AVIA elects JioStar’s K Aravamudhan and MPA’s Vivek Couto to board

New Delhi: The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) has elected K Aravamudhan, Executive Vice-President, Public Policy & Legal, JioStar, and Vivek Couto, Co-Founder, CEO and Executive Director, Media Partners Asia (MPA), to its Board of Directors.

The association has also confirmed the re-election of four directors: Emily Yri, Vice-President, International Marketing, Pubmatic; Desmond Chan, GM – TVBI and Deputy GM (Legal & International Operations), TVB; Joe Welch, Vice-President, Global Public Policy, Asia Pacific, The Walt Disney Company; and Shonali Bedi, Head of Strategy, Partnerships & Insights – APAC, Warner Bros. Discovery.

AVIA extended its appreciation to outgoing directors Agnes Rozario, Chief Content Officer, Astro, and Greg Armshaw, former Senior Director Strategy APAC, Brightcove, for their contributions.

Aravamudhan, widely known as Aru, began his career in content creation, working with Doordarshan, SAB TV, UTV and ITV. He moved into regulatory affairs and government engagement in 2006, spending more than 15 years at Disney Star, where he eventually served as Executive Director, Government Relations.

Now heading Public Policy at JioStar, he brings a blend of creative, commercial and regulatory experience to the AVIA board.

Aru said, “As the AVIA Board member, I will focus on three key areas. Firstly, strengthening regional policy alignment to ensure that regulatory frameworks across Asia support innovation, investment, and fair competition. Secondly, advancing anti-piracy and content protection efforts through coordinated industry action and policy advocacy. Thirdly, championing the responsible growth of streaming and digital platforms by shaping balanced policies that empower creators, safeguard consumers, and sustain business models.”

He added, “I am deeply committed to AVIA’s vision and believe my experience, networks, and strategic policy insight will meaningfully contribute to AVIA’s leadership in shaping the future of Asia’s video industry at large, with a particular focus on India. I look forward to the opportunity to serve and collaborate with distinguished peers across the region.”

Couto co-founded Media Partners Asia in 2001 as an independent research and advisory firm focused on the connectivity, entertainment and sports sectors across the Asia Pacific. With more than 25 years of experience across media, telecoms and digital platforms, he is regarded as one of the region’s leading industry analysts and strategic advisors.

He oversees MPA’s strategy, operations and growth, including the APOS leadership forum and ampd, the company’s proprietary digital insights platform measuring real VOD consumption across multiple APAC markets. Over the years, he has advised global and local companies, investors and policymakers on content, investment, M&A, market and product strategy across Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Couto holds BSc and MSc degrees in Economics from the London School of Economics.

He said, “I would support AVIA’s agenda in several areas, including policy & advocacy, piracy, and ecosystem building. MPA will also invite, where relevant, AVIA members to participate in private leadership forums such as the AETHER AI Summit (Singapore, Jan 2026) and APOS Sports Edge (Singapore, Oct 2026), and collaborate with AVIA to sustain and grow the Japan Summit as a co-branded industry platform in November 2026. I will also be supporting the development of local content, creators and production economies across Asia, a key engine of future value.”

He added, “AVIA plays an important role in convening our industry and advancing the interests of its members across a rapidly changing landscape. I would value the opportunity to contribute my experience, relationships and independent perspective to support this important mission.”