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MGM Channel joins launch lineup of Top-TV in South Africa
MUMBAI: Continuing its aggressive and highly successful drive to bring The MGM Channel into every corner of the globe, MGM Worldwide Networks has entered into a deal with On Digital Media (ODM) to launch The MGM Channel in South Africa on the basic tier of its new pay TV satellite platform, Top-TV.
The announcement was made at the television trade event MipTV in cannes, France by MGM Worldwide Networks persident Bruce Tuchman and ODM CEO Vino Govender.
While The MGM Channel is widely available in markets across Sub-Saharan and North Africa, securing the launch agreement on Top-TV represents the first time The MGM Channel will be available in South Africa as MGM Worldwide Networks continues its rapid global expansion bringing a range of Oscar winning favorites, modern movies, gems from Hollywood‘s golden age and cult classics to viewers around the world.
MGM Worldwide Networks now offers nearly two dozen separate branded networks broadcasting in over two dozen languages and reaching markets across every inhabited continent, including channels in both standard and high definition, the most recent of which — MGM HD — launched just a few months ago in partnership with Sky in the UK.
In South Africa, the MGM Channel joins the launch lineup of Top-TV, which will debut to consumers on 1 May, 2010. ODM will launch Top-TV as South Africa‘s second pay satellite TV and the service will offer a total of 55 channels with 25 channels in its basic offering. Top-TV promises to make a big impact on the multichannel television market in terms of choice, flexibility and affordability.
Tuchman says, “This is an exciting launch for The MGM Channel to be part of since consumers will now have more choice at affordable prices at the hands of their remote controls. MGM is proud to be part of this exciting move as we plan to entertain viewers with a special, hand-picked selection of some of the greatest movies ever produced in Hollywood with top stars, directors and writers. We are also very pleased to add South Africa to our extensive and still growing global footprint.”
Govender says, “We are pleased to offer our new subscribers the ability to enjoy the MGM brand of movies with great blockbuster titles and renowned classics alike. As we build out our channels, we believe that The MGM Channel will be a valuable proposition in attracting new subscribers.”
The MGM Channel in South Africa will feature films like Get Shorty, Hoosiers, The Madness of King George and Some Like It Hot.
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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.
