.

Mr. Uday Shankar, CEO – Star India said, “Stories matter. We have long held the belief that content shapes the mindspace and cultural bloodstream of a nation. This belief is validated seeing that our content is shaping and defining the majority of trending searches in India. What’s gratifying also is to see two of our brands hotstar and starsports as the only two brands that feature on the list.”

Sanjay Gupta, chief operating officer of Star India, says in football and kabaddi, brands have seen the power of sports play out and hence are far more open to sponsoring. "That's a big shift in India."

Under Shankar’s leadership in the last eight years, the channel’s yield has grown five times. According to a Morgan Stanley report, published in August 2015, Star India has become the most valued broadcast network in the country, with its numerous channels reaching out to more than 720 million people every week.