News Broadcasting
CNBC distribution team in place
MUMBAI: CNBC TV18 has set up a distribution team to take care of the positioning of all its channels, an indications of the hot battle broadcasters are engaged in to occupy prime slots on cable networks.
The task of the 17-member dedicated team, many of whom have been poached from NDTV India, will involve negotiating and paying “placement fees” to cable operators. Piyush Goyal is at the head while three regional managers have been appointed to take care of the north and east, west and south.
Though Zee-Turner distributes the CNBC TV18 bouquet of channels, the internal team will focus on the band positioning of the channels. Continuous interaction with cable operators and mapping of the placement of the channels will form part of the affiliate management responsibility.
The CNBC TV18 team will also take care of the channels to be launched by Broadcast News, a newly floated Rajdeep Sardesai-Sameer Manchanda venture backed and funded by Raghav Bahl’s TV 18. Sources say CNBC’s focus is to pay largely for S-band positions on cable networks.
NDTV also has an internal team to maintain relationship with affiliates, despite being distributed by SET-Discovery’s One Alliance. The company has made payments to cable operators for grabbing prime band positions on many networks across the country.
It is not only news channels that are creating and expanding their distribution teams, even though they have struck alliances with platforms for distribution of their channels. Sources say The Walt Disney Company (India) is also planning to expand its internal team. Though distributed by Star India, Disney had set up a dedicated team with a head and regional managers to monitor the carriage of its channels.
Even distribution platform Zee-Turner has created a special team within the organisation to deal with band placement of channels. “With more channels competing within the same genre and cable networks lacking bandwidth, placement is hardly available and become important. Distribution companies, who were earlier focussing on sales, are realising that they need to change,” says a senior executive of a leading distribution company.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
