iWorld
ABP Ananda reaches 10 million YouTube subscribers
Mumbai: ABP Ananda, West Bengal’s premier 24-hour Bengali news channel, has reached a historic milestone by becoming the first Bengali news channel to surpass 10 million subscribers on YouTube. This achievement highlights the channel’s innovative approach to content creation and distribution in an ever-evolving media landscape, where digital platforms play a pivotal role in news consumption.
ABP Ananda’s success on YouTube underscores its commitment to delivering high-quality and engaging news content to Bengali audiences worldwide. With its expansive reach and influence, ABP Ananda has established itself as the most trusted source of news and analysis in the Bengali language.
Surpassing the subscriber count of all other Bengali channels on YouTube, ABP Ananda has demonstrated its dominance in the digital space. News18 Bangla follows with 8.22 million subscribers, Zee 24Ghanta with 5.38 million subscribers, Republic Bangla with 3.22 million subscribers, and TV9 Bangla with 3.08 million subscribers.
ABP Ananda’s attainment of 10 million subscribers on YouTube is a testament to the collective effort and dedication of its team, as well as the unwavering support of its viewers. Since its establishment in 2005, ABP Ananda has been a frontrunner in news reporting, offering comprehensive coverage of local, national, and international events while upholding journalistic integrity and impartiality.
This milestone symbolises the trust and confidence bestowed upon ABP Ananda by millions of viewers. As the pioneering Bengali news channel to achieve this remarkable feat, ABP Ananda continues to set new benchmarks in the industry, inspiring others to strive for excellence in journalism and content creation.
iWorld
Akhil Gupta retires as Bharti Enterprises vice chairman after three decades
The man who outsourced Airtel’s network and built Indus Towers leaves behind a telecom industry transformed
NEW DELHI: He was not the most visible face of Bharti. He was, by most accounts, the most consequential one. Akhil Gupta, known within the group simply as AKG, has retired as vice chairman of Bharti Enterprises with effect from March 31st, 2026, closing a chapter that stretched across more than three decades and reshaped Indian telecoms in ways still felt today.
Gupta was there at the beginning, part of the core leadership team that steered Bharti Airtel from a scrappy domestic operator into one of the world’s largest telecom and digital services companies. But it is two decisions in particular that cement his legacy. The first was persuading the industry that a telecom company need not own its own network. His outsourcing partnerships with IBM and Ericsson, considered eccentric at the time, stripped out capital costs and sharpened Airtel’s competitive edge. The model was subsequently copied across the global industry. The second was the creation of Indus Towers, now one of the largest tower companies in the world.
Both initiatives were studied as case material at Harvard Business School, where Gupta himself had studied. A chartered accountant by training and a dealmaker by instinct, he accumulated industry accolades across his career without ever particularly courting the limelight.
Bharti Enterprises, announcing the retirement on LinkedIn, credited Gupta with building the foundation of the group’s success and driving innovation, partnerships and long-term value creation.
The tributes are deserved. Gupta did not just help build Airtel. In many respects, he helped invent the playbook that modern telecoms runs on.
