K Madhavan to step down as Country Manager and President of Disney Star

New Delhi: K Madhavan, Country Manager and President of Disney Star, will step down from his role at the company.

Sources confirmed the development to BestMediaInfo.com.

Sources suggest that the merger between Viacom18 and Disney Star India is expected to result in some job losses for roles that overlap between the two companies. However, employees on both sides are preparing to transition under Star India. 

As per sources, Sajith Sivanandan, the head of Disney+ Hotstar, is also expected to depart from the company. Meanwhile, JioCinema has onboarded YouTube’s Ishan Chatterjee as its Chief Business Officer.

The merger, combining the media assets of Reliance Industries and The Walt Disney Co.'s India business, will create the country's largest media conglomerate, valued at over Rs 70,000 crore. 

This consolidation will also mark the end of Viacom18's 27-year journey as it merges with Star India. Much attention is focused on the future of the two OTT platforms, JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar. 

A recent Reuters report confirmed that JioCinema will likely make way for Hotstar, citing the latter’s superior capabilities. The report also revealed that all live sports content, including IPL, will be exclusively available on Disney’s Hotstar app.

Madhavan has been at the helm of Disney and Star India since 2019 and was named President of The Walt Disney Company India and Star India in April 2021. 

He first joined Star India in 2009 as South Head, after a successful stint leading Asianet’s growth as MD and CEO from 2000 to 2008. 

Before his media career, Madhavan worked in banking and corporate finance.

Currently, he is also the president of the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation.