RIL-Disney Merger: What makes Kevin Vaz and Kiran Mani the future leaders

The much-awaited merged entity of Reliance Industries Ltd and Walt Disney’s Star India is likely to see Kevin Vaz and Kiran Mani as co-CEOs.

Both are currently CEOs for the broadcast and digital clusters, respectively, at Viacom18.

Vaz has been the CEO of Broadcast Entertainment at Viacom18 since 2023, overseeing brands such as Colors and MTV. With over a decade experience in media and entertainment, Vaz previously worked at The Walt Disney Company India, where he played a key role in driving its success across multiple platforms.

Additionally, he has been appointed as the Chairman of FICCI Media & Entertainment Committeein January 2024.

Mani, the CEO at Viacom18, joined the company in 2023. With over three decades of experience in the tech and media sectors, Mani previously worked at Google, where he played a pivotal role in driving digital business strategies. His deep understanding of digital ecosystems and customer-centric approaches is shaping Viacom18’s digital platforms, helping the company stay competitive in the OTT and streaming space.

On the other hand, key leaders like K Madhavan, Country Manager and President of Disney Star, and Sajith Sivanandan, Head of Disney+ Hotstar India—have chosen to opt out of the merged entity.

Madhavan and Sivanandan departures were the first high-profile exits from Disney Star, signalling significant changes ahead as the merged entity aligns operations and leadership for future growth.

Madhavan has been responsible for driving strategy and growth across the company’s key verticals that include general entertainment, sports, direct-to-consumer, and studios.

Under his leadership, Disney Star produced nearly 20,000 hours of original programming annually, spanning 70+ channels in nine languages and reaching close to 700 million viewers monthly. Before joining Star India in 2009 as its South Head, Madhavan was instrumental in establishing Asianet as a market leader in Malayalam television, securing over 50% of the market share during his tenure as MD and CEO.

Sivanandan spearheaded the platform’s strategy, growth, revenue, and product operations. In his role, Sivanandan works closely with Disney+ teams across key regions, including the United States, APAC, and EMEA, to align goals and ensure seamless collaboration.

A week ago, in the first week of November, the European Commission reportedly approved the joint venture between Star India, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), The Walt Disney Company (TWDC) and BTS Investment 1, controlled by James Murdoch and top media executive Uday Shankar.

The merger, which is expected to complete in Q3 FY25, will be a $8.5 billion conglomerate with 56% stake controlled by RIL and 37% by Walt Disney. Bodhi Tree Systems will hold a 7% stake. Nita Ambani will be chairperson and Shankar the vice chairperson.

RIL will invest Rs 11,500 crore at the deal's closing to fuel the joint venture’s growth strategy, valuing the entity at Rs 70,352 crore on a post-money basis, excluding synergies.

Emails sent to Viacom18 did not elicit a response at the time of publishing.