"There is clear scope for us to grow further in each of the regional markets": Kevin Vaz

In an exclusive interview with afaqs!, CEO of regional entertainment channels, Star India shares the story behind the broadcaster's growth in regional markets and his future plans.

Gone are the days when each and every cable TV household got all the channels available with the cable operator. A Marathi today has the option to pay for Marathi channels only, and ignore the rest of the pay channels completely. In the new tariff regime, where subscribers can decide the channels they want to watch, global consulting firm KPMG says that the regional broadcast channels will play a vital role. 

Star and Disney India, the largest television broadcaster in India, has now added one more regional channel to its market leader list. Its Marathi channel Star Pravah leads the race (in Maharashtra), followed by erstwhile leader Zee Marathi. With this, Star has established leadership in Bangla, Telugu, Malayalam and Marathi (language) markets. It trails Sun TV in Tamil Nadu and has a couple of channels ahead of it in Karnataka (Kannada). 

With a mix of acquisitions and organic launches, Star India, over the years, has established a strong bouquet of regional channels. In 2018, Kevin Vaz was elevated to the post of CEO of regional entertainment channels. Since then, Vaz has rebranded a few channels, while others had a completely new slate, in terms of programming.

Vaz has spent more than two decades at Star, and was previously the CEO of south entertainment channels. In the past, he has also headed the youth and English entertainment portfolio. 

In an exclusive interview with afaqs!, he shares the story behind the broadcaster's growth in regional markets and his future plans.

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