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Star expands presence in Netherlands with UPC deal
MUMBAI: UPC, the second largest cable operator in Netherlands, has further consolidated its Asian digital television entertainment offering to the South Asian diaspora by adding Star Gold and Star Life OK.
With the addition of Star Gold and Star Life OK, UPC now carries three Star network channels on its platform which also includes Star Plus.
On UPC Nederland, all the Star Network channels offer 24-hour Hindi language entertainment subtitled in English. The new channels will be available for a one-month free view from 15 April in the Hindi pack.
Star UK and Europe SVP Yeshpal Sharma stated, “The Netherlands is home to the second largest Hindi speaking population after the UK and we are delighted to partner with UPC to offer additional Star channels in this significant market.”
From 15 April, subscribers can watch Star Plus, Star Gold, Star Life OK, Zee TV, Zee Cinema and Zing as part of the new Hindi Pack for €15.25 per month, says UPC.
UPC Nederland VP marketing and service Hans Blom said, “Due to the large Hindi speaking population amongst our customers, the Hindi Pack is our leading ethnic premium pack. Our Hindi speaking customers requested us to bundle our Hindi offering and expand the number of channels. In collaboration with Star TV we did. We are happy we can now announce an interesting and entertaining bundle of Hindi channels for a competitive price.”
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Inshorts Group chief Deepit Purkayastha joins IAB video council for Southeast Asia and India
The co-founder and chief executive of the short-form content platform has been inducted into the IAB SEA+India Video Council, giving India a stronger voice in shaping digital video frameworks
NOIDA: India has long been the world’s most chaotic, multilingual and mobile-first digital market. Now, one of its most prominent short-video executives is getting a seat at the table where the rules are written.
Deepit Purkayastha, co-founder and chief executive of Inshorts Group, has been selected as a member of the IAB SEA+India Video Council for 2026. Run by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the council brings together senior leaders from Southeast Asia and India to shape standards, best practices and measurement frameworks for the fast-evolving video and digital advertising ecosystem.
The timing is pointed. According to the IAMAI-Kantar Internet in India Report 2025, over 588 million Indians are now consuming short-video content, with growth increasingly driven by rural and non-metro audiences. India’s active internet user base has crossed 950 million, with 57 per cent of users now coming from rural markets. Yet the frameworks that govern how video consumption is measured and monetised were largely designed for single-language, Western markets and have struggled to keep pace with the scale, diversity and complexity of India’s digital landscape.
Purkayastha is no stranger to these debates. He already serves on the AI Council at Marketing and Media Alliance India and as co-chair of the Digital Entertainment Committee at the Internet and Mobile Association of India. His induction into the IAB SEA+India Video Council extends that influence into the global video standards arena.
Inshorts Group sits squarely at the intersection of these forces. Its flagship product, Inshorts, India’s highest-rated short news app, reaches 12 million active users with 60-word news summaries. Its sister platform, Public App, reaches 80 million monthly active users across more than 700 districts and 12 languages, serving communities that most global platforms barely register.
Purkayastha said the opportunity was about building something more representative. “India today sits at the centre of the global video ecosystem, but the frameworks that define how value is created and measured have not always kept pace with the realities of our market,” he said. “Being part of the IAB SEA+India Video Council is an opportunity to contribute to a more representative and future-ready approach, one that accounts for diversity in language, context, and user intent.”
As a council member, Purkayastha will contribute to shaping regional standards across video advertising, measurement and platform governance, with a focus on frameworks that are native to India’s multilingual, mobile-first ecosystem rather than imported from global benchmarks designed elsewhere.
For years, India has been content to play by rules written for other markets. Purkayastha’s induction is a signal that it is done waiting to be consulted and ready to start writing them.
