Kevin Vaz, Gaurav Banerjee re-elected to IBDF Board

The Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation (IBDF), the apex industry body for television broadcasters and OTT platforms in India, re-elected Kevin Vaz, chief executive officer-entertainment of JioStar India Pvt. Ltd as president at the 26th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in New Delhi. Further, Rajat Sharma, chairman and editor-in-chief, India TV, Gaurav Banerjee, managing director and chief executive officer of Sony Pictures Networks India, and R. Mahesh Kumar, managing director, Sun Network, were re-elected as vice-presidents. I. Venkat, director, Eenadu TV, was re-elected treasurer.

The Board also co-opted Sumanta Bose, head of cluster, entertainment (Star Plus, Utsav, Bharat, Bengali, Marathi and Gujarati at JioStar), John Brittas, manging director and editor of Kairali TV, and Nachiket Pantvaidya, chief executive officer, Sony Entertainment Talent Ventures India as members.

Further, Vaz announced that Avinash Pandey, senior advisor, media practices – Primus Partners India will assume the role of secretary general at IBDF, effective 1 October. He succeeds Siddharth Jain, former senior vice-president and managing director – South Asia at Turner International India Pvt. Ltd.

Eye on collaboration

“I am honoured to take on this role at such a pivotal time for the industry. I look forward to collaborating with the Board and members to champion the interests of the broadcasting and digital sector. My focus will be on enhancing constructive dialogue with the government, navigating the evolving regulatory landscape, and strengthening the Foundation’s role as a unified voice for growth,” Pandey said in a statement.

Underscoring the enduring power of linear television, Vaz said that despite geo-political and economic headwinds, its fundamentals remain strong and it continues to be the bedrock of content creation and brand building in India.

“An overwhelming 97% of India’s original content – nearly 200,000 hours in 2024, was produced for Linear TV. It engages audiences at a scale unmatched by any other medium, with roughly 46 trillion minutes of annual viewing across 190 million screens, outpacing user-generated video. The family co-viewing experience keeps TV at the heart of Indian homes and culture,” Vaz said.

“We anticipate a significant upswing in advertising revenue, with the festive season providing an immediate boost and recent GST (goods and services tax) reforms announced by the government laying a robust foundation for sustained long-term growth, aligned with India’s economic trajectory,” he added.