News Broadcasting
Splash set to swell beyond South
MUMBAI: What with more than six new kiddie channels set to appear on the Indian viewer’s horizon, the Pentamedia Graphics promoted Splash channel, with an already significant presence in the south is now looking to expand it’s viewership in the western and northern regions of the country.
So far, the going has been slow for the channel, which at its launch, had hired transponder space on Intelsat so as to target markets in neighbouring countries. But only recently it has stepped up efforts to penetrate the northern and western regions of the country.
Commenting on the expansion of its Mumbai operations, Splash channel director Nirmala Nath said, “Splash has had a marketing presence in Mumbai ever since the channel launched its operations on 18 October 2001. Now, as the channel is growing, we feel the need to have a bigger presence in the region to drive all aspects of the channel.”
Pentamedia, which had sunk in Rs 100 to 120 million initially into the Splash project, plans to shortly double its recently set up team of three in Mumbai, to look after all aspects of distribution, marketing and programming, she said.
Classifying its target audience of 2-16 year olds into toddlers, tweens and teens, and the programming into edutainment, infotainment and entertainment, the channel’s strategy, it seems, is to have a clear demographic marked out for each of its content genre. Incidentally, Splash was the first channel to kickstart with India-specific animated programmes like
Pot Pourri and India Folk Tales.
“Our edutainment programmes have been highly successful. Especially shows like the Y Series, The English Box and Logica, which have got us a lot of feedback from children and their parents,” said Nath, drawing attention to some of the successful shows on Splash.
On being asked whether the expansion of its Mumbai facility would reflect in the channel’s programming mix, Nath affirmed that the channel does have “plans to start programming locally.”
“To begin with, we shall commission local producers. But later on, we plan to have a full-fledged production unit of our own here. This unit shall cater to the channel’s programming needs from the west and the northern belts,” she added.
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.
