DIS ) declined to comment, while Sony ( SONY ) and Banerjee did not

immediately respond to repeated queries.

Last week, Sony ( SONY ) said it was looking for a successor to its

current India chief executive, N.P. Singh, who had decided to

move on.

Sony ( SONY ) runs 26 channels in India, from general entertainment

to sports and movies, and also a streaming service. This year,

it scrapped a planned merger with India's Zee Entertainment

that would have created a $10-billion enterprise.

Banerje's departure from Disney ( DIS ) comes as the U.S. firm seeks

Indian regulators' approval to merge its India media assets with

those of Reliance, which is led by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, in

a combination making it India's biggest entertainment company.