Mumbai: MediaNews4U broke the news on Uday Shankar stepping down as president, The Walt Disney Company APAC and chairman, Star & Disney India, effective as of December 31, 2020.
Rebecca Campbell, chairman of Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment announced Uday Shankar’s exit plans today. However Shankar will work closely with Campbell to identify his successor, Uday has also agreed with Campbell that he will stay on to help ensure a seamless transition over the next three months.
While Commenting on his decision to step down Shankar revealed his intentions to partner with global investors and pioneers as part of his initiative to give back to the country, community and the industry that have given me so much. He will support and mentor a new generation of entrepreneurs as they set out to create transformational solutions that will have a positive impact on countless lives.
Shankar has served as president, The Walt Disney Company APAC and chairman, Star & Disney India since February 2019,. Previously, he was president of 21st Century Fox for Asia and the chairman & CEO of Star India. He took over the leadership of Star India in 2007.
He led Star’s aggressive foray into regional and local language programming, transforming Star into a content powerhouse. He also consolidated Star’s sports broadcasting operations through 21st Century Fox’s acquisition of its joint venture with ESPN. Star has launched multiple domestic sports leagues like those in Kabaddi and Football and has pioneered the agenda of creating a thriving multi-sports culture.Under Shankar’s leadership, Star has also made strides in disrupting the country’s digital landscape with the launch of Hotstar, which is now India’s largest over-the-top (OTT) platform for professionally produced content and has gone global in its footprint with offerings in the US, Canada and the UK.
