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HITS policy: Government allows 74% FDI
MUMBAI: The government has finally come out with a Headend-In-The-Sky (HITS) policy, allowing the use of ‘C‘ and ‘Ku-band‘ in a technology that would help boost digitisation of cable TV services across the country.
HITS operators will have to uplink from India and will have to install SMS and encryption system.
The government has allowed 74 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) for HITS service providers, higher than the 49 per cent cap for cable TV operators. However, prior FIPB (foreign investment promotion board) approval will be required if the FDI is beyond 49 per cent.
“The Union Cabinet today approved the proposal of my Ministry to issue policy guidelines for HITS operators, that provide for a framework within which the service providers will operate,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters.
In a bid to avoid vertical integration and promote competition, the cross media holding restriction of 20 per cent of total paid up equity has been prescribed for various segment of broadcasting services.
There is no restriction on number of permissions. All those found to be eligible and fulfill the terms and conditions can apply for license to the government in the Ministry of I&B.
Though the operators are not permitted to provide signals directly to subscribers, the policy suggests that if the HITS operator is also an MSO/cable operator, he can do so through his distribution network.
Existing permission holders of HITS – like Essel Group – will have to comply and migrate to the new policy regime within three months, failing which their permission will be cancelled. Wire & Wireless (India) Ltd has already launched HITS.
The policy also states that sufficient provisions exist under the guidelines for monitoring of content, inspection and national security related issues.
The policy does not mandate for either the cable operators or subscribers to necessarily obtain signals from a HITS platform/network wherein subscribers and cable operators can continue with the existing system. The cable operators, thus, have the liberty to switch over to HITS provider network, if desired.
Under the HITS policy, the operator uplinks signals of TV channels of different broadcasters to their satellite, enabling cable operators to downlink these signals for further distribution to subscribers through their cable network in a digital form.
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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.
