Former Star India CEO Uday Shankar, James Murdoch team up for new venture
James Murdoch, son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, and Uday Shankar, the former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Star India and president of Walt Disney Asia Pacific, announced on Thursday that they were forming a new venture. The venture, they said, would focus on technology and media opportunities in emerging markets. But industry sources said that the focus would be on digital media, with India being the big driver.
Murdoch is the CEO of Lupa Systems, a private holding company, launched after the acquisition of 21st Century Fox to Walt Disney, in 2019. The venture between Shankar and Murdoch will be part of Lupa Systems.
The partnership, more importantly, will bring Murdoch and Shankar, both former colleagues at Star, who built the firm into the country’s largest media company.
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Shankar had announced in October that he was stepping down from Walt Disney to pursue his own interests. He had indicated at that time that he would look at digital media closely, given his involvement in growing Hotstar, the over-the-top platform of Star.
Murdoch, on the other hand, has been investing in firms in India over the last two years through Lupa Systems, betting on startups such as Dailyhunt and Harappa Education.
“After two decades of working in India and the region, it’s great to be entering into a renewed partnership with Uday. Our collaboration over the years has been immensely rewarding for consumers. As connectivity continues to accelerate and expand across South Asia and the whole region, new opportunities for innovation, across consumer sectors, will multiply,” said Murdoch.
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