The Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation has reappointed JioStar president Kevin Vaz and its key board members, while Ashish Sehgal takes over as director and I Venkat steps down.
The Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF) has reappointed JioStar’s Kevin Vaz as its president at the industry body’s 27th Annual General Meeting (AGM), continuing his leadership of the organisation for another term. The AGM also saw changes to the board, with Ashish Sehgal taking over as a director and I Venkat stepping down from the position. John Brittas, managing director of Malayalam Communication, has replaced Venkat on the board.
Vaz, who is CEO–Entertainment at JioStar, first took over as IBDF president in 2024, succeeding K. Madhavan. He was subsequently re-elected at the 26th AGM in September 2025. His continued tenure comes as the broadcasting sector navigates changes across television, digital media, regulation, advertising and monetisation.
Under Vaz’s leadership, IBDF has continued its policy engagement on issues affecting broadcasters and digital platforms. In 2026, Vaz, along with the Indian Digital Media Industry Foundation (IDMIF), pushed for a reduction in GST on television and digital subscriptions from 18% to 5%, citing affordability and adoption concerns. The industry body has also been engaged on regulatory issues including television ratings, advertising regulations and the broader operating framework for broadcasters.
Vaz brings close to three decades of experience in the media and entertainment industry and currently heads the entertainment business at JioStar. IBDF describes him as having experience across revenue, market expansion and content monetisation spanning television and OTT.
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The leadership changes also bring Sehgal into a more prominent role within the industry body. He is currently CEO of Times TV Network and Chief Growth Officer at Times Media & Entertainment, a position he has held since December 2025. He has also served as a director on the IBDF board since September 2024.
Sehgal moved to the Times Network after nearly two decades with Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL). At ZEEL, he served as Chief Growth Officer, Broadcast and Digital, from July 2018 to November 2025, where his mandate included strategic revenue growth for the company’s broadcast and digital businesses. Before that, he was COO of Zee Unimedia Ltd from April 2016 to July 2018 and Chief Sales Officer at ZEEL from October 2011 to April 2016.
Venkat’s exit marks a change in the board’s composition. He had been associated with IBDF’s leadership for several years and had served as its treasurer. The IBDF board has historically brought together senior executives representing the country’s major television networks, news organisations, regional broadcasters and digital media businesses.
Brittas, who replaces Venkat, is managing director of Malayalam Communication and brings representation from the regional broadcasting segment to the board. IBDF’s current board includes senior industry leaders such as Gaurav Banerjee of Culver Max Entertainment, R. Mahesh Kumar of Sun Network, Rajat Sharma of India TV, Aroon Purie of TV Today Network, Gaurav Dwivedi of Prasar Bharati and Punit Goenka of Zee Entertainment.
The leadership changes come at a significant point for the industry body, which represents more than 400 television channels accounting for over 90% of India’s TV viewership, according to IBDF. Its remit spans policy advocacy and industry representation across broadcasting and digital media, including engagement with regulators and the government on the sector’s evolving regulatory and business environment.
With Vaz continuing as president, the 27th AGM retains continuity at the top while bringing changes to the board’s composition, with Sehgal and Brittas adding representation from the broader broadcast ecosystem.
