Kevin Vaz, CEO of entertainment (TV and digital) at Jio Star, has been elected as the new president of the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF), succeeding K Madhavan, the former country manager of Disney Star.

This is Vaz’s first term as IBDF president. Before joining Jio Star, Vaz was the Chief Executive Officer of Broadcast Entertainment at Viacom18, where he played a key role in driving the company’s growth.

Vaz’s career highlights include a successful stint at Disney Star, where he was instrumental in developing regional markets, overseeing the management of 53 television channels, and spearheading innovative content strategies.

His career began with Bennett Coleman & Company Limited (The Times of India Group). Apart from Vaz, the IBDF has also elected Rajat Sharma, Gaurav BBanerjeeand R. Mahesh Kumar as Vice Presidents. I Venkat is the new treasurer.

The newly elected President, Kevin Vaz, remarked, “It is an honour to take on this responsibility at such a transformative time for the media and entertainment sector. India’s appetite for content is unmatched, making it a unique market where all forms of media continue to grow, while Indian content increasingly gains international recognition furthering India’s soft power globally. As we increasingly embrace technology to scale up, it is imperative that we democratize content creation so that it is not demographically or geographically limited. While India consumes content from anywhere, driven by the proliferation of 5G, smartphones, connected TVs and better Pay TV infrastructure, we must ensure that opportunities to create professional content from locations beyond the current hotspots are a viable future for the industry”.

He further emphasised that “the media and entertainment industry has a multiplier effect that extends to sectors like sports, creating significant opportunities for growth at scale. To ensure that this growth can be sustainable we need to look at business models rooted in equitable collaborations that foster value creation for all stakeholders across the ecosystem. I also look forward to work with the government and industry in developing progressive, soft-touch regulations that empower the sector to innovate and harness its full potential for sustainable growth”.

Since its founding, the IBDF has experienced significant growth, expanding from seven members in 1999 to 60 members in 2021, representing nearly 400 channels. These channels together account for approximately 90% of television viewership in India, serving the country’s diverse linguistic and cultural landscape across a wide range of genres.