News Broadcasting
SERVICE TAX
he multiple levels and multi-point Service Tax imposed on the Entertainment Industry is making survival difficult for the small content producers.
Presently, the Entertainment Industry is paying Service Tax at many different levels and points, such that they end up paying Service Tax on Service Tax on Service tax. The levy is draconian and is making survival difficult for the content producers, who being the weakest link, bear the whole of the burden. The scenario is briefly described as under: –
The subscribers of Cable TV pay Service-tax which is collected and deposited by the Cable Operator.
The advertisers pay service tax to the ad-agencies on all ads booked by them.
The ad-agencies pay service tax on all advertisements aired, which the TV Channels collect and deposit.
The TV Channels are supposed to pay Service Tax to the Content Producers which the Content Producers are supposed to collect and deposit. As of now, none of the Channels, including Doordarshan, is paying this tax and so the Content Producers, even though they do not collect, deposit from their own resources as per law.
The Content producers hire equipment and buy utility services such as Telephone, Electricity, Insurance etc., on which they pay service tax which the equipment owners and utilities companies collect and deposit.
(A graphical representation is attached
Thus, the multi-point and multi-level Service tax levied on the Entertainment Industry is becoming such a burden that Channels, because they are at a bargaining end, refuse to bear and pay (and there is no law empowering the producers to recover the same from the channels) so it is borne by the Producers, and the producers have to pay to the Utilities and Equipment Suppliers as they are not in a position to refuse. Producers, end up paying service tax on their purchases as well as sales.
Doordarshan refuses to pay Service Tax on content that it purchases, although the law says they should pay; but collects Service tax from advertisers on telecast fees charges by it per force. Double faced policy.
The channels refuse to bear, not because they want to cheat, but because they too are forced to bear the Service Tax that the advertising agencies are refusing to pay. The ad-agencies are refusing to pay because they are already paying the tax on one side of their transaction.
The unfairness of the law lies in the fact that most of the players in the Entertainment Industry have to pay Service Tax on their costs as well as their revenues. This is against the concept of fair taxation.
We request that this chain of multi-point taxation be broken by exempting the Producers from Service Tax. The ad-agencies are already collecting and paying the Service Tax on all ads aired on the Channels, and the Cable Operators are also doing the same. Further, the Channels are paying Service Tax on all ads aired by them once again. The last leg of the chain, the Equipment Suppliers and Utilities are also collecting and paying service tax. Exempting the producers will give a great life-line to the Industry by breaking the Chain.
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.
