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Cable TV digitisation could face political storm in 2 metros, Mamata Banerjee raises voice
MUMBAI: Cable TV digitisation in two of the four metros singled out for rollout by 31 October could face stormy political opposition. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, recently withdrawing support from the Congress-led UPA government, has begun to roar against forcible introduction of digital set-top boxes (STBs) for any kind of TV viewing which she believes will hurt the poor.
Speaking at a rally in New Delhi, Banerjee said: “Our poor people will be ruined. They should have evolved some mechanism for this. What was the need for this decision for making mandatory the use of STBs?”
Banerjee was holding her first public rally in the national capital opposing the government‘s policies, including FDI (foreign direct investment) in retail.
Poor cable operators will be ruined. They will lose business. It will hurt the common man. How he will pay for STBs? Don‘t they (government) want the poor people to watch cable TV and have some entertainment?” she questioned.
Making a veiled reference to the recent hike in FDI in the media sector, Banerjee also said that the government was favouring private media companies.
“They have looted the country in seven days. If they are allowed, they will give information and broadcasting also to one private party,” Banerjee said.
Ironically, Trinamool leader CM Jatua was a Minister of State in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry before the party withdraw its support from the UPA government.
The West Bengal CM could find a supporter in Jayalalithaa, the CM of Tamil Nadu. The state-owned Arasu Cable is not yet prepared to implement digital cable in Chennai by 31 October.
However, Minister for Information & Broadcasting Ambika Soni has ruled out extension of the sunset date for switching off analogue for cable television beyond 31 October.
According to MIB, the digitisation percentage in four metro cities has gone up to 73 per cent from 68 per cent. A claim that has been disputed by cable operators from Kolkata and Chennai who believe that the percentage is lower than what the government claims.
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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.
