The Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation (IBDF) held its 26th Annual General Meeting (AGM) yesterday, reaffirming leadership and welcoming new members to its Board. Kevin Vaz, President of IBDF and CEO – Entertainment, JioStar India Pvt. Ltd., was re-elected as President. Media veteran Avinash Pandey will take over as Secretary General effective October 1, 2025, succeeding Siddharth Jain.
The AGM also saw the re-election of Gaurav Banerjee (Culver Max) and R. Mahesh Kumar (Sun Network) to the Board, while Anil Kumar Singhvi (Zee Media) joined as a new member. Additionally, Sumanta Bose (JioStar), John Brittas (Kairali TV), and Nachiket Pantvaidya (Culver Max) were co-opted as Board members.
The Office Bearers for the upcoming term are:
- President: Kevin Vaz (JioStar)
- Vice Presidents: Rajat Sharma (India TV), Gaurav Banerjee (Culver Max), R. Mahesh Kumar (Sun Network)
- Treasurer: I. Venkat (Eenadu TV)
Other Board members include Aroon Purie (TV Today Network), Gaurav Dwivedi (Prasar Bharati), Jayant Mathew (MMTV), and Punit Goenka (Zee Entertainment).
Pandey remarked, “I am honoured to take on this role at a pivotal time for the industry. I look forward to collaborating with the Board and members to champion broadcasting and digital growth, navigate regulatory changes, and strengthen IBDF’s role as a unified voice.”
In his address, Vaz highlighted Linear Television’s resilience, noting that nearly 97% of India’s original content in 2024-around 200,000 hours-was produced for Linear TV, engaging audiences across 190 million screens. He emphasized the medium’s ongoing relevance, with family co-viewing and advertising growth underpinned by GST reforms, and reaffirmed IBDF’s commitment to supporting a progressive regulatory framework for India’s media landscape.
