IBDF board likely to nominate Gaurav Banerjee as next BARC India chairman

New Delhi: Sony Pictures Network India MD and CEO Gaurav Banerjee is all set to become the next chairman of BARC India.

With incumbent Shashi Sinha’s term coming to an end in August, the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF) board members have agreed to nominate Banerjee for the crucial role.

Sinha, who took over as BARC chairman on March 25, 2022, represented ISA and then AAAI. For its turn, IBDF will, in all likelihood, nominate Gaurav Banerjee, a long-term member of Techcom, as the next chairman for the next two years.

“There was a consensus among the members at the board meeting held on Thursday, after which the BARC AGM will ratify Banerjee as its new chairman,” said one of the sources BestMediaInfo.com spoke to.

For now, Sinha will continue as BARC India chairman until Banerjee is formally inducted into the BARC board at the upcoming AGM, said the source.

Another senior industry leader told BestMediaInfo.com that Banerjee’s long experience with BARC’s Techcom will help the body push its plans for digital plus linear TV measurement.

“He is the youngest of the lot and brings a fresh, dynamic approach. With Banerjee as BARC chairman and Kevin Vaz, his former colleague at Star India and now CEO of JioStar Entertainment, as IBDF president, the Indian broadcast industry will at least expect to see the integrated measurement system finally become a reality. The first and foremost task Banerjee is expected to undertake is the release of the establishment survey findings, which have been pending for the last six years, rendering the data less credible,” the leader said.

Sinha, who played a key role in the formation of BARC, had taken over from Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Goenka, too, had served as the chairman for three years.

Prior to joining SPNI last June, Banerjee held the positions of Head of Content for Hindi Entertainment & Disney+ Hotstar and Business Head for Star Bharat, Hindi & English Movies, Kids & Infotainment, and Regional (East).

His media journey began as an assistant producer and anchor at Aaj Tak. He then moved to Star News, where he started producing and anchoring Prime Time News shows.

Banerjee holds a master's degree in filmmaking and TV production from Jamia Millia Islamia University and an undergraduate degree in history from St. Stephen’s, Delhi.