Kevin Vaz takes over as president of IBDF

The Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation (IBDF), the apex body representing Indian television broadcasters, has elected Kevin Vaz as its president during its annual general meeting (AGM). Rajat Sharma, Gaurav Banerjee, and R. Mahesh Kumar were elected as vice-presidents, while I. Venkat will serve as treasurer.

Additionally, Gaurav Dwivedi of Prasar Bharati, Jayant M. Mathew of MMTV, and Aroon Purie of TV Today were elected to the IBDF board during the AGM.

Other board members include 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).

“It is an honour to take on this responsibility at such a transformative time for the media and entertainment sector,” Vaz said in a statement. “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.”

Vaz underscored the importance of leveraging technology to scale up content creation and ensuring it is not restricted by demographic or geographic limitations. “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 added.

He also highlighted the media and entertainment industry’s multiplier effect on sectors like sports, creating significant opportunities for growth at scale. Vaz emphasized the need for sustainable growth through equitable business models that foster collaboration and value creation across the ecosystem.

“I look forward to working with the government and industry to develop progressive, soft-touch regulations that empower the sector to innovate and harness its full potential for sustainable growth,” Vaz said.

He urged IBDF members to collaborate in building a vibrant, innovative, and sustainable ecosystem to propel the growth of India’s media and entertainment industry. Live Mint