MUMBAI: Sharing the space with the likes of Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Mukesh Ambani and Virat Kohli is the torchbearer of the Indian broadcast sector, Star India’s Uday Shankar. Indian Express’ list of most powerful Indians has ranked him at 69, making him the sole representative of the entire broadcast industry of the country.
Those who made the top 100 include people from various walks of life–politicians, Bollywood actors, businessmen and cricketers. In December 2017, Shankar was bumped up from the position of Star India CEO and chairman to 21st Century Fox Asia president. Taking pride in Shankar’s work, 21 Century Fox executive chairman Lachlan Murdoch and CEO James Murdoch commented, “Uday’s new role will enhance our strategic focus across all of Asia and enable us to further capture opportunities, building on the transformation Star India has driven in our most important growth market.”
Under Shankar’s leadership, Star India has grown by leaps and bounds. In September, Star successfully won a Rs 16,347.50 crore bid for IPL’s global media rights across platforms. He also leads the company’s video business across entire Asia for both Fox and Star and is closely involved with the parent company’s key leaders, including Rupert Murdoch and his sons, on key strategic initiatives in the region.
Holding the reigns of a global media powerhouse, Shankar has expanded Star India into regional language channels and produces close to 17,000 hours of content each year in eight languages. Shankar’s mantra for success has been to string together a group of high-calibre executives who understand the territory and carry out the work precisely.
The network has grown into two major areas–entertainment and sports. The latter has seen the inclusion of several non-cricketing properties, thanks to Star, such as Pro Kabaddi League, Indian Super League and leagues for sports like table tennis, badminton, etc. Lately, the network has even carved a niche for itself in the OTT space with Hotstar.
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