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CTC to launch on Dish Network
MUMBAI: CTC Media is set to launch an international version of its CTC channel in North America through Dish Network that has a reach of 13.6 million subscribers.
The channel will be a 24-hour family entertainment service with a programming grid primarily of CTC shows, 80 per cent of the rest coming from Domashny and Dish TV.
The lineup will include Margosha, Daddy‘s Girls, Ranetki, Cadets, I Want to Believe! and Say What‘s Wrong among others.
Commented CTC Media CEO Anton Kudryashov, “The international launch is an important and long-awaited step for us. We have chosen the North American market as the first target for our international expansion due to its significant potential.
“Moreover, we are confident that there are no comparable offerings among the Russian-language broadcasters in the U.S. In the future, we are also planning to launch an international version of CTC on other broadcasting platforms in the U.S. as well as in Europe where Russian content will be popular with viewers.”
Said senior VP of programming for Dish Network Corporation Dave Shull, “Dish Network is thrilled to become the exclusive satellite platform provider of CTC programming in the U.S. Adding a premium family entertainment channel of such high quality to our already fantastic lineup of Russian programming allows DISH Network to offer our subscribers the most diverse Russian programming options in the country.”
Added CTC Media Irina Shalinets, the director of the international broadcasting department, “We are providing viewers with a combination of the highest-rated content of three Russian networks-CTC, Domashny and DTV-which we believe will be very appealing. We hope that, by the winter holidays, all Russian-speaking audiences in the U.S. will be tuning in to the new world of family entertainment made possible by CTC.”
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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.
