JioStar's Kevin Vaz appointed as President of IBDF

The Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation (IBDF) held its 25th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in New Delhi on December 20, 2024. Rajat Sharma, chairman of India TV and vice president of IBDF, chaired the meeting following the resignation of K. Madhavan as the foundation's president.

The IBDF announced key board appointments during its AGM, including Gaurav Dwivedi from Prasar Bharati, Jayant M. Mathew from MMTV, and Aroon Purie from TV Today.

The IBDF Board also includes Rajat Sharma (India TV), I. Venkat (Eenadu TV), Kevin Vaz (JioStar), R. Mahesh Kumar (Sun Network), Gaurav Banerjee (Culver Max), Nachiket Pantvaidya (Bangla Entertainment), Punit Goenka (Zee Media), and Ashish Sehgal (Zee Entertainment). 

At the AGM, Rajat Sharma highlighted IBDF’s contributions to the Indian broadcasting sector over 25 years and emphasised the need for a regulatory framework that fosters innovation, supports creators, and ensures fair competition. He also thanked outgoing president K. Madhavan for his leadership in guiding the foundation during critical periods.

After the AGM, the IBDF board of directors convened and co-opted Sumanto Bose from JioStar and John Brittas from Kairali TV as members of the Board.

The Board elected Kevin Vaz as president of IBDF, with Rajat Sharma, Gaurav Banerjee, and R. Mahesh Kumar as vice presidents, and I. Venkat as 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 democratise 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 is 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.”

Vaz urged all IBDF members to collaborate in building a vibrant, innovative, and sustainable ecosystem that captivates audiences and propels the growth of India's media and entertainment industry.