News Broadcasting
Now, uplinking caps may apply for regional channels too
NEW DELHI: It is not only the likes of Star News, CNBC-TV18 and Zee News that have to restructure their shareholding pattern to comply with the foreign investment cap of 26 per cent on news channels uplinking from India.
The government may extend the dragnet to some regional channels too, like Alpha Bangla, Alpha Marathi, Alpha Gujarati (from the Zee Telefilms stable) and Vijay TV in which the Rupert Murdoch-controlled Star has over 40 per cent equity stake indirectly.
While Star News and CNBC-TV18 have restructured themselves to fall within the permissible limits, Zee News is yet to initiate a restructuring, taking full advantage of the one year time granted to it. Star News’ final clearance from the government is expected over the next 10 days.
While formulating a new uplinking policy, announced on 26 March 2003, the government had also said that any entertainment channel that beams news and current affairs programming would have to adhere to the prescribed norms and caps if the news venture has foreign investment.
According to data laid by the government on the table of the Lok Sabha (Lower House) today, Alpha Gujarati, Punjabi, Bangla and Marathi – apart from Zee News and Zee TV – have foreign holding of 57.54 per cent.
Interestingly, according to the information on Zee Telefilms’ site, the total foreign shareholding in the company mounts to 61.7 per cent as on 30 September, 2003.
When contacted by indiantelevision.com, a spokesperson for Zee Telefilms admitted that Alpha channels do air news bulletins, apart from entertainment-related programmes, and said, “All Zee Network television channels are subsidiaries/divisions of Zee and restructuring compliance will be across the spectrum.”
According to the new eligibility criteria for uplinking, foreign holding should not exceed 26 per cent of the paid-up equity in a news channel venture, while at least 51 per cent of the stake would have to be held by an Indian shareholder. This excludes the equity held by public sector banks and financial institutions.
The government today also said, so far it had permitted 39 companies to uplink 104 channels from the country, which beam news and current affairs and/or entertainment programmes. Out of these, 12 had varying component of foreign equity.
Information and broadcasting minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, in a written reply to a question in the House today stated, the government has asked Star News, BBC and CNBC-TV18 to reduce foreign equity in their channels by at least 74 per cent and comply with the revised guidelines by March next year for uplinking from the country.
Prasad said that all the existing channels, having foreign equity or foreign direct investment, were required to comply with the new regime within one year after the new guidelines were issued on March 26 this year, putting a cap on holdings.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 to spotlight India’s global rise
PM Modi keynotes two-day event on 27–28 February in New Delhi with ministers, diplomats and icons.
MUMBAI: India’s rise isn’t just making headlines, it’s headlining its own summit, and this time the guest list reads like a global power playlist. News18 Network will host the Rising Bharat Summit 2026, a high-powered thought-leadership forum anchored around the theme “Spotlighting Bharat’s Rise: Driven by Strength Within.” The two-day event kicks off on 27 February 2026 at 10:00 AM in New Delhi, bringing together policymakers, diplomats, business leaders, strategists, innovators, and cultural icons for conversations that aim to define India’s confident, self-assured role on the world stage.
Prime minister Narendra Modi will deliver the keynote address, setting the tone for discussions on economic momentum, geopolitical positioning, and long-term aspirations for the decade ahead.
The ministerial lineup includes Piyush Goyal (Commerce and Industry), Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, Information & Broadcasting, Electronics & IT), Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (Communications & Development of North Eastern Region), and Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta.
Global diplomacy and strategic voices feature former Singapore foreign minister George Yeo, ex-UK Chief of defence staff general Sir Nick Carter, former US commerce secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez, and ambassadors from Norway (May-Elin Stener), Germany (Philipp Ackermann), and Sweden (Jan Thesleff).
Industry, innovation, and economic perspectives come from veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems Founder & CEO Dr Vishal Sikka, and Deeptech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati.
Defence, technology, and thought leadership include Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar, Apple expert Patrick McGee, military aviation historian Tom Cooper, and defence scholar Adrian Fontanellaz.
Culture, sports, and popular influence bring actor-MP Kangana Ranaut, Olympic medallists Saina Nehwal and PR Sreejesh, cricketers Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Mithali Raj, plus film stars Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
Broadcast live across News18 Network channels, CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz, and streaming platforms from 10:00 am on both days, the summit aims to move beyond headlines and shape deeper narratives around policy, leadership, and innovation at a decisive moment for India’s global trajectory.
In a world watching Bharat’s next moves, this gathering isn’t just talk, it’s the opening scene of a story that’s already rewriting the script.
