Hindi
PVR watermark and trained staff help detect piracy, says Sanjeev Bijli, targets 1000 screens by ’20
NEW DELHI: It had always been a favourite meeting place until it closed down over a decade ago, and it was sorely missed. The Chanakya cinema was the only theatre in Chanakyapuri — the capital’s diplomatic enclave — and so it exhibited either English or blockbuster films. But, an unseemly dispute with the New Delhi Municipal Corporation forced the lease-holders to shut shop.
However, the theatre has reopened in a new avatar – and helped the PVR Cinemas touch the 600-screen mark with PVR Cinema CMD Ajay Bijli confident of touching the 1000-screen mark by 2020.
The property was later acquired on a 15-year lease by DLF who have developed it as a shopping complex and PVR developed a part of it as a three-screen theatre.
PVR joint managing director Sanjeev Bijli told Indiantelevision.com that around 3.5 per cent of the budget of the PVR chain has been set aside for publicity and promotion. In a brief talk on the sidelines of a press meet to unveil the new theatre, he said, answering a question relating to piracy, that every frame appearing on the screen carried the PVR watermark and so piracy could be easily detected.
Bijli also said that the staff had been trained to keep a watch on viewers using mobiles to ensure the screen image was not copied. He said the tagline ECX meant Enhanced Cinema Experience — a greater emphasis on the latest sound technology, and silver screens which ensured a better viewing experience.
In its new incarnation, PVR ECX Chanakya unveils the most opulent cinema format in India with its 4K projection system, next-generation 3D-enabled screens with ultra HD picture quality and Dolby ATMOS surround-sound system in all auditoriums. The new cinema also offers Quick Tix, PVR’s digital ticketing solution to promote cashless transactions and reduce ticket-wait times. The cinema also offers an automated F&B kiosk Quick Bites for the first time ever, wherein patrons’ can either pick up their order from the counter or get it served on their seat.
Being a PVR ECX property, there is special emphasis on ambience manifested by a deep focus on design, colours and lighting in each cinema. Designed by the Madrid-based STUDIO GRONDA, the revamped PVR ECX has magnificent lobby spaces, custom-made chandeliers, prime marbles, dynamic auditorium lights, and unparalleled technological integrations.
Sanjeev Bijli said the chain had started out in 1997 after an agreement between Priya from India and Village Roadshow of Australia, and begun with Anupam PVR in Saket in South Delhi and grown in 20 years to its present capacity and along the way acquired the Cinemax and DT chains.
Earlier, at the press meet, Ajay Bijli regretted that the cinema had been treated as a luxury item despite fact that ticket prices varied between Rs 125 and Rs 550 and the blended tax under GST had been fixed at 28 per cent despite a demand for keeping it low at 18 per cent.
PVR CEO Gautam Dutta said that the marketing and consumer support had helped the keep its rates steady. He said that adequate publicity would be given to show timings when the rate was as low as Rs 125 to ensure consumer support. He said art and technology make for good cinema and, with the tastes of the consumer changing, it was important to keep ahead of the curve.
To a question, he said that both English and Indian blockbuster films would be screened at Chanakya, now.
Ajay Bijli said that 21 other screens were ready for launching in other places but the clearances for the Chanakya heritage property came early, and so this was the first to touch 600 screens.
Hindi
India’s telecom subscribers cross 1.32 billion in February 2026
Broadband base swells past 1.06 billion as Jio and Airtel tighten grip on the market.
MUMBAI: India’s telecom sector is ringing in steady growth once again adding millions of new connections every month while the race for broadband supremacy continues to heat up like a fiercely contested cricket match. According to the latest data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 1 April 2026, the total telephone subscriber base in the country reached 1,321.31 million at the end of February 2026. This marked a net addition of 7.31 million subscribers during the month, translating into a monthly growth rate of 0.56 per cent.
Wireless subscribers (including mobile and Fixed Wireless Access) stood at 1,273.31 million, registering a net addition of 6.97 million and a growth rate of 0.55 per cent. Within this, urban wireless connections grew to 730.75 million (growth 0.70 per cent), while rural wireless subscribers reached 542.56 million (growth 0.35 per cent).
Wireline subscribers, though much smaller in scale, showed slightly faster growth. The total wireline base increased to 47.99 million, with a net addition of 0.34 million and a monthly growth rate of 0.70 per cent. Urban areas continued to dominate wireline connections with a share of 89.41 per cent.
Overall tele-density in India improved to 92.66 per cent. Urban tele-density stood at 150.68 per cent, while rural tele-density edged up to 60.02 per cent.
The broadband subscriber base crossed a significant milestone, reaching 1,059.05 million at the end of February 2026. This reflected a healthy net addition of 6.33 million subscribers and a monthly growth rate of 0.60 per cent from January’s figure of 1,052.72 million.
Segment-wise, mobile wireless access continued to drive the majority of growth with 996.52 million subscribers. Fixed Wireless Access (including 5G FWA) added 16.51 million, while wired broadband stood at 46.02 million.
Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. maintained its commanding lead with 519.64 million broadband subscribers. Bharti Airtel Ltd. followed with 364.14 million, Vodafone Idea Ltd. with 129.36 million, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. with 28.70 million, and Atria Convergence Technologies Ltd. with 2.38 million.
Together, these top five players command a massive 98.60 per cent share of the total broadband market.
In the wireless (mobile) segment, private operators continued to dominate with 92.59 per cent market share, leaving public sector undertakings (BSNL and MTNL) with just 7.41 per cent.
Out of the total 1,257.29 million wireless (mobile) subscribers, 1,177.60 million were active on the peak Visitor Location Register (VLR) date, representing an impressive 93.66 per cent activity rate. Bharti Airtel led in this metric with 99.42 per cent of its subscribers active.
Meanwhile, 14.47 million subscribers submitted requests for Mobile Number Portability (MNP) in February, indicating healthy competition and customer churn across zones.
While urban areas still lead in absolute numbers, rural connectivity is slowly catching up. Rural wireless tele-density stood at 59.46 per cent, compared with the much higher urban figure of 142.32 per cent.
Fixed Wireless Access using 5G technology also showed promising traction, growing to 11.93 million subscribers. Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel are the primary players driving this segment.
The data paints a picture of a maturing yet still rapidly expanding telecom ecosystem. With total telephone subscribers now well past the 1.32 billion mark and broadband users comfortably above 1.06 billion, India continues to solidify its position as one of the world’s largest and most dynamic digital markets.
From bustling city streets to remote villages, more Indians are staying connected than ever before proving that when it comes to telecom, the country’s appetite for growth shows no signs of hanging up anytime soon.
