GECs
Uday Shankar’s meteoric rise from Star India to Disney APAC
MUMBAI: The man running India's largest media company – Star India- has made it to the top in the Asia Pacific region at probably the world’s most admired entertainment company – Disney. Uday Shankar, who once was a reporter with The Times of India, and then went on to successfully lead news channels such as Aaj Tak and Star News, on Thursday added another glorious chapter to his awe-inspiring journey.
Late in the evening of 13 December came the announcement that Uday – as he is referred to – would be taking over as chairman of Star and Disney India and president of the Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific.
Ever since the acquisition of Fox was announced by Disney, many expected Uday – the blue-eyed boy of the Murdoch family – to get the corner office in the new entity. Doubting Thomases wondered whether the Mouse House would allow an entrepreneurial executive to steer its fortunes in Asia, let alone India.
Uday has, by sheer dint of his risk-taking ability and innate knowledge of how Indian consumers watch television, transformed the Star Network from a struggling channel (which was under attack from a slew of old and new players) into India’s largest TV network serving viewers entertainment in many languages as well as delivering India’s top passion, cricket, on its sports channels and its OTT service Hotstar.
As much as Uday believes in a free culture which encourages entrepreneurialism thanks to his previous direct bosses Rupert and James Murdoch, Disney believes in extreme systems and processes which is a positive for most companies but that has not worked as well as far as its India operations are concerned. Star India overpowers Disney India by multiples in revenue terms.
Under the new structure, the 55-year-old has a phalanx of old-time Disney executives reporting into him. Among these: Greater China, Japan, and Korea executive vice president & managing director Luke Kang; Australia and New Zealand managing director Kylie Watson-Wheeler, and Middle East senior vice president and managing director Chafic Najia.
That he has chosen Uday over old Disney timers is a clear sign of the confidence that the Disney direct to consumer and international segment’s chairman Kevin Mayer has reposed in him; that he is the man who will do the job and give him a free hand to help shape the Disney-Fox-Star combine into an even bigger money making machine that it can be in the region.
On Uday’s shoulders rests the responsibility of steering Disney – and Star India – to entertain more than half the world’s population – the middle east, APAC, and China account for about 4 billion people. And an estimated $10 billion-plus in revenues for The Walt Disney Co.
It probably is the highest an Indian executive has risen in a global entertainment company. He has his challenges ahead: a merger always means some amount of chop and change and he has to manage that first mainly in India because of the business scale differences between Star and Disney in the country.
But the bigger challenge will be staving off the competition that Disney faces from the rising FAANGs in India, southeast Asia, Australia New Zealand well as from players from China such as Tencent, Youkou, Iqiyi who could very well eat into the huge pie that Disney China has in its studio business there.
In Uday, Disney has a go-getting decisive no-nonsense APAC lead exec who likes to get things done; no task is impossible. Every problem brings with it opportunity. That attitude should serve him in good stead in the years to come.
GECs
Asianet Television Awards 2026 celebrates women power in Malayalam TV
“She is the Colour” theme honours icons as ceremony airs on March 14 and 15 at 7 PM.
MUMBAI: If television lights up living rooms, this year Asianet decided to let women provide the colour. The Asianet Television Awards 2026 turned the spotlight firmly on women empowerment with the theme “She is the Colour”, celebrating the strength, resilience and achievements of women who continue to shape society and the Malayalam entertainment industry.
The ceremony honoured several distinguished personalities whose journeys have left a lasting cultural imprint. Among them was legendary playback singer Vimala Varma, widely recognised as the first Malayalam playback singer. The evening also paid tribute to Padma Shri awardees Devaki Amma and Vimala Menon for their exceptional contributions in their respective fields.
Leading women from the Malayalam film industry were also recognised during the event, including actor Shweta Menon, who currently serves as president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, and National Award winning actor Surabhi Lakshmi.
The awards ceremony brought together a glittering lineup of actors and industry figures, including Jayasurya, Vijay Babu, Asha Sarath, Lena, Esther Anil, Anumol, Akhila Bhargavan, Sarayu Mohan, Prajod Kalabhavan, Gayathri Suresh, Sabumon Abdusamad, Swasika, Tini Tom, Sijoy Varghese, Kailash, Veena Nandakumar, Sabareesh Varma, Ansiba Hassan and Dinesh Prabhakar. Kishan Kumar, executive vice president Malayalam at JioStar, was also present at the event.
Beyond individual recognitions, the awards celebrated excellence across Malayalam television, acknowledging artists and technicians whose work continues to drive the industry forward.
The evening also offered plenty of spectacle, with elaborate dance performances, stunt acts and comedy skits performed by popular television and film personalities, turning the ceremony into a full fledged entertainment showcase.
Viewers will get to watch the celebrations when the Asianet Television Awards 2026 air on Asianet on March 14 and 15, Saturday and Sunday, from 7 pm onwards, bringing the star studded tribute to homes across Kerala and beyond.
