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ESS switches off cable network in Gujarat, alleges piracy
MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has filed police complaints against cable operators in Ahmedabad, Surat and Jamnagar for pirating signals of the soccer World Cup.
The broadcaster has filed FIRs against Patel Cable Network, Anjali Video Hut and Gold Channel Cable Network of Ahmedabad, Surat and Jamnagar respectively.
ESPN has switched off signals, saying that these cable networks have not paid their dues. The broadcaster says that Gujarat multi-system operator Gujarat Telelink Private Ltd (GTPL), in which Hathway Cable & Datacom has a 50 per cent stake, has not paid service charges which amount to Rs 140 million.
GTPL, which controls over 60 per cent of the total cable connections across the state, says ESS wants a 40 per cent hike in payout which is not acceptable.
GTPL managing director Anirudh Jadeja feels ESS is asking for an unreasonable increase. “We told them that due to market churn with DTH players coming in, a hike would not be possible for this year. There are no outstanding dues from our end. The service charge is not an issue. It is just that they want more fees. We refused to accede to their demands and so they switched off their signals. We currently have no issues with other sports broadcasters such as Ten Sports and Neo Cricket,” he says.
ESS argues that the local operators have not been able to face the consumer ire and have resorted to piracy. Taking cognisance of the same, ESPN Software India filed FIRs.
ESPN Software India associate VP affiliate sales TS Panesar said, “The FIR is a first step and we will leave no-stone unturned to ensure that the culprits are booked under the law of the land. We are evaluating all possible legal options to ensure that the culprits are arrested at the earliest.
“We have also set up a local team to detect piracy and act at the earliest. The cable operator in question has been charging subscription fee from the consumers and not passing the due to the broadcaster. This is unacceptable and I hope the FIR‘s will send the right signal.”
ESS and GTPL are in negotiations for a settlement, says Jadeja.
ESS spokesperson says, “Negotiations with GTPL have been going on since a long time, but on certain issues like outstandings their demands are still very unreasonable. Given the fact that football fans at Gujarat are missing out on quality World Cup action , we wish that an amicable solution works out soon.”
Meanwhile, in an interesting twist the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) has urged the government of Gujarat to act against operators stealing Fifa signals from ESPN Star Sports.
IBF has strongly condemned the rampant piracy of signals in Gujarat of ESPN Star Sports channels, the official broadcaster of Fifa World Cup.
The IBF urged the state government to take stern action against all the rogue operators who are defying Intellectual Property Rights and openly stealing the signals of ESPN Star Sports channels in the state.
Terming it as ‘unacceptable’, IBF President Jawahar Goel said, “We urge the government of Gujarat to take the sternest possible action against the rogue culprits. This is completely unethical. Not only have these operators refused to pay the due outstanding to the broadcaster, they are also resorting to unethical means by actually stealing the signals.”
He added that the broadcaster had paid millions of dollars to acquire the rights of such a mega tournament and nobody should be allowed to dishonour that.
The IBF, he said, stood by the broadcaster in this hour of crisis and hoped that the local and state police will take action and arrest the culprits at the earliest.
Goel is also the managing director of Dish TV, the only DTH operator which has so far stitched a deal with ESPN for HD feed.
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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.
