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Analogue cannot be switched off before 1 Nov
NEW DELHI: The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Arbitration Tribunal (Tdsat) has scuttled a proposed move to switch off genre-wise analogue signals of television channels before the 1 November deadline for digitisation in the four metros.
The Tdsat has sent a strong message to multi-system operators (MSOs) that they cannot switch off analogue delivery of any popular channel to force cable TV consumers to buy digital set top boxes (STBs) well in time for a complete switch over to digital delivery from 1 November.
TDSAT has directed that a senior official of the Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Ltd (BECIL) be appointed to make surprise checks at the premises of MSOs named in a petition by ESPN Software.
The sports broadcaster had alleged that MSOs had stopped re-transmission of signals of its channels – ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket — with a view to ensure the order of the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry for digitisation of all networks in Delhi is implemented.
At the same time, Tdsat chairman S B Sinha and member P K Rastogi observed that there cannot be any doubt or dispute that a broadcaster cannot indirectly put pressure on MSOs or local cable operators to place its channel on higher frequencies without payment of any placement charges or carriage charges.
TDSAT also refused to allow the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to be impleaded at this stage, having regard to the fact that it has already taken cognizance of the complaints made by the petitioner ESPN.
The matter has now been listed to come up after four weeks, with the report of the commissioner on the inspection carried out at the premises of DEN, Hathway, WWIL and INCable.
The bench noted that there was no reason to disbelieve the MSOs who had denied the charges, particularly as ESPN is the sole distributor of some important international sporting events.
However, TDSAT felt that BECIL being a public sector undertaking, it may be asked to appoint a senior official to go as commissioner not only to visit the head-ends of the respondent MSOs but also make some surprise inspections.
The Commissioner may also, if necessary, obtain the technical assistance of the parties. It was made clear that the fees and other expenses incurred by the BECIL shall be borne by the petitioner.
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Channels may be pulled out genre-wise from analogue before 1 Nov
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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.
