MAM
Crime specials on Star News rule the roost across news channels
MUMBAI: Crime shows across news channels are no doubt garnering eyeballs, but it is Star News that has emerged the winner as far as these shows are concerned. The latest Tam ratings show that Red Alert, the channel’s weekly crime show, has occupied the number one slot across all news channels. And Sansani, a daily crime news bulletin, has marked a sensational debut capturing a whopping 23 per cent market share.
A look at the week 48 cumulative channel shares of crime shows on the top four news channels show that Star News is far ahead of the others. The combined channel share of the channel’s crime programmes (Red Alert and Sansani) is 4.60. Aaj Tak comes second with a 3.20-combined channel share for its crime shows (Vaardat and Jurm). On the other hand, Zee News and NDTV India occupy the third and fourth place with combined channels shares of 2.04 and 1.53 respectively. Significantly, in terms of overall time spent in the HSM 15+ category for week 48, Star News shares the numero uno spot with Aaj Tak at 32 minutes, while Zee News stands with 27 minutes.
Sansani, which was launched on 22 November has been very well received by viewers in its debut week itself. The bulletin is telecast at 11 pm (Monday – Friday) and has contributed to a whopping growth of 154 per cent in channel share at its time slot. This significant growth in channel share is primarily due to the induction of new audiences by the bulletin, which has also led to a growth in the share of the category, which stands at 56 per cent.
Red Alert has garnered a 49 per cent market share at its time slot making it the number one show not only at its time slot but also across news channels for the entire week. Aaj Tak’s Jurm comes in second with a 27 per cent market share at its time slot.
Star News brand director Keertan Adyanthaya was quoted in an official release as saying, “We believe in reporting news that is relevant to and makes a difference in our viewers’ lives. This philosophy coupled with our investigative prowess has led to the popularity and acceptance of Red Alert and Sansani. The latest ratings are just a reflection of the confidence the viewers have reposed in us when it comes to news.”
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
