STAR restructuring: Shankar to report to Murdoch?

In STAR’s ongoing restructuring process, chiefs from the region have been engaged in various interactions last week to discuss the direction that the network’s revamp should take.

Sources close to the situation informed Exchange4Media that it was expected that the India, China and Taiwan markets would engage in a direct reporting line to the London office.

This would mean that STAR India CEO Uday Shankar would be reporting directly to James Murdoch, Chairman and Chief Executive, News Corporation, Europe and Asia. STAR TV is one of the businesses that James Murdoch is heading.

The move would signify the focus that News Corp is placing on India as a market, and the growth potential that is expected from here. It is also understood that STAR Hong Kong operations would be reduced in scale significantly, and STAR HK would play the role of a liaison coordination office.