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Uday Shankar turns a year older and the media world watches his next move.
Few names or come to think of it, perhaps none have left as lasting a mark on the Indian media universe as the maverick Uday Shankar, Vice Chairman of JioStar, who celebrates his birthday on July 16, Wednesday (though his official birthday is September 16).
Over the past three decades, Shankar has not just witnessed but actively shaped the transformation of India’s media landscape. From building newsrooms to making billion-dollar digital bets, his leadership has redefined how the country watches, consumes, and engages with content.
Shankar began his career as a news producer at Zee and later worked with SAB Television Limited (Current Affairs division), Home TV, Sahara Samay, Aaj Tak, and Star News, where he rose to become CEO. In 2007, he took over the reins at Star India and led its transformation from a ?1,600-crore company into an ?18,000-crore media powerhouse. In fact, at one point, Star India (later Disney India) was generating nearly ?6,000 crore in profit.
Uday's strategic vision, scale thinking, content understanding, laser-sharp focus, editorial instincts, and bold decisions have set new benchmarks in an industry increasingly dominated by Meta and Google.
One of his most transformative moves was acquiring the global broadcasting and digital rights for the Indian Premier League (IPL) for ?16,347 crore — a decision many questioned at the time but one that proved to be a defining moment for Indian sports broadcasting. It changed how cricket was packaged, consumed, and monetized, turning the IPL into the country’s most valuable sports property and the most prized media content and IP.
Under Shankar’s leadership, Star launched Hotstar — which eventually became Disney+ Hotstar — marking a significant leap into the OTT space and reshaping India’s digital entertainment landscape. Today, the platform continues under the JioHotstar umbrella as part of the Reliance-Disney joint venture.
In 2017, Shankar was appointed President of 21st Century Fox Asia, and in 2018, following the global acquisition of Fox by Disney, he became President of The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific. There, he oversaw the integration of Star and Disney operations in the region, playing a pivotal role in aligning two of the world’s biggest media giants.
After stepping down from Disney in 2020, Shankar returned in a new role. In 2022, he co-founded Bodhi Tree with James Murdoch, an investment platform focused on high-growth sectors powered by technology. Bodhi Tree soon partnered with Reliance and Viacom18, pledging ?13,500 crore (~$1.78 billion), with Shankar joining the Viacom18 board.
The journey came full circle in February 2024 when Reliance, Viacom18, and Disney announced the merger of their media operations. With the formation of JioStar, the joint venture combining Star India and Viacom18, Uday Shankar was named Vice Chairman, marking a powerful return to the Star brand he once so successfully led.
Beyond corporate boardrooms, Shankar’s influence lies in his deep understanding of audiences, his bold bets on content and technology, and his vision for where media is headed. With JioStar now in play, industry watchers believe this may be just the beginning of a new chapter in Indian media—one where Shankar remains a central force.
Uday Shankar has been a past President of FICCI and the only one in recent times from the media industry. Past presidents of FICCI include stalwarts like Sangita Reddy, Subhrakant Panda, and Jyotsna Suri.
Uday Shankar is a true futurist with an instinct for what may work in the future and puts his single-minded focus into creating a dominant play in the domain.
Uday Shankar’s talent scouting has been legendary. His ability to spot potential and assess leadership has helped him build a generation of leaders. He brought talent into media from outside the industry and turned them into world-class managers and entrepreneurs.
He has also been known to extract deep work from his teams—pushing them to their limits while offering the security of leadership that stands by them, even in failure.
Uday's success comes from his all-in approach. The fact that both Mukesh Ambani and James Murdoch trust him enough to make him a partner speaks volumes about his leadership, business acumen, and entrepreneurial spirit. The wealth creation that will unfold at JioStar in the coming years will be Uday Shankar's lasting legacy.
He is also the recipient of the Impact Person of the Year award and the only recipient of the Impact Person of the Decade award for outstanding achievements in the industry, from Impact and the exchange4media group.
Uday's journey has inspired and created many leaders across the industry.
He lives in Mumbai with his wife Anupama. Their daughter Apoorva lives in the USA with her husband Phalgun Raju, who is co-founder of UpGrad.
The rise and rise of Uday Shankar continues as the sun goes round one more time. The best of Uday Shankar is yet to come and the script is ready for a blockbuster.
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