Uday Shankar birthday: Will the media maven bring forth a new dawn for Indian M&E?
Uday Shankar is also the only media thought leader to have won two coveted titles - Impact Person of The Year (2010) and Impact Person of the Decade (2014)
One of the most formidable figures in India’s media landscape, media maven Uday Shankar celebrates his birthday today July 17 even though Wikipedia suggests it’s on September 16. In close to two decades, Shankar has changed the trajectory of Indian media, especially during his time at The Walt Disney Company. He is quite undoubtedly the most impactful media entrepreneur in the last twenty years.
As a media and tech entrepreneur, in 2022, Shankar, along with James Murdoch, set up Bodhi Tree, which leverages technology to provide disruptive solutions for sectors that have deep consumer engagement.
Shankar is also the only media thought leader to have won two coveted titles--Impact Person of The Year (2010) and Impact Person of the Decade (2014). Impact Person of the Year is the highest and the most coveted and respected award in Marketing , Advertising and Media. Impact also happens to celebrate its 20th anniversary as exchange4media completes 24 years. If there were to be an Impact Media Person for the last two decades, it would undoubtedly be Uday Shankar.
Shankar began his career in the TV news industry at Zee as a news producer. After that, he worked with Home TV, Sahara Samay, Aaj Tak and Star News as its CEO.
He went on to become the Chairperson and CEO of Star India, overseeing the entire broadcasting operation for the network. Shankar was appointed the President of 21st Century Fox for Asia in 2017, and in 2018, it was announced that he would lead Disney’s Asia Pacific region after completing the acquisition of 21st Century Fox.
In 2019, Shankar became the President of Disney Asia Pacific and in October 2020, stepped down from his role as President, The Walt Disney Company APAC, and Chairman, Star & Disney India.
He joined Viacom 18 board with the formalisation of Bodhi Tree’s investment. Viacom18 allotted shares to Uday Shankar-James Murdoch’s Bodhi Tree Systems and RIL group entities.
In February 2024, Viacom18 Media Private Limited and The Walt Disney Company signed binding definitive agreements to form a joint venture to combine Viacom18 and Star India businesses. If reports are to be believed, Shankar will return to the Star fold to helm the new venture.
With his return, there may be bigger things on the Indian media horizon.
There is plenty of boardroom lore about Shankar’s astute understanding of media and entertainment in the country. When Star India won global broadcasting and digital media rights of the Indian Premier League for a whopping Rs 16,347 crore, few understood the profound impact it would have. Today, IPL is the most-coveted sporting property of India with every broadcaster vying to get their hands on it, thanks to its high viewership.
He played a significant role in transforming the Indian television landscape. He was instrumental in launching Hotstar, now known as Disney+ Hotstar, which has become one of the most popular streaming platforms in India. His contributions have had a lasting impact on the media and entertainment sector in the region.
